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Editorial
	Editors Column
	Sustainability in a turbulent world
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Paul V. Arnold, Editor • Editorial|Editors Column
	Paul V. Arnold expounds on the topics of sustainability and world security.

	The Exponent
	Fresh approach to RCM is needed
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Drew D. Troyer, CRE, CMRP • Editorial|The Exponent
	Drew Troyer says industry needs to re-examine the concept of Reliability-Centered Maintenance.

Features
	Advisors
	A plan for breaking out of budget jail
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Tor Idhammar • Features|Advisors
	Want to improve reliability but feel as if you are stuck in "budget jail"? Tor Idhammar has a solution.

	Week is enough for advance schedule
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Doc Palmer • Features|Advisors
	Down in the trenches, a single week is all that it takes to control the productivity of routine maintenance.

	In memorium: The passing of a friend
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Mark Barnes • Features|Advisors
	Mark Barnes says goodbye to a very special piece of equipment - an eight-cylinder diesel engine that lasted 50,000 hours.

	How are you using ultrasonic analysis?
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Andy Page • Features|Advisors
	Andy Page takes on the topic of passive ultrasound as a reliability-enhancement tool.

	Simple performance management
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: John Ha • Features|Advisors
	John Ha believes performance management doesn't have to be that hard. He outlines the components of an effective system.

	The value of P
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Tim Goshert • Features|Advisors
	Cargill's Tim Goshert pontificates on the power of the P-F Curve.

	Applied Reliability
	How do you combat that graffiti?
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Jim Ralston • Features|Applied Reliability
	Plant and facilities maintenance pros have options to tackle the problem of graffiti on their buildings' exteriors.

	Extend the wear life of roller chains
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author:  • Features|Applied Reliability
	This article goes beyond the basics and examines wear-life factors such as component parts fabrication, preparation and assembly.

	Reliability Forum
	Tips when buying cordless tools
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author:  • Features|Reliability Forum
	This article outlines some important factors to consider when purchasing cordless power tools.

	Reliability In Action
	Why trending is important to PdM
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Mark A. Latino • Features|Reliability In Action
	Mark Latino examines bearings, gearboxes and vibration in this mini-case study.

	Special Report
	Maintenance raises fell to 1.31% in '07
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Paul V. Arnold • Features|Special Report
	Pay to maintenance employees at U.S. manufacturing facilities increased a subpar 1.31 percent this year, according to a report compiled for RP by Compdata Surveys.

Web Exclusives
	None
	CMMS and the operational reliability maturity continuum
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Dave Army, CMRP • Web Exclusives|None
	A computerized maintenance management system is key to making your maintenance and reliability organization more effective. However, a CMMS alone will not solve your problems. The CMMS is not a silver bullet. Dave Army provides some excellent thoughts and insights in this article.

	Is wasting water diluting your company's profits?
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author:  • Web Exclusives|None
	In the face of rapidly depleted fresh water supplies, the industrial sector is learning that reducing water usage and increasing reuse is an essential ingredient of productivity and profitability today. This is increasingly true in countries such as the U.S., where water usage for industrial purposes is 46 percent of all water consumption. Dynamic oil separation technology enables manufacturers such as Ford and Parker Hannifin to improve product quality while conserving water and cleaning chemistries.

	Functional safety adds to reliability of safety systems
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Steve Dukich and Derek Jones, Rockwell Automation • Web Exclusives|None
	Change is constant. That’s especially true when you’re talking about machinery safety standards. Though safety standards have continued to change throughout manufacturing history, the most recent wave of revisions will enhance our way of thinking when it comes to machine safety designs.

	Top 10 ways to reduce steam, process heating costs and save energy
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: U.S. Department of Energy • Web Exclusives|None
	Large U.S. plants can save millions of dollars in energy and maintenance costs each year by improving the energy efficiency of their steam or process heating systems. This was one of the major findings of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Experts and plant assessment teams when they evaluated the energy efficiency of industrial steam or process heating systems in 200 large, energy-intensive U.S. plants in 2006.

	Writing tips to avoid career disaster
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Julie Miller • Web Exclusives|None
	In today’s information-crazed, e-mail-driven global economy, how you use this powerful, immediate and addictive tool can mean the difference between market leadership and upward mobility or business and career disaster. These tips apply whether you write white papers, RFPs, engagement letters or e-mails.

	To whom should the storeroom report?
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Life Cycle Engineering • Web Exclusives|None
	In an industrial facility, to whom should the storeroom report? That’s a question that is bound to create some debate on the plant floor. This article asserts that the maintenance department is the logical (and best) choice to oversee this mission-critical area.

	A primer on thermal oxidizers and particulate buildup
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Paul Sims • Web Exclusives|None
	Regenerative thermal oxidizers and other types of thermal oxidation systems have proved to be a highly effective and energy-efficient method of abating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants emitted by industrial plants. However, particulate matter in the emission stream can be a particularly vexing problem, resulting in the fouling and plugging of media beds. Therefore, careful attention should be given to selecting the shape and material of the heat exchange media to mitigate potential problems with particulate matter and to ensure reliable, economical and safe operation.

