Continuous Improvement

Tom Madding, Publisher

Someone once said that "the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement." We at Maintenance Technology agree—just as we bet most of our readers would. To continuously improve our operations, we all must make changes in our organizations and processes, on a regular basis. In this regard, a publishing house is no different than a manufacturing plant or facility operation. No magazine, no matter how successful it is, can afford to rest on its laurels. In our business, responding to the rapidly changing needs and concerns of readers is paramount. The ability to "turn on a dime" (and how quickly you make that turn) is what keeps a publication up and running—and it's what separates a publication from the rest of the pack.

As part of our continuous improvement program and our mission to better serve our readers, Maintenance Technology has recently made some significant changes.

Effective with this issue, two new individuals are at our editorial helm. Terry Wireman has assumed the duties of Editorial Director for both Maintenance Technology and Lubrication & Fluid Power magazines. Jane Alexander has joined Terry as Managing Editor for both publications. Let there be no misunderstanding. While these moves represent a change in personnel, there is no change in our commitment to keeping Maintenance Technology the premier magazine for plant equipment reliability, maintenance, and asset management.

Going forward, we will continue to focus on "Best Practices," only now we'll be including more details on how to achieve these goals in your operations. We also will begin covering more organizations that have achieved a "Best Practice" status. That way, readers can learn from successful peers—those individuals who have been able to initiate and sustain changes in their organizations. New and revitalized departments and columns, plus a whole new look and feel to our magazine also will be forthcoming in the next few months.

In the meantime, both Terry and Jane will be attending various industry events, including technical conferences, User Group meetings, and trade exhibitions around the country. Please take the time to visit with them whenever you run into them. They—we—want to hear from all of you, end users and advertisers alike. Furthermore, we are eager to share your stories and messages with others.

These are exciting times for Maintenance Technology. Yet, as we move full-speed ahead in our continuous improvement, we would be remiss in not mentioning Bob Baldwin, founding Editor of this publication, and the many contributions he has made to our industry.

We regret that Bob will not be associated with our editorial team in the future. Over the years, he has worked tirelessly in the development and support of many maintenance-related organizations, including: SMRP, MIMOSA and the Maintenance Excellence Roundtable, to name but a few. Best maintenance practices truly are Bob's passion, and we'll miss him greatly. All of us at Maintenance Technology wish Bob the very best in his future endeavors. MT