Reliability & Lean
You can't get Lean without first being Reliable!
Improvement initiatives like "Lean" focus at eliminating waste first, and then protecting product flow, as noted at the top of the figure above. Those of us in the Maintenance & Reliability field understand that without reliability in our equipment & processes, we cannot be Lean. The reason excess product inventory in the system exists in the first place is often as insurance against unreliable equipment & processes. Without this excess inventory, when a failure occurs, product flow stops. Some feel it is the reason that JIT (just-in-time) achieved less than expected results in the 1980's, and later became jokingly replaced with JIC (just-in-case)!
LAI understands there are two critical aspects to Reliability:
- The first is "Equipment Reliability". These are the solutions which have direct impact at and on the equipment. These are depicted at the left side of the Reliability block on the figure above. Because of the visibility of these to the organization, companies tend to start with and put a primary focus on these.
- The second is "Maintenance Process" reliability. These are the solutions that focus on improving the process of how the maintenance organization provides reliability to the plant or site. It includes not only the process of Maintenance, but all the other support functions below it. These are depicted at the right side of the Reliability block on the figure above.
LAI offers a host of Reliability solutions focused at maximizing product flow at optimal costs. When it comes to Maintenance & Reliability, we bridge the gaps between Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, and others, forming partnerships that drive results.
- Reliability Benchmark Assessment & Strategy Development
- Lean Assessment & Strategy Development
- Performance Metric (Key Performance Indicator) Development
- Constraint Management - Product focused
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness - Product constraint driven
- Process Mapping & Optimization
Because of our diverse background, LAI can customize a Maintenance & Reliability strategy to fit your needs regardless of the size of your organization, the stage of your efforts, or the industry you service!
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