Jul 29, 2024 | ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
How To Motivate And Get Better Results – Satire
How to motivate and get better results – Satire
From my point of view – Motivational Bull Dust Will Not Get Better Results
But what do I know?
Motivational Bull Dust works every time – Ha Ha Ha
Time to get on the Soap Box for the 10 minute tirade.
I work in Engineering and Manufacturing – have done for years – we design, make, install, fix, improve and do a flipping (work it out for yourself ) good job, even if I do say so myself.
Every now and again It comes around and it’s the now – “Now” . Some over paid bright spark in Head Office decides that we need to spend mega bucks on a flash motivational speaker/presentation type rev up.
A complete waste of time, energy and hard earned cash. Smart suits, power dressing, slick presentations and all of the bull dust buzz words, tricks and anecdotes. I really don’t have time for this sort of garbage – I’ve got work to do.
In The Real World
These guys have never done a “real” days work in their lives, wouldn’t know the meaning of the word stress and they want to teach ME about motivation. I could go on and on and on…….But enough is enough.
Let me tell you this –
When the main line is down – production has stopped and it’s a critical rush order, I’m the guy who has to come up with answers.
I know the problem – I’ve been telling management for a long time – But they have continued to ignore me and run the line.
But now it’s broken down again – when we are all under pressure and I can’t take it offline to fix it – So It’s got to be another patch up job to get it through to the next scheduled outage (whenever that might be). The Production Manager’s pacing up and down with a sour look on his face, continually cursing under his breath and continually asking “When will it be back on line, cos we’ve got orders to fill”, between hard stares at his watch.
The Engineering Director is watching every move plus giving me stupid suggestions and the tradesmen don’t really want to be there because it’s past their finishing time and they know the ongoing issues which have not been fixed. And the operators are stood watching and continually saying – “we kept telling management there’s a problem with this line and it needs fixing”
Now That’s What I Call Motivation !!!
Also……
And another thing before I finish………
A huge percentage of goods being designed and manufactured worldwide are coming out of the new economies
such as China, India, Japan, South East Asia, South America etc.etc. and we are struggling to get work into our factories.
Let me ask you a question – Do those guys over there get continually bombarded with Motivational Speakers and Paraphernalia.
I doubt it very much. I would guess that they just get on with the job.
If you think that you need any of this Motivational stuff, go down to the bargain basement section of your local bookstore
or the local car boot sale – there will be plenty of books claiming to have all of the answers to making a million dollars
through Motivation – Take your pick
I’m off the soapbox now – I need to go and do some real work, Like working out how to fix that machine
Or my ass will be nailed to the wall. That’s my Motivation.
Not Only – But Also …..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Check out more Engineering Odd Bits for odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Aug 31, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Understanding Design Intent: Top Tips To Get Better Results
Can we apply the principles of Design Intent to build a better Mouse Trap?
The aim of the Design Intent process is to Get it right – Every time. It may be a product design or process methodology, however the basic principles are the same – Actions and Activities don’t just happen – They Need To Be Made To Happen. Always keep that thought front and center.
In order to Get them right – Every time – there needs to be a very clear Design Intent and focus.
Whilst most progressive companies encourage their creative people to “think outside of the square”
There also a needs to be a very clear strategy and standardized guidelines.
Design Intent Application
The standardized application of Technical Procedures, Methodologies and Process is paramount. It follows that having proven strategic guidelines will provide a much greater chance of a successful outcome.
There is a well known saying that a camel is the result of a horse being designed by a committee – without clear Design Intent
The 3R Philosophy has been designed and developed as a concise and easy to understand system. The core elements of this system can be applied across many disciplines other than Engineering. The 3R Philosophy is free for anyone to use. There is no need for several days of an “in depth” course which provides lots of detail and buzz words but which no one will ever remember and at a cost of mega bucks. Hit this link to Engineering The 3R Way and find “A Better Way”.
Producing a spaceship and all of the ancillary functions needs a very clear Design Intent
You may be a seasoned campaigner or fresh out of university or somewhere in between. The bottom line is that Engineering the 3R Way will either rekindle that dormant knowledge or fire up your desire to learn the tips and tricks for success. Either way its a Win Win.
Design Intent Conclusion
The word Design can have several meanings. However in the context of this article – it is a clear and unambiguous entity which may be an object or process or procedure or methodology etc. The word Intent is the expected end result of an action. Therefore when the two come together they set a clear and unambiguous target.
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jun 28, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Successful Engineers have learned to avoid “Verbal Instruction” only
Verbal Instruction to Replace “Like with Like” without fully understanding the issues has many traps.
I was working as an Engineering contractor for a large company on a project. I was sitting in on a regular maintenance/project meeting when it was brought up that a concrete plinth which was supporting a motor/pump assembly was falling apart and needed to be repaired. This company outsourced a lot of work to subcontractors and the Maintenance Manager said that this happens on a regular basis with a lot of the pump assemblies in this area and he would organize for a sub contractor to repair it.
