March 15, 2006
Marketing Maintenance to Management
“I can’t see the forest through all these damned trees.” – Anonymous
I have noticed a little problem recently. Actually, I had noticed it through my decades in the R&M industry. It did not really strike me as ridiculous until now. However, with a background in engineering, reliability, sales, marketing, being a vendor, professor, researcher and consultant, I have noticed this issue from different angles. It wasn’t directly obvious until I started my work on the maintenance and management study to be published in April, 2006, in which the problem stood out in sharp relief:
The R&M industry has been brainwashed into thinking that providing cost avoidance savings, and other reliability-based information, particularly in the language of reliability, maintenance or engineering will influence senior management in making decisions.
Why do I suggest that this approach has been ridiculous? I mean, it has worked to provide tools that you have needed, so far. Right?
Wrong!
Yes, you may have been able to obtain vibration analysis equipment, infrared equipment and other technologies. But, what about the training? What about the support? In most cases, those may be lacking. The reason is simple: You didn’t necessarily sell the technology to management in the first place. Vendors, articles, word of mouth, advertising, conferences and meetings sold the technology. All you did was identify its fit within your company. In fact, chances are that you received this equipment, enjoyed basic vendor training then you were cut loose in your facility poorly trained and wondering where to start.
Here is what most likely happened: Perhaps the decision-making manager had heard of the technology and its impact in another company. This manager, or even group of managers, has been exposed to information on these technologies and related programs for years. When the information comes to the attention of this decision maker, he or she has already been trained into thinking that this technology will do great things. Without understanding the tasks, requirements, add-ins, implementation or training needed, a positive, low-risk decision is made.
In many classes and articles, the discussion is often directed to calculating cost avoidance then presenting it to management, or the development of a business case before a purchase decision is made. When the total cost of lost production, personnel, etc. are combined, the numbers seem high such that we make conservative adjustments before they are posted or presented. For example, a loose connection is detected that results in a conservative cost avoidance of $10,000. This amount is then proudly presented, in some form, to senior management, who are used to dealing in terms of $Millions.
In effect, the problem that we have been facing is that we have been speaking in different languages. In the R&M arena, we are conditioned to focus on technical issues and keeping equipment running. Our scope within the company is to keep the engines of business running. Executive management has the purpose of steering the company and setting the direction. This direction may be to make a profit, appease shareholders or some other direction that is not necessarily in line with R&M thinking. The maintenance and management language barrier is an issue that we must overcome in order to obtain the resources and support that we need.
At the present time, we are deeply involved in a study on the maintenance and management communication issue. The history of this issue is not recent; it actually leads all the way back to 762 BC, with the implementation of the first known Guilds by the king of Rome. As we are moving towards the completion of this study, we will address some of the issues in this newsletter.
To sign up for a free early copy of this study that would be emailed to you in early April, 2006, go to http://www.motordoc.net and sign up under the ‘Study Request’ button.
