 How
to change a tire
by Tom Hammel
Like my new car? Yeah,
right, I wish. Racing has been in the news a lot lately — not the cars
or the drivers — we’re talking pit crews.
Increasingly, the race is on
the track but the action is in the pit. The growing recognition of (and
intense competition to recruit) racing pit crew team members is headline
news. Mega-companies like Intel and United Airlines are lining up to
send thousands of employees to “Pit Crew U.”
Why? To learn how to change
tires, of course. If along the way they also learn principles of
high-precision maintenance, to recognize the value of organization and
standard work, to experience team building, and realize the critical
importance of ergonomics and safety in a unique, exciting and
challenging environment, so much the better, right? Yeah, baby!
MRO Today’s Lean University
Pit Crew Experience, held March 19 at PIT Instruction & Training in
Mooresville, NC was so successful that we will host another on November
7 in the same world-class facility. Reservations have been coming in
even before we announced this encore event, so act now or be sorry.
What else have we got, you
ask? On July 25 we invite you to join us for a day of hands-on
experience and training at Lean University Cleveland: The Tools of
Reliability. This one-day course will give you hands-on training in the
use and applications of thermal imaging equipment, ultrasonic
monitoring, vibration analysis and visual plant management tools from
the best in the business including Fluke, UE Systems, SKF Reliability
Systems and Krylon. And these companies aren’t just showing slides, they
are bringing the users themselves, including people like Rick Baldridge
of Cargill, to deliver the straight dope on what works and what doesn’t
in their own plants.
Plus, you will learn what it
takes to build a world-class lubrication room from a person who has done
it, Scotty Lippert; and see what the future of intelligent maintenance
looks like with world renowned expert Dr. Jay Lee. All in one day. Don’t
miss this chance to go one-on-one with the latest tools that can make or
break your maintenance program.
Then, September 25 to 27,
join us for Lean University 2006: Las Vegas. This huge annual event
brings it all together, maintenance and manufacturing, supply chain and
enterprise, for three intense days of seminars, demonstrations and case
studies with world leading practitioners: Rolls-Royce, Hon Industries,
NASA, Schneider Electric, Kaeser Compressor, Pentair, Chevron, and many
more, all in one place, right on the Las Vegas Strip. Check it out
yourself on page 24 of this issue and online at
www.leaninstruction.com.
It’s the real deal. Learning
and using Lean tools and best practices makes the difference between
winning in your industry and, uh, just changing tires.
This article appeared in the
June/July 2006 issue of
MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2006.
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