Coming in 2010 - UPTIME Certification Program

Asset Management (PAS 55)
Manage assets using the world's "gold standard". Satisfy regulators and other stakeholders that you are doing all you can at optimized costs. Maintenance Management is no longer enough. Infrastructure is aging and in some cases failing. Our crumbling infrastructure has suffered from lack of investment and care - some of it has has already killed. Asset managers and owners are being taken to task for their lack of care and dilligence in managing these dangerous situations. Risks have been taken and sadly the results have been disastrous. In response to this situation we now have the world's first specification for Asset Management - PAS 55.  It has just been approved by the ISO as a work item initiative to be converted into a new International Standard.  Read the ISO communique here.

It was developed in the UK in response to industry and societal demands for more responsible management of physical assets, mainly in the infrastructure industries - utilities, roads and bridges, rail, airports and public facilities. It was written by the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) and published as a specification by the British Standards Institute, a precursor to becoming recognized as an International Standard (ISO). PAS 55 goes beyond, yet includes, excellence in Maintenance Management - Uptime is an excellent complement to PAS 55 Asset Management and fits well within it. PAS 55 speaks to Asset Management in the same way as ISO speaks to Quality Management. It describes a way of managing physical assets throughout their entire "life cycle" from conception to disposal and remediation. Engineering, maintenance, risk management, etc., are all included under the one umbrella known as, "Asset Management". Note that as a "specification" PAS 55 is not prescriptive in any way. It is a statement of requirements - how a company meets those is entirely up to them. Here is a letter from OFGEM, the UK regulator for gas and electric utilities that outlines why PAS 55 is so important. And today its use is extending into the food and facilities management industries.  Here's an article published on Reliability Web explaining where you'll find the value in PAS 55.

PAS 55 compliance is required in the UK and has already been used elsewhere in Europe, Australia, China and America.  Regulators and rate review interveners are asking for it - yes, even here in North America. Forward looking utilities are already implementing it. It's benefits are evident to those of us who have ever had to handle a difficult challenge with our physical assets - it will eventually become standard practice, even without formal certification, throughout industry. It makes too much sense to ignore.

We are the first Canadian and 2nd North American based Asset Management consultancy to offer PAS 55, training, audit, implementation and certification services.; As specialists in Asset Management with a track record of assessments and helping companies improve, and as members of the IAM we are approved to audit and certify your operations as compliant to the requirements of PAS 55. We are "local" to your operations and don't rely solely on imported talent to do this work for us. And our services go beyond audit and certification. Our consultants can advise and help as you implement the organizational, process and other changes that may be needed to become compliant. To learn more click on the following links: PAS 55 (Specification), PAS 55 Assessment, Competencies Framework.

Uptime
High performance in maintenance and operations is delivered by blending the best of the world's most successful practices. Here we focus on Maintenance Management and "choosing excellence" in your operations to reduce costs, improve production performance, improve quality, safety and environmental performance while reducing various financial business risks. Our book, "Uptime - Strategies for Excellence in Maintenance Management" is an excellent text on elements of implementing what is sometimes called Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) due to its focus on teamwork. James Reyes-Picknell, author of the 2nd edition of Uptime, leads our Uptime projects. We perform a review of your operations, provide perspective, suggestions, timing and cost estimates to help you with your resource planning. Facilitated strategy and planning sessions help you determine the way forward. During implementation we provide training including our popular Uptime Courses, coaching and advisory services to help you in "choosing excellence". We leave you with a sustainable program, not just another program of the month.

Contact us for a free initial consultation. That choice alone can reveal low hanging fruit and save you money. We want to help you succeed so we let you know what we see as we see it, whether it is in an initial discussion or deep into a long engagement. We choose to be trusted advisers. We will earn your trust from the start. Here's an example - just look at what one training course did for one client:

"Thanks Jim
To date we have implemented scheduling. Planning still to be implemented.
We are posting daily schedules. We went a little high tech, it is on a t.v. monitor.
We will be dealing with Work Identification in the next month and more with planning.
We have the daily go to on call guy so we don't keep pulling guys from their work.
We will be dealing with Inventory soon but we know that will take some time.
I think we have already paid for our training and we have just touched on Work Management."

That was less than two weeks after 4 of their staff took our 3-day Uptime Training.  You've got nothing to lose and if you are reading this, you've probably got a lot to gain. 

And we are not alone. We operate a global network of qualified and skilled consultants who meet our high standards. We draw on the collective talents of our team in the Uptime Alliance. We stand ready to support you wherever you operate globally.

Lead Manufacturing and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
Want up to 30% more workforce productivity? Lean manufacturing is all about eliminating waste to keep costs down and productivity up. There is much that can be done to achieve lean from posting production statistics to integrating your supply chain with your suppliers. What's often missed however, is maintenance and asset reliability. You can't eliminate work in process or finished goods inventory entirely if you still need it to make up for lost production at any workstation. Downtime due to equipment failure is the Achilles Heal of lean. Uptime, RCM, TPM and all the tools are needed to eliminate this problem. Uptime is often considered to be a way to achieve TPM - Total Productive Maintenance.

