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    • From the Plant Floor

    From the Plant Floor is a monthly column that explores reliability challenges faced by organizations and solutions to overcome them. In the column, Plant Services Contributing Editor Jeff Shiver shares common-sense approaches over a broad range of topics affecting engineering, maintenance, and operations.

    Featured Article

    Overcoming common maintenance obstacles through better planning and scheduling
    Planning and Scheduling

    Overcoming common maintenance obstacles through better planning and scheduling

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says the first place to start is often to clarify roles and responsibilities, and ease any adversarial tension.
    Why your maintenance strategies fail: The importance of implementation over analysis
    Maintenance

    Why your maintenance strategies fail: The importance of implementation over analysis

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver argues that when your team takes ownership of the entire process, from analysis to implementation, then the results will follow.
    6 can’t-miss checkpoints on the roadmap to reliability at your facility
    Planned Maintenance

    6 can’t-miss checkpoints on the roadmap to reliability at your facility

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says use these six checkpoints to take your program to the next level, whether you're starting from scratch or have mastered some maintenance best practices.
    How defining moments can make or break your maintenance program
    Leadership Skills

    How defining moments can make or break your maintenance program

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver explains how these moments force you to confront the weaknesses in your current practices.
    Beware of AI-driven maintenance plans filling your CMMS with non-value work
    Planned Maintenance

    Beware of AI-driven maintenance plans filling your CMMS with non-value work

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver demonstrates how PM checklists generated using AI tools often miss the precision tasks that address your asset’s unique operating context, and can vary between multiple...
    Steps to address the critical skills shortage in industrial maintenance
    Workforce Development

    Steps to address the critical skills shortage in industrial maintenance

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver shares short- and long-term approaches to overcome the lack of qualified maintenance and reliability workers.
    2023 industry wrap-up: The best of From the Plant Floor
    From the Plant Floor

    2023 industry wrap-up: The best of From the Plant Floor

    In this year-end wrap-up, we highlight Jeff Shiver’s most popular, most insightful columns.
    Are Standard Job Plans Worth The Investment To Your Maintenance Team
    Planning and Scheduling

    Are standard job plans worth the investment to your maintenance team?

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says unlock the potential of your historical data by transforming it into a library of reusable job plans.
    Take Steps To Quantify The Value Of Your Preventive Maintenance Optimization Efforts
    Preventive Maintenance

    Take steps to quantify the value of your preventive maintenance optimization efforts

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says both KPIs and qualitative feedback are crucial to capturing tangible results.
    Is Templating Maintenance A Power Play Or A Shortcut To Failure
    Maintenance

    Is templating maintenance a power play or a shortcut to failure?

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says the trick is to know your assets well enough to recognize where templating should stop and more individual care should start.
    Understanding Human Error In Asset Reliability
    Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

    Understanding human error in asset reliability

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says people commit errors, can identify errors, and can provide effective solutions.
    Calculating Your Value Contribution To The Business 1
    Workforce Development

    Calculating your value contribution to the business

    Jeff Shiver
    To drive success, Jeff Shiver says employees need to add value beyond their compensation costs.
    Are Your Fme As Focused On The Asset Or Pant Level
    Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

    Are your FMEAs focused on the asset or plant level?

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says take your continuous improvement efforts to the next level by expanding the scope of failure modes and effects analyses as needed.
    Change Management
    Change Management

    How to overcome your workers’ natural resistance to change

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver examines ways to create a tipping point in your change leadership approach.
    potential-failure-conditions
    Preventive Maintenance

    How to improve the identification of potential failures at your plant

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says many tools can assist to determine potential failure conditions, but each type of asset has different needs.
    workforce-training-knowledge
    Workforce Development

    3 common plant problems and how to overcome them

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says clearly define responsibilities and implement a system to track performance and knowledge sharing.
    goal-plan-roadmap
    Maintenance

    Develop a step-by-step roadmap to achieve maintenance success

    Jeff Shiver
    Jeff Shiver says to deliver more successful execution, develop and carry out an initial plan, then build from there.
    Lyten invests $1 billion to build lithium-sulfur battery gigafactory in Nevada
    Maintenance Mindset: Is manufacturing in space the key to affordable space travel and lunar exploration?
    Steel fabricator invests $25M to expand manufacturing facility in Louisiana 
    Podcast: What should manufacturers do to prepare for changing tariff policies under the new presidency?
    Vertiv to build new infrastructure solutions manufacturing plant in South Carolina 
    Worker suffers leg fracture, dislocated ankle, and requires metal plate after being struck by forklift
    Podcast: How AI and automation are revolutionizing computer-aided manufacturing
    How integrated asset health systems improve plant reliability and reduce costs