Proper Staffing

In this age of constant internal change for companies, workforce reductions have become commonplace. This is especially true in departments that appear to be overhead- or cost-driven, such as the maintenance and MRO storerooms. These organizations have been asked to do more with less for so long that they may no longer have the resources to perform their job functions properly. For example, in a recent survey conducted by Reliability Web (www.reliabilityweb.com), 17% of the maintenance departments in over 1000 companies no longer have the maintenance resources to keep their equipment in compliance with OSHA and EPA regulations.

Does this mean we have reduced the maintenance workforce to the point that it can no longer keep accurate records as well? Yes. In most organizations, the clerical support necessary to properly add, manipulate, and report on maintenance activities and equipment conditions are gone. They were terminated in organizations that were given the choice to reduce clerical support or the number of technicians in the plant. It was thought that it would be possible for the technicians to enter their own data. However, the number of technicians was eventually reduced to the point where they are only able to complete maintenance in a reactive mode, with little or no focus on planning and scheduling maintenance activities.

For an example of...