I think this is probably my last post on the topic for SPC, at least for awhile. I really didn’t plan on having this one, but in putting together my first two posts, a several people asked me a lot about what the SPC really look like and what you really need to implement SPC. And, since I mentioned the concepts of real-time SPC and historical SPC in my previou...
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday to be spent with family eating turkey and watching football. It is a time for reflection on the many things we have to be thankful for. For one day we can put aside the challenges of the current economic climate and focus on the blessings in our lives. In May of 2011 MAVERICK employees reached 2,000,000 consecutive safe hours. This is a mark that had never been reached by our organization and is a testament to our dedication to safety on the job. Nothing is more important than each and every one of you going home safely every day and I am truly thankful for this achievement. Please continue to practice safety in and out of work in the year to come. 2011 was also marked by strong growth across MAVERICK fueled by our clients. In fact we added over 150 new employees this year and it doesn’t look like things are slowing down in the year to c...
Would you stand idly by while a two-year old chews on an electrical cord plugged into a live electrical outlet? Would you watch a relative stand on the top rung of your wobbly wooden ladder to help you hang Christmas lights? All of us would answer the first question with a very quick "no." The second, some of you may answer with a laugh, depends on who the relative is. But let’s assume some level of safety consciousness is inherent in all of us; we know right from wrong and, for this discussion, the answer to both of these questions is no. With two “no” answers, why is it so hard to get employees to recognize and report near misses? Research shows that for every 15 near misses, there will be one injury. In other words, that’s 15 missed opportunities to prevent injury. Let’s face it; no one wants to see someone injured. Ignoring a near miss — and the conditions that led ...
Quite often, automation projects become a plug-and-chug exercise in getting the code and HMI into the control system, according to the specifications, with little thought to the true purpose and strategy. This type of automation implementation can be successful, but does not protect your process from the dangers involved in making control system changes. Before someone modifies your control system, do you check to make sure they understand the process they’re working on? Do they even take the time to ask good questions? With today’s advanced technology and intuitive tools, you can find people who can code logic and draw pictures — but are they really experts, and are they looking out for your plant’s best interest? A successful automation project starts with all team members aware of the process they’re working on, the economic drivers that make money for the pla...
You might be wondering why supposedly mundane maintenance like DCS migration is such a hot topic these days. Just look at MAVERICK’s website: Our CEO, Paul Galeski, blogs about it. It’s a feature headline on the front page. We’ve got white papers galore on the topic. What’s the sudden excitement all about? Here’s the deal. Your instrumentation and control system is your most important productivity tool. It represents only 10 to 15 percent of the capital invested in your plant's equipment and facilities, yet it provides almost all the leverage you have to improve yields, increase throughput, reduce energy usage and achieve more uniform product quality. Unfortunately, you can't always realize these benefits if you're still operating with an obsolete DCS. Migrating to a modern DCS presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to significantly enhance the leveraging power of your ...
