5/9/07-Are You Serious About Reliability?

Do you and your coworkers really demonstrate that you are serious about reliability? I know many of you who read this newsletter are the leaders in your organization, and you DO support and foster good practices. But, is there more we could all be doing?

It is easy to lose sight of ways to reduce failures, cut costs and improve productivity. We are surrounded with so much information, that much of it is now invisible to us. We ignore it, so we can concentrate on the "big issues". I would like to challenge you to step back and look at your surroundings as if you had never seen them before, and see where you can improve the reliability of your entire operation. Look closely, and don't stop with the obvious "maintenance" things.

Here's an example from our organization:
Last June, we were contemplating the purchase of new computers for the entire facility. This was a sizable investment, but our latest crop of PC's was 5 years old, and getting a little slow and unreliable.

If you recall, this was about the time that Apple began running their now famous television ads poking fun at PC's. It was a lightning bolt for us, because we like to do the same thing with reactive maintenance habits. It seemed like there might be a match. After some discussion and research, we took the leap, and switched to Apple iMacs in every office, and Macbooks in every laptop bag. This was a risk for us, but one we could manage by doing our homework.

Why switch when virtually no one in industrial facilities uses Apple products? It's an easy answer! Apple computers are far more reliable, more stable, faster, easier to learn, require little or no IT support, are almost virus proof and they run Windows perfectly (did you know that?). This simple change has saved us a lot of money and time. Since June 2006, we have had exactly zero problems, and the dreaded "incompatibilities" never surfaced. Those funny commercials are even funnier now, because we know that they are true!

Ask why things are being done the way they are done. Often, you will find that no one knows the answer!

Come on! Slap your competitors silly today. See what they ignore.