Later in the day I was walking through the area and had a look at the plinth in question. Yes – it was falling apart and many of the others were in a similar poor state. As I watched the operators working in the area – it was pretty obvious why.
It was a very congested area and the operators needed to move gear through on hand pallet trucks and trolleys. Because it was so congested – they were continually hitting the concrete plinths which eventually broke down and fell apart.
The operators were clearly not going to change their way of working or “be more careful”.
I gave this issue some thought – then went back to my Manager and suggested that when the concrete plinth was repaired – we could easily fit steel plates around the external sides of the plinth. Then when the plinth was hit again – the steel plate would protect the concrete sides. Very simple and very cheap. My Manager agreed and I designed a very basic set of protective plates which could be fabricated and fitted to all of the “at risk” plinths in the area.
Engineering Drawings For Minor Works – Protective metal plates added to the sides of concrete plinth after being repaired
Cross reference with Engineering Drawings For Minor Works
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jun 28, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Simple Verbal Instruction: Copy Existing Machine Components Is a Fail
Simple Verbal Instruction: Copy Existing Machine Components Is a Fail – I will briefly touch on another problem which can occur when issuing Verbal Instruction to outside contractors, asking them to copy existing machine components.
I was contracting at a company who ran a production line with several “in line” pieces of precision equipment which had been purchased overseas. Over a period of time – lines of communication with the Original Equipment Manufacturer had evaporated and the company liked to use local contractors as much as possible. Therefore when the parts for the precision pieces of equipment started to wear – A worn part was removed and given to a local Toolmaker with the request to “Make Us Another One Of These”
- Obviously there was no original Engineering Drawing
- It was a worn part – so what were the original dimensions?
- This is a precision piece – What are the required tolerances
- What is the material?
- What heat treatment or hardness requirements?
And of course there are some obvious questions –
How will a new part interact with any existing worn parts which are not going to be replaced
Whilst the toolmaker does the best that they can – there is a lot of guesswork. And hopefully the toolmaker keeps a sketch or similar for their own records.
Hand measuring worn and damaged existing machine component can lead to may negative issues
The part may work – Or it may cause the mating parts to suffer – its all guesswork.
If an Engineering drawing had been created – There would be a record and if certain details were not correct – they could be adjusted in a logical rational manner – with follow up drawings being updated until the design was correct and a satisfactory part could then be manufactured every time.
When this type of situation arises – a second result could be that in the Toolmakers eyes, they now own the design for this component – which has been measured and produced by them. So, the company is pretty much locked into buying more of these from this Toolmaker at their price. The company is not able to get competitive prices from other Toolmakers. Or if the Toolmaker goes out of business or loses the record – It is back to square one. If there is a detailed Engineering Drawing – competitive quotes can also be obtained on a regular basis
Cross reference with Engineering Drawings For Minor Works
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jun 28, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Simple Verbal Instruction: Fixed Machine Guarding Is A Fail
Simple Verbal Instruction: Fixed Machine Guarding Is A Fai – I was working at a factory which had an old Flexographic printer. A Safety Audit picked up exposed moving parts and Verbal Instruction was given to the maintenance department to fit fixed machine guarding. This was done over a weekend.
However – When the production crew started to run the machine – they discovered that the guard, which was fixed in position, blocked their “line of sight” to an important observation point on the print web as it was running. Although the machine used automatic tracking for the paper – this function was not absolutely foolproof and the operators wanted to see the actual print as it traveled around rollers in order to verify that the tracking was working correctly. Also, certain “change over” adjustment points could not now be accessed and the crew had to use a difficult access point for the change over adjustments.
“Tough” was the response from the maintenance people when this issue was raised with them. “We were instructed to fit a guard and that’s what we have done – you will have to work around any “minor” issues” was their comment
I was brought into the company on a contract basis to work on another project. At some stage I needed to discuss my project with the machine operators and as an ancillary issue – they brought up the problem of blocked vision and access to adjustment points. My manager (who was not the same manager who issued the initial verbal request) was happy for me to look at this problem and I subsequently redesigned the guard in such a way that it complied with all statutory safety standards and allowed “line of site” to verify the print position and gave them back their access points.
Engineering Drawing for redesigned front Guarding on Flexographic printer
Cross reference with Engineering Drawings For Minor Works
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jun 28, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Simple Verbal Instruction For “In Line” Machine Guarding Fails
Simple Verbal Instruction For “In Line” Machine Guarding Fails – I recall one case at a large company when Verbal Instruction was given to the maintenance department to fit a section of guarding to an “In Line” manufacturing process.
The production people needed to access a machine which was part of an “In Line” process – for routine adjustment during “set up” – this was done by “inching” and did not present a safety issue as there were well documented and well understood procedures in place.
However there were exposed moving parts when the machine was in production and it was deemed to be a safety issue.