TPM is a bit of a mis-nomer. It should stand for Total Productive Manufacturing, not Maintenance. It's a philosophy and culture that is developed spanning all your operations. It means different things in different companies depending on a variety of factors. That leads to confusion if you investigate it deeply. TPM itself is a philosophical approach to shifting culture. It's not a method like RCM or RCFA. It has many variations and there are no fixed rules. Uptime describes elements that, when implemented together successfully, have been called TPM. The book itself was long considered a book on TPM. What TPM methods have in common are the use of self-directed teams combining the skills and inputs of both maintainers and operators. As such it might more correctly be called Total Productive Management or Total Productive Operations, but the old name has rich historical roots and seems to stick. What matters most, is what gets done.

Implementing TPM requires a change in the way that many companies work and it extends far beyond the maintenance department. It is not an improvement initiative that is successfully undertaken at the departmental or even operational level alone. It will reach into your offices and support functions crossing departmental boundaries and breaking down all sorts of old cultural barriers. Contrary to common belief it is also not limited only to manufacturing environments although that is where it has its roots. The concepts that make up the TPM philosophy can be applied anywhere with a bit of creativity. What you are seeking to achieve is the unleashing of the hidden talents in your workforce - its creativity. TPM is not for companies that believe a quick fix will work - it can take 2 to 5 years to fully implement successfully and indeed several organizations dedicate their entire focus to TPM. We too offer our support in this advanced approach. Contact us for more information or to initiate a dialogue on how TPM might work in your organization.

Reliability Centered Maintenance 2 (RCM2)
Optimized maintenance programs lead to cost savings and improvements in safety, environmental and risk management performance. We are members of the Aladon Network of global RCM2 practitioners RCM2 is the world's leading RCM methodology begun by the late John Moubray, founder of Aladon LLC. RCM2 is more than a maintenance methodology, if you are truly choosing excellence, it will become a part of the way you operate. It is one of the keys to success in lean manufacturing. Without asset reliability your efforts to achieve lean, cut costs, improve on safety and environmental performance will be compromised. We offer:

• RCM2 Training (1-day Management Overview, 3-day Introductory, 10-day advanced)
• RCM2 Facilitator Competency Development, Coaching and Mentoring
• RCM2 Delivery Services (facilitation, analysis, project management, advisory)

Learn more about RCM2 - click here to learn about the method and its implementation then take it to the next level: talk to us and learn about implementing it in your operations. We help you take RCM2 from being merely being a program that you implement to becoming part of the fabric of how you do things in your operations.

Mentoring and Coaching
Skills development and enhancement leads to greater workforce productivity and motivation to deliver the results you want. Could you benefit from some expert advice from time to time? You may not need an extensive consulting engagement to help your organization move forward. Chances are that you already have a lot of the expertise and talent, but you need a little bit of help to get "unstuck". We coach via telephone, email or face to face depending on your situation. Recognizing that you need help is your first step. Getting help is your next.

For some there is a need to both expand on existing capabilities, knowledge and skills while learning new skills. Mentoring is a form of coaching in which we help you develop new skills and gain competence with them. For example, we mentor recently trained RCM2 facilitators become competent facilitators while we coach Maintenance Managers who need help with specific problem areas.

Here is a testimonial from one of our clients, Mr. Will Riley:

"I want to thank you, you know ever since we began talking Jim I have really grown on a personal level. I just wanted to tell you that you have not only opened my eyes to a different train of thought but you have inspired me to treat personal growth as a continual education as well. I have had the joy of sharing my learning's from you to others who have also benefited. Being in a leadership role now and any role in the future will be different from the past, understanding the aspects of people and how that applies to successful business practices. I have to say I have come to believe everything in life happens for a reason and looking at the people I have met I can definitely appreciate that phrase.
Kindest Regards, Will"

Tap into the abundant world of resources that are out here, available to you if you choose. Don't hesitate, ask us how this might work for you.

Telephone Consultations
Very cost effective coaching support when you need it to enhance performance and help solve tricky problems that have been eluding you. For our ongoing client relationships we are happy to carry on discussions and offer advice as a part of our contracted services. Often they even get this free after we have an established relationship. For those who are not yet clients we are happy to discuss our services and how we might be able to help you.

If you have questions specific to problems or issues you are facing and you need a bit of advice there's often no need to bring us in for advice at high costs. We are happy to help you, if we can, over the phone. If we are unable to help you with your situation over the phone we will advise you and suggest a visit. For our dial-up consultation rates and to make appointments please contact us.

To learn more about any of our services contact us. We are always delighted to discuss your situation. Any discussions are always treated as confidential to protect your interests.