Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/388231
34 | September - October 2014 | www.machinerylubrication.com By Victor D. Manriquez, iPeMan Many organizations manually collect and store data relating to equipment inspections and repairs. This data is frequently stored in the most accessible place for maintenance personnel — their personal notebooks. These "little black books" contain large volumes of maintenance experience that unfortunately will disappear when the employee retires. In 2006, a study published by the Hudson Institute on the U.S. workforce found that 30 to 40 percent of maintenance personnel would be retiring in the next five years. Considering it is now 2014 and three years beyond the year projected in the study, the scarcity of maintenance employees has become a reality. The retiring workforce is exerting a pressure that most organiza- tions have never had to face. A high percentage of these professionals have 20 to 30 years of experience, and little has been done to docu- ment what they know, what they do and how they do it. As businesses continue to make their operations "lean," some of these retired maintenance personnel are not being replaced. Even if orga- nizations could afford to replace them, it is becoming hard to find suitable replacements. Compounding this problem is the fact that fewer people are entering into the maintenance field. There are several reasons for this trend, but they all lead to the same conclusion — more must be accomplished with fewer resources. To achieve this goal, organiza- tions need to integrate knowledge management with maintenance. The Knowledge Age In our contemporary economy, knowledge is a crucial resource because it is inexhaustible and can be used by many organizations and people to generate even more knowledge. We live in the knowl- edge age, and individuals and organizations who can adapt to the inevitable changes are the ones who will be able to face the future challenges. Those who don't will be part of the past. Three criteria must be met before information can be consid- ered knowledge: • Knowledge is connected. It exists in a collection of multiple experiences and perspectives. • Knowledge is an action. Information that does not precipitate some type of action is not knowledge. • Knowledge is applicable in new and unique situations. Infor- mation becomes knowledge when it is used to address circumstances for which no direct precedent exists. Knowledge Management What does the term "knowledge management" (KM) mean? Typically, three concepts are combined: intellectual capital, which consists of a company's know-how, patents and trademarks; orga- nizational culture, which includes the willingness to share knowledge and cooperative work within an organization; and infor- mation technology, which involves implementing devices that make MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY CAPITAL KnOWLEDGE LAnD WORK Industrial Age Knowledge Age Agrarian Age the Importance of Integrating Knowledge management with Maintenance Evolution of society