Piston Group

Success in manufacturing, engineering and maintenance involves more than repairing equipment; it requires understanding why failures occur and preventing them from recurring.

In high-volume manufacturing, restoring equipment quickly is essential when production stops. However, repeatedly repairing the same issues without addressing their root causes offers only temporary relief.

I believe maintenance teams must move beyond reactive repairs and focus on developing people, processes and strategies that strengthen equipment reliability, reduce recurring failures and support long-term operational performance.

Moving beyond the Immediate Repair

Skilled maintenance technicians can diagnose equipment problems and restore operations, but an effective maintenance department goes further by identifying root causes and preventing recurring failures.

When equipment repeatedly breaks down, we must look beyond immediate repairs. Was preventive maintenance performed correctly? Is a component defective? Is the issue mechanical or electrical? Are the right parts being used or is the manufacturing process contributing to the problem?

These questions lead to meaningful improvements. Preventive maintenance illustrates this well. Completing hundred percent of scheduled maintenance tasks is important, but recurring failures may indicate that those tasks are not addressing the actual causes.

We must evaluate whether inspections target the right components, maintenance intervals are appropriate and technicians identify warning signs before breakdowns occur.

Ultimately, completing maintenance tasks is not enough. Every task should have a clear purpose: extending equipment life, preventing failures, improving reliability and strengthening overall operational performance.

Use Maintenance Metrics to Drive Improvement

Maintenance metrics such as equipment availability, OEE, MTBF, MTTR and downtime help evaluate operational performance, but their purpose extends beyond reporting numbers.

Data should drive improvement, not simply measure performance.

Pareto charts can identify equipment responsible for the most downtime, helping teams investigate causes, assign corrective actions and evaluate results.

If MTTR increases, we should examine delays caused by parts shortages, unclear procedures or training gaps. If MTBF decreases, recurring failures may indicate problems with maintenance practices, equipment design or operating conditions.

Tracking trends over time is equally important. Sustainable improvements require consistent results, not isolated successes or setbacks. Ultimately, KPIs should guide priorities, assess corrective actions and support informed decisions about equipment, people and resources.

Developing People, Not Dependencies

Developing people is one of a leader’s most important responsibilities. While experienced technicians provide valuable expertise, relying on only a few individuals creates operational risks, especially as equipment and technologies become more complex.

Training, mentoring, knowledge sharing, troubleshooting documentation and hands-on learning help distribute expertise across the team. Experienced employees should guide others in developing technical skills and confidence.

Leaders must also establish clear expectations and provide the tools, training and support employees need to succeed. If managers must personally resolve every difficult equipment issue, it may indicate a need for stronger employee development.

My goal is for technicians to learn from every troubleshooting experience and become better prepared for future challenges. Developing people is how we develop future leaders. A capable team that operates effectively without constant supervision reflects strong leadership and strengthens the entire department.

Making Reliability a Shared Responsibility

Equipment reliability is not solely the maintenance department’s responsibility. Engineering, maintenance, operations and quality must collaborate to keep manufacturing processes safe, efficient and dependable.

Reliability affects customer commitments, production schedules, operating costs and capital investment decisions. Production prioritizes availability, maintenance needs time for preventive work, engineering focuses on equipment and process improvements and quality ensures products meet specifications. These priorities can conflict, particularly when production demands make teams reluctant to schedule necessary maintenance. Leadership must reinforce their shared goals: safety, quality, reliability and efficient production.

I have learned that the most expensive solution is not always the best. In one equipment-improvement project, we evaluated whether adding sensors and making a targeted process change could resolve an ongoing issue before considering major equipment replacement. Testing the proposed solution allowed us to assess its potential value before committing significant capital.

Every improvement should have a clear engineering and business justification. Will it improve safety, reduce downtime, increase throughput, enhance quality, lower maintenance costs or support future needs?

Our responsibility as engineering and maintenance leaders is to understand the problem, evaluate practical alternatives and ensure every improvement delivers meaningful business value.

What Successful Maintenance Leadership Looks Like

Manufacturing equipment will continue to evolve, with robotics, machine vision, advanced controls and automation increasing the technical skills required for effective maintenance.

To keep pace, maintenance teams must develop their troubleshooting capabilities while understanding how their work influences overall manufacturing performance. This requires continuous training, clear expectations, effective communication and a willingness to learn from equipment failures.

Improving reliability takes consistent effort, collaboration across departments and leadership that addresses recurring problems rather than accepting them as routine.

I believe maintenance success should be measured not only by repair speed but also by our ability to prevent repeat failures, improve equipment performance, develop employees and support operational goals.

When technicians become more capable, processes become more consistent and equipment becomes more reliable, the entire organization benefits.