Uptime: Maintenance & Reliability Tech-Education Building Blocks

By Bob Williamson, Contributing Editor

If our equipment-intensive businesses are to compete in a global marketplace, it will be necessary to attract, educate and nurture Maintenance & Reliability (M&R) Technicians for the future. These are the technicians who will care for our transportation systems (truck and rail) as well as our utility systems (electrical, natural gas and telecommunications). These are the same technicians who will maintain our nation’s mining, oil- and gas-drilling, production equipment and pipelines. Add to this the countless distribution centers, hospitals, hotels, resorts, restaurants, educational institutions and other enterprises across the country that will require—and vigorously compete for—technicians to perform sophisticated maintenance and repair work, and the demand for M&R technicians becomes clear. These jobs cannot be exported!

M&R Technicians are already in alarmingly short supply across North America, and the situation is getting worse. As past columns in this publication have regularly discussed, the problem isn’t just that young people have been discouraged from pursuing careers in M&R. Many schools have totally eliminated M&R-related education and training programs—along with the capabilities, equipment and internal support for them.

Redeveloping M&R education and training
Community colleges, technical schools, high schools and middle schools must play a pivotal role in preparing students and adults for crucial M&R jobs and careers. College education—particularly one- and two-year certificate programs and two-year associate of science degree programs—should be structured to meet the needs of businesses that need M&R Technicians and the youths and adults who want to pursue these types of careers. If I could design an educational model to attract, nurture and develop M&R Technicians for the future, it would look something like the vocational/technical educational programs that existed 30 to 40 years ago. But I would add relevant job content and educational links to jobs and careers, modern workplaces and technologically advanced equipment.

My suggested “10 Basic Building Blocks for Development of M&R Technicians” are as follows:

#1: M&R Technician Jobs and Careers

Maintenance and reliability may be the least understood of all business and industrial work processes. Many people today—students, faculty, career counselors, school boards and administrators, even adults looking for a career change—are unaware of the numerous and rewarding jobs and careers available in fields associated with maintenance and reliability. M&R Technician career ladders, from entry-level to senior technical and managerial levels, must be more clearly defined and communicated widely.

M&R jobs that require one- and two-year-certificate education programs should be shown on career ladders along with those requiring two- and four-year degrees and higher levels. Applicable professional certifications and licensing processes should also be introduced in technician career ladders.

#2: Basic Tools of the Trade

It’s essential to know the tools of the trade and how to use them. Many tools cut across several disciplines. Education that starts with basic hand and power tools, electrical test equipment and other essentials isn’t just useful for M&R careers, it’s invaluable around the home, farm and garage workshop.

#3: How Stuff Works

Today’s factories and facilities have an unlimited lineup of machinery, systems, sub-systems and processes. Knowing how this “stuff” works is a requirement for any M&R career. Exploring the purposes, inner workings and terminology of hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical circuits, controls, electronics, instrumentation, mechanical drives, pumps and motors is a must.

#4: Why Stuff Works

It’s not enough to understand “how” stuff works. “Why” stuff works is equally important, and relates physical science and math to energy, electricity, sound, light, forces, acceleration, temperature, motion, mechanics and chemistry. Knowing why stuff works the way it does contributes to a solid foundation for troubleshooting and correcting things that don’t work the way they are supposed to.

#5: Electro-Mechanical Machinery

Factories and facilities depend on many forms and generations of machinery. Knowing how machinery generates useful output from its power source to the inner workings is essential for M&R Technicians. Modern machinery is typically a hybrid of electrical, electronics and microprocessors that integrate with a variety of mechanical components and systems to produce something. Careers in M&R demand a comprehensive working knowledge of a wide variety of electro-mechanical machinery, new and old. Knowledge of and experience with safety and personal-protective-equipment (PPE) requirements should be incorporated with each and every machine from this point forward.

