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Blog
Welcome to the Conscious Asset Management Blog "Uptime" By James V. Reyes-Picknell
Many of these entries expand on what is published in "Uptime, Strategies for Excellence in Maintenance Management" (2nd edition) by John Campbell (d) and James Reyes-Picknell. They speak to issues not covered by the book and well as current events and how they relate in the realm of asset management. All topics are of interest to asset, maintenance and reliability professionals, managers and executives in companies where physical assets are a key to achieving operational excellence. If you would like to see what we offer as products and services please click on the links on the left side of the page.
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There is so much about "productivity" and "prosperity" in the news these days. The Canadian Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity's Report on Canada 2010 shows us trailing the US on many measures - and yet our economy is supposed to be in better shape. We have a $9,300 annual per capita prosperity gap there - 17% of the US GDP. The Globe and Mail's Report on Business is ru...
This morning I was inspired by death. There was an article about a young girl - a teenager who lived near Toronto who hanged herself after taking drugs. The drugs were meant to deal with "depression" - a diagnosed condition being treated by a doctor. Yet it is clear from the outcome that her treatment only dealt with the symptoms, not the causes of the depression. What is d...
Leaders are people we can always remember as those who "just do it". They make things happen. They never seem to have excuses to explain why they are not doing something. They don't see problems, they see opportunities. They feel fear, just as we all do, they don't operate from it. They don't let fear get the better of them and prevent their progress. Are you a ...
Businesses today are struggling with their costs and capabilities because of past "sins". It may not be evident in the board room either - executives just don't seem to get it. But on the shop floor, in the field and in factory settings around North America we hear a similar story. It goes like this; "about 10 years ago we did all that but we stopped". So what happened?
In...
At the Shutdowns SuperConference in Calgary (8 & 9 Dec 2009) I presented a paper entitled, "Do As Little As Possible, Why Shut Down At All?" The premise is that we often create more work and more downtime that we need to. We do it through poor work identification, doing the wrong type of work and by adding work scope that does not need to be in a shutdown.
The presentation ...
Sustainability is a word that gets tossed around a lot. All too often it is associated solely with companies' efforts to go "green". And all too often even that is nothing more than "green-wash" a polite was of saying it's nothing more than trendy marketing with no real substance. A lot of money is spent on sustainability reporting, publishing what companies are doing on their we...
The recession is over - at last! Whew! Manufacturers are gearing up. The resource sector is coming back to life. Major projects are getting again underway. Demand for consumer goods is growing. But is your company ready for the demands of the new markets we now have? The recession of 2009 has changed the business landscape. Recovery is considered by ...
This year has been a rough one for many industries, especially manufacturing. Training and consulting budgets have been slashed or eliminated over fear that the company won't have enough money, or perhaps a future. Yet slashing these investments in your future reveals a lack of confidence. That arises from fear that you are insufficient to survive the circumstances in which you f...
We're seeing an interesting phenomenon these days - senior executives actually being taken to task over excessive pay while their companies languish. The US Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal is challenging rate hikes to pay these salaries and named Northeast Utilities, United, Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas Company. There are likely more too. We agree tha...
Asset Management is a term used widely in financial circles. An asset is anything that has value - it can be invested in and depreciated in the financial statements. Assets include all sorts of financial instruments, capital equipment, software, some labor required to put those into place, goodwill (an intangible) and more. The financial world puts a lot of effort into managing t...
Archived Blog Entries: » Reliable Software or Physical Assets? » Consciousness of Love and Appreciation » Revolutionary Predictive Maintenance » Creating your spiritual life » AECL - a case for PAS-55 » Shutdowns every day » Selfishness » How to miss opportunity » A new perspective for general managers » We create our own problems » Management failure » Something to make you smile » Successful Better Best » Firing for Convenience » Are you part of the solution? » PAS 55 - The emerging gold standard in asset management » Asset Management - Essential for Sustainability » Pay it forward » New Year Resolutions » Climbing out of the hole » Maintenance Managers are like Criminals » Industrial Anorexia » How to make things worse » How not to handle shaky times » Now is the time to invest in capacity » We chose this financial mess » We are creating our own economic mess! » Existence is but an extension of yourself » Blame » Health care and maintenance » Dress for success » Health Care is Maintenance » When facilitation bogs you down » A world without enemies » Aging Infrastructure » Your internal talent pool » Why not change and grow? » Go Green » Safety First? » Do not work - play! » Are your proactive efforts really working? » Are you a slave to the urgent? » Look at yourself first! » Are Throwaway Factories A Threat » What is the biggest change coming? » Let me ask, why? » Having trouble with lean? » Maintenance Management Assessments - Do you need them? » Agility and speed » Making a new choice » A business case for change » What does maintenance mean to you? » Command and Control vs. Command » Knowledge Capture » 'Asset Management' - Where we are headed » Intensity, Prosperity and Working Smarter » Data, Information, Knowledge or Wisdom » Fear Holds Us Back » Maintenance and Finance - a similar role! » Why wait until the pain is unbearable? » You're about to die - what do you do next? » What is 'best practice'? Should you follow a benchmark? » Is it data, information or knowledge? Make sure you create value.
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