When Accusations Are Accurate
A critical line missed its production target, causing a late shipment. Between lost revenue and concessions to an upset customer, the cost totaled about $80,000. The production superintendent promptly blamed the maintenance department for a badly timed maintenance shutdown of equipment, claiming that waiting just one more day would have prevented the whole fiasco.
Maintenance did shut that equipment down for preventive maintenance (PM) work, so the accusation is accurate. It's also true that maintenance made good use of the downtime by performing two upgrades in parallel with the PM work, but received no credit for that uptime savings.
Production didn't alert maintenance that it needed an uninterrupted run for just one more day, so this seems like unfair finger-pointing, but is it? Not from the production superintendent's perspective. The normal condition of that equipment is it runs. He had no idea what maintenance was planning, and maintenance did not bother to ask about its customer's needs.
So, what’s the solution? Apologize for the communication lapse and implement a “check before do” step for future shutdowns.
About the Author
Mark LamendolaMark Lamendola
Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.
Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.
Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.