Maintenance, Repair and Operations Feature Library
Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.
Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE
(the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under
the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the
many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.
14/11/2022
T Levels - the new broom
The first engineering repair standard in the new T Level course suite took its first learners in September. Will Dalrymple reviews the course and approach
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19/04/2022
A basic guide to legal liability
When something goes wrong on site there are usually two routes by which legal liability could follow: contract and tort. By Susan Hopcraft, partner, Wright Hassall
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12/08/2021
Inspection shutdowns in UK AGR nuclear power plants
UK nuclear power plants including Heysham 1, Torness and Hinkley Point B have recently undergone shutdowns that have included inspections for cracks in their graphite core. Such work has gained a new sense of urgency in the past few years, ...
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04/02/2021
Proactive plate heat exchanger maintenance
Regardless of industry, engineers are finding themselves tasked with doing more with less. This has led some to adopt a run-to-failure approach to their equipment. But this approach could prove costly. By Andrew Peacock, service manager, ...
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19/11/2020
The potential of servitisation for manufacturers
Most businesses will say that the digital revolution is making them more customer-centric, but there is a delivery gap between companies’ beliefs about their customer service, and customers’ opinions. This is how connecting with the ...
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27/10/2020
Master dashboard
A collaborative, non-profit initiative to serve internet-of-things data across any number of devices and assets, is now gearing up for the next phase of rollout. According to its founders, its development is seen as the natural evolution ...
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11/02/2013
Maintenance expo
With Maintec 2013 just a few short weeks away, Brian Tinham previews this show, specifically designed for maintenance technicians and engineering managers
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16/01/2013
Joined-up thinking
Why waste the skills and first-hand knowledge of operators? Annie Gregory explores simpler strategies for involving them in asset care
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06/12/2012
Making MRO matter
Surprising as it may seem, some plants and factories may be expending too much of their maintenance effort in the wrong direction. Brian Wall reports
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06/02/2012
Plant & Asset Management 2012
Does the industrial maintenance sector need another exhibition? The organisers of MACH, Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and IFPEX clearly think so. Brian Tinham looks at the line-up
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07/04/2011
Managing maintenance
Computerised maintenance management systems – CMMS – are helping to breathe new life into enlightened plant operations, as Brian Wall reports
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09/12/2010
Safe maintenance
Following publication of Lord Young's report into improving health and safety, plant engineers need to get back to basics. Brian Tinham talks to Geoff Cox, HSE's head of manufacturing
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06/10/2010
Predicting problems
Using condition monitoring technologies to anticipate a requirement for critical plant maintenance isn't new, but novel systems are improving the potential, reports Dr Tom Shelley
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01/03/2010
Fixing maintenance
Properly implemented, maintenance management systems can help transform the efficiency of plant engineering departments. Steed Webzell reports on what makes best practice
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01/01/2010
Asset improver
Plant condition monitoring equipment is more accessible than ever. But where should you be thinking about using it? Brian Tinham takes expert advice
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01/08/2009
Mending maintenance
Right tools, right parts and engineering team competence are all keys to getting maintenance slick and effective. But alone, they're not enough, as Brian Tinham discovers
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01/02/2009
Maintaining a balance
Why is it that, when plant can fail so completely and expensively, many organisations still turn their backs on preventive maintenance tools? Brian Wall looks at some options
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01/06/2008
Peak performance
Maintenance is about looking after plant, right? So how much we spend on it, depends on the value of that plant. That's how we make our decisions over what maintenance policy to apply - break/fix, preventive, predictive. Isn't it? And, if ...
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01/04/2007
Seeing is believing
Plant maintenance has always been seen as a necessary evil. So the idea of investing cash in technologies to predict when and what might be necessary doesn't cut much ice with many managers. They understand the basics of break/fix, where ...
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01/06/2006
Reliable technology
As a function of quality management, reliability is defined as a measure of the degree to which a system does what it is intended to do. Clearly, reliability is crucial, and all manufacturing processes require safe and reliable operation ...
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01/04/2006
Watching for the red alert
Plant engineers face a dilemma. Is it best to wait for something to break down or undertake maintenance work at pre-planned intervals (which may mean performing maintenance and causing downtime when it is not really needed)? Or should they ...
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04/04/2005
Maintenance - What do you know?
Most maintenance improvement philosophies work on the basis that if more time is spent on predictive and preventive maintenance work, equipment will become more reliable: breakdowns will become less frequent, making more time available for ...
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