	Considerations when choosing a consultant
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Fred White, ThomasNet.com • Web Exclusives|None
	Sometimes we have to admit we need outside help in the form of consultant knowledge and experience. However, choosing the best consultant for a particular job can be quite daunting. Yet if succeeding in business is all about minimizing and controlling risk, you certainly don’t want to risk a consultant who’ll falter, leading to a poor decision and losses. This article provides some excellent guidelines and suggestions.

	24 questions to ask employees and help you retain your best
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: David R. Butcher, ThomasNet.com • Web Exclusives|None
	Today’s employees have let go of their commitment to a specific employer and, like athletes unhappy with their current station, have become “free agents” in search of the best opportunity available. That is why “retention of talent” has become a key strategy for corporations around the world. This article suggests that 24 questions be asked to help determine how employees feel about their jobs.

	Humor in the workplace: How to get serious about laughter
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Elaine Ambrose • Web Exclusives|None
	The latest business studies indicate there is room in the office for both a work ethic and a sense of humor. Companies that incorporate humor into the workplace experience a notable decrease in staff turnover and absenteeism. Implement some ideas from this article into your plant organization.

	Analyzing business costs and the potential benefits
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Fred White, ThomasNet.com • Web Exclusives|None
	As the prices for energy and raw materials put renewed pressure on economies, cost cutting has rarely been so critical to manufacturers, large and small. Here are some basic ways to analyze business costs and potential benefits. Warning: If mathematical equations frighten you, turn back now.

	Why contract manufacturing in the U.S. makes sense
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Raul Pupo • Web Exclusives|None
	Outsourcing manufacturing production of electronic equipment to the Far East has become a reflex action on the part of many U.S.-based original equipment manufacturers who are apparently bedazzled by the region's low labor rates. Hidden and not so hidden increased logistics and other costs, however, usually nullify labor savings, thus resulting in higher total supply chain expenses after the decision to off-shore production. OEMs should be asking the question: "Why not outsource production to U.S.-based contract manufacturers?"

	The value of mentors
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Brian Tracy • Web Exclusives|None
	Benjamin Franklin once said, "There are two ways to acquire wisdom; you can either buy it or borrow it." By buying it, you pay full price in terms of time and cost to learn the lessons you need to learn. By borrowing it, you go to those men and women who have already paid the price to learn the lessons and get their wisdom from them. This is the essence of the mentor-protege relationship.

	Increase employee retention: Give them a dose of medicine
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: LeAnn Thieman • Web Exclusives|None
	With increased workloads, demanding staff ratios and challenging work conditions, many employees are feeling burned out. Today's workers are not signing on and staying on just for the money. They are opting for employers who care about them, professionally and personally. How they are treated on the job is a primary factor in their satisfaction, their resistance to burnout and their willingness to be a long-term loyal employee.

	Stop curling up like a porcupine! Get accountable!
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Roger Hall • Web Exclusives|None
	While many people associate a lack of accountability with large bureaucratic agencies, the fact is that companies of all sizes suffer from this malaise. Fortunately, you can take steps to bring accountability back to your organization and end the blame game once and for all. The following guidelines will help.

	How much time must engineers waste?
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: David R. Butcher, ThomasNet.com • Web Exclusives|None
	More than half of engineers working at build-to-order companies in the United States find themselves spending too much time on low-value activities, according to industry research. How can firms make more efficient use of engineering time?

	Maximizing reliability training effectiveness
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author:  • Web Exclusives|None
	In this interview article, Bill Wilder, the director of the Life Cycle Institute, answers questions about adult education principles and how to maximize the return on your reliability training investment.

	One goal plus safety works best for kaizen event
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Mike Wroblewski • Web Exclusives|None
	Lean sensei Mike Wroblewski has worked on kaizen events with multiple goals only to see the team lose focus in the middle of the event or split up to work on goals individually. That's why he believes a kaizen event should focus on only one goal plus any safety improvements it can make to the process.

	Three keys to beat procrastination ... today!
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Douglas Vermeeren • Web Exclusives|None
	"I'll do it tomorrow." "There's really no rush to get this done, so it can wait another week." "This task isn't that important anyway; it'll get done when I find the time." Sound familiar? If you have a few unfinished projects looming over your head and you can't seem to muster the initiative to get them done, put this article's procrastination-busting tips into play today.

	Center to showcase advances in auto industry, workplace health
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author: Joan Slattery Wall • Web Exclusives|None
	A new center at Ohio State University will enable automotive industries and the college to work together to design processes to both protect worker health and optimize new vehicle production.

	Dealing with bullies in the workplace
	• Issue: 11/2007 • Author:  • Web Exclusives|None
	There are many names for it: bullying, incivility, disrespect, psychological abuse and emotional harassment. No matter what it's called, the results are the same - time lost from work, unhappy employees, medical claims, legal fees, and ultimately, dissatisfied customers. The cost, both financial and in quality of life, is enormous. Read this article to find solutions.