MRO Today - MRO All-PROs and why they matter

MRO All-PROs, and why they matter

by Tom Hammel, editor

When Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” I have a hunch he wasn’t talking about industrial production. Nevertheless, it is exactly this thinking that lies at the core of the reliability movement in American manufacturing. And it is this thinking put into action that we are recognizing in this issue of MRO Today with our eighth anniversary MRO All-PRO Team Awards.

Once each year these awards turn the spotlight on the technicians, mechanics and other veteran plant-floor workers who innovate, drive and lead reliability in our manufacturing industries. Make no mistake, these folks are the real cream of the crop; they are the leading edge of a revolutionary culture change that is just beginning to take root across America.

Big words, you say? Yes they are — good thing they’re not just coming from me. I’m just paraphrasing what people a lot smarter than me are saying in this issue, in our 2008 Forecast.

In the course of interviewing three leading economists for this forecast, each of them pointed squarely to productivity — manufacturing productivity — as one of the key drivers of American competitiveness in the world today — and tomorrow.

And who drives productivity? You guessed it. As Charlie Brown’s proudly grimy friend Pigpen loved to say, “It kind of makes you want to treat me with a little more respect, doesn’t it?”

So here they are, the greased nobility that keeps America running. It’s high time we recognized them for the vital contribution they make not just to our companies but to our economy and the strength of our great nation.

So, I invite you to read the brief biographies of this year’s winners beginning on page 16 in the printed version of this magazine. Then turn to page 22 or click here for an understanding of why they are so critically important to us. There, our guest economists spell out what we can look forward to in 2008 and why — thanks in large part to the great work our MRO Pros do every day — we can remain confident in our ability to compete on the global market. I couldn’t have said it better myself.