Reliability and maintenance teams in all manufacturing plants have a common goal; that is, to plan and execute initiatives that will help sustain the inherent reliability of the physical assets and increase the availability of the plant. Productivity and profitability of the manufacturing plant and overall organization are highly dependent on the reliability and availability of the plant. A thorough understanding of the importance of reliability has made the top management of major corporations invest in reliability and physical asset management. When the top management invests in reliability, they typically set the corporate strategy and directions for reliability through a road map for all the manufacturing plants that operate under the corporation. When the commitment or support from the top management is available for reliability initiatives, the onus is now on the individual manufacturing plant to develop a reliability plan that aligns with the corporate strategy and/or reliability road map and the current needs of the plant. The reliability and maintenance teams typically build all the strategic, tactical, and operational reliability plans that have initiatives that would make the biggest impact on continuous improvement in reliability and bring the desired benefits for the site. This presentation will explain the systems thinking approach, along with the seven golden rules and seven key factors, that will help reliability and maintenance teams to build an effective reliability plan. In addition, this presentation will also address the top three challenges in building a reliability plan and how to overcome those challenges through two case studies. The first case study is about developing a three-year reliability plan, and the second case study is about developing an annual reliability plan. Both the case studies will explain the application of the systems thinking approach, seven golden rules, seven key factors, and top three challenges that were dealt with and solved.
Sathishkumar Nachimuthu is a young, diligent, and industrious team player who always loves to work in a challenging work environment, with a positive attitude. Sathishkumar is currently working as a reliability manager at Weyerhaeuser, Drayton Valley Sawmill, and leading all the reliability initiatives at the sawmill to establish and sustain an effective, optimal, and comprehensive reliability and maintenance program. Sathishkumar obtained a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering in India and an M.Sc. in Engineering Management at the University of Alberta, Canada. Sathishkumar worked as a “research assistant” at the Reliability Research Lab at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Ming Zuo, who is a global leader in physical asset management, reliability, and maintenance research. Sathishkumar developed prime knowledge in physical asset management, reliability, and maintenance through his time at the Reliability Research Lab,. Sathishkumar worked with Dr. Ming Zuo and has published his research work in reliability and maintenance areas in highly reputed journals and conferences. Sathishkumar gained expertise in ISO 55000, asset management strategy, methods, and models, through his asset management summer school in Zhejiang University, China. Sathishkumar worked with the asset management department of EPCOR Utilities Inc. (Electricity Operations and Water Treatment Plant) on multiple reliability and asset management roles and then joined West Fraser as a reliability specialist. Sathishkumar successfully led multiple reliability improvement initiatives and projects in West Fraser Hinton Pulp and produced impactful results in mill reliability and availability. Sathishkumar holds multiple professional credentials; namely, the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), Certified Reliability Leader (CRL), and IAM Certification in Asset Management.