#6: Electro-Mechanical Systems and Processes

Systems and processes behave differently when electro-mechanical machinery is connected to form an assembly line, packaging line, manufacturing process, heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system or the many other systems and processes found in plants today: They become interdependent. These machines must all work together to produce a useful output. If one fails, the entire system or process is affected. Knowledge of the various interconnections, communications, sensors and logic is essential to master the next educational component, “Figuring Things Out.” (Industrial “maintenance trainee” internships that begin at this point will incorporate critical real-world experiences. Going forward, teamwork and communications skills will be invaluable.)

#7: Figuring Things Out

Every M&R Technician regularly uses troubleshooting, problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills. “Figuring Things Out” appears at this point because a system or process must be understood completely before problems can be identified and corrected. Reading and interpreting original equipment manufacturers (OEM) manuals, drawings, schematics and diagrams are also keys to figuring things out. Knowing how to diagnose and repair a wide variety of equipment (industrial and otherwise) is one of the most powerful ingredients of employment security, and something every M&R Technician should master.

#8: Making the Repair

Some call it “fixing,” but that’s an oversimplification. Making the repair requires mastery of the seven educational building blocks above plus the “how to” requirements of specific equipment, processes and systems.

Most OEMs provide step-by-step procedures, drawings and specifications that must be followed to safely make correct adjustments and repairs. Knowing how to put together all of the skills, knowledge conditions and job instructions to take efficient and effective action is a must for every M&R Technician. Working with others to make, document and learn from repairs enhances the ongoing learning process and improves productivity.

#9: Preventing and Predicting Failures

Fixing things that break should not be the primary job of M&R Technicians. Precision-maintenance methods should be deployed by M&R Technicians to optimize equipment life and eliminate failures. This includes preventive-maintenance (PM) programs developed and specified by OEMs and enhanced by business and industry M&R organizations.

Analysis of failures often leads to revised PMs. Failures can also lead to condition monitoring and predictive-maintenance (PdM) procedures, depending on criticality of the equipment, process or system. M&R Technicians must know about proper precision-maintenance and reliability-improvement methods, as well as PM, condition monitoring and PdM methods. (Advanced tools that should be introduced at this point include laser alignment, oil analysis, vibration analysis, ultrasound inspection, infrared inspection, strobe tachometers, motor circuit analyzers and other diagnostic tools.)

#10: Continuous Improvement

Improving troublesome equipment to achieve higher levels of performance and reliability contributes to business success (in the form of lower operating costs and improved productivity, production and throughput of machinery, systems and processes). Continuous improvement is a higher-level skill that focuses on equipment, work processes and the people involved, while building on the previous nine educational building blocks. Knowing how to cost-effectively reduce or eliminate failures, how to make operations and maintenance work easier and how to improve reliability are mandatory learned abilities of every successful M&R Technician.

Continuous improvement should also incorporate M&R Technician certifications such as the “Certified Maintenance & Reliability Technician” (CMRT) by the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and technology-specific certifications. Examples of technology-specific certifications include “Certified Infrared Thermographer” by Infraspection Institute; and multiple levels of “Vibration Analyst” by the Vibration Institute; “Certified Lubrication Specialist,” by the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE); and “Machinery Lubrication Technician,” by the International Council of Machinery Lubrication (ICML). These internationally recognized credentials are strong indicators of M&R Technicians’ professional-development interests and achievements.

The 20/20 view
Now we can see more clearly. Difficulties in finding qualified M&R Technicians to fill job openings and replace retiring Baby Boomers have brought the picture of disastrous skills-shortages into sharp focus. Gaps in public education have helped increase the acuity. As a result, there are not now—nor will there be in the foreseeable future—enough M&R Technicians to go around. Those worth their salt will seek “great places” to work and learn.

Renewed Maintenance & Reliability Technician education and training must begin now. Don’t wait for our schools and colleges to catch up. They may not be able to do so in our lifetime. We must take the lead in M&R education and work with our educational institutions to establish enduring programs. We must also continue to improve the performance and reliability of our equipment, systems and processes throughout their life cycles. Increasing the inherent reliability of equipment is part of the solution. MT&AP

Robert Williamson, CMRP, CPMM and member of the Institute of Asset Management, is in his fourth decade of focusing on the “people side” of world-class maintenance and reliability in plants and facilities across North America. Email: RobertMW2@cs.com.