A Verbal Instruction was given to the maintenance department to fit a guard and a fixed guard was fabricated and installed over a weekend, when the line was not running.
Verbal Instruction for “In Line” machine guarding without consultation with the machine operators can lead to many problems
The production people then found that they could not get access to the machine and ripped out the guard so that they could gain access and of course they left it removed and in a fairly damaged state.
The guard was then repaired and welded on at the next scheduled outage – and again it was ripped out. The maintenance people then decided that it was a waste of their time and just left it.
It was ignored for a long time until another Safety Audit again identified the problem of moving parts and deemed that a guard was required.
However – This time the job was given to the Engineers – Consultation with the production people followed and the result was that an effective hinged guard with suitable interlocks was designed, fabricated and installed.
Cross reference with Engineering Drawings For Minor Works
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Jun 28, 2023 | ENGINEER & COMMUNICATE, Uncategorized
Engineering Drawings For Minor Works: And Get Better Results
Always produce Engineering Drawings For Minor Works: And Get Results – How often are small, seemingly minor jobs instigated with only verbal instruction or the simplest of hand sketches and with no detailed Engineering Drawings for the minor works?
Why is it so? – To use a well known phrase or saying
Well…… There are many reasons given –
- It’s a very simple, basic job and doesn’t need a drawing
- We don’t want to spend time or money on a detail drawing for such a small job – it is not justified
- Why spend time, effort and money on a small job which the fitter/millwright/skilled worker/contractor can do without a detail drawing and in fact they have done similar jobs many times before
- We don’t have a drafter or the ability to produce an Engineering Drawing
- All of our Engineering staff are currently fully occupied on other major work
- We don’t know what we want – but its pretty simple and we want it fixed and we are sure that the fitter/millwright/skilled worker/contractor can come up with something – they always have in the past
- We always use contractors – we tell them the issues and they figure it out and fix it
- And other similar reasons
The reasons all follow a similar pattern.
However the bottom line is – If there is no Engineering Drawing – How on earth do you know what you are going to get – it’s just like signing a blank cheque. You may get a very good fix or you may not.
And that fix will come at a cost – and not always in money.
Verbal instructions with no detailed Engineering drawings can have widely differing interpretation
I fully expect that there will be some people who will say – “its all very minor stuff – not worth spending much time or money on – JFDI (Just Flipping Do It) – We do not need Engineering Drawings
However, there are many potential traps and follow up questions – such as –
Does the finished work ……
- Comply with all of the relevant statutory external Standards
- Comply with all internal company standards
- Comply with all of the relevant OH&S requirements
- Suit the ergonomic requirements
- Actually provide a suitable solution to the problem
- Provide an “ongoing fix” or will it fall apart very quickly
- Become a “band aid “fix for a problem which will keep returning
- Become a temporary fix which “looks like a temporary fix” and will never get a proper fix – the problem with these types of fixes is that it becomes the accepted norm and they can get progressively worse.
Verbal instruction with no Engineering Drawings for Minor Works. Who knows what the “fix” will be
And of course – There is no permanent record of specifically what has been done, so that if there is a recurring or similar problem – a different fitter/millwright/skilled worker/contractor will need to start again from the beginning. Maybe a different fix – maybe better – maybe worse – who knows? as the work is not being recorded or managed
With no detailed Engineering Drawing there is every chance that a Band Aid solution could be put in place and stay in place until the next breakdown
Most companies are trying to instill a culture of excellence and continuous improvement in their staff. However, it can be counterproductive when questionable fixes are put in place for small jobs and particularly if they stick out like the proverbial sore thumb because there was never an Engineering Drawing
Sometimes all work is done by outside contractors – I have seen major companies close down all of their internal engineering capabilities and outsource everything – as a cost saving measure.
Whilst this may show a cost saving in one area of the financial accounts in the short term – it is very likely to create a much larger expense in other areas of the financial accounts. And this cost is quite often not captured or immediately obvious.
This can be a very dangerous practice for a number of reasons – However the people who make these decisions are generally very removed from the day to day running of the business and can be quite oblivious to the problems and costs encountered by the people “at the coal face”
I have worked as a contract Engineer/Drafter at a number of companies over the past 50 years or so and have seen many of these issues “first hand”
I will briefly touch on a few areas.
Does guarding which was fabricated and fitted “on the run” comply with statutory standards
- Temporary repairs to pressure piping which have been in place for years – just forgotten about – but will burst eventually with the possibility of serious ramifications.
- Machine Guards which have been fabricated and installed “on the run” which do not comply with safety standards.
- Stairs, Steps, Hand Railing and Platform repairs etc are all likely candidates for non complacence and in danger of being trip or fall hazards
Some companies have regular safety audits and these get picked up.
In other companies these dangers are just part of the working environment – until something goes wrong and there is an incident.
I would also comment that in several companies I did contract work for, the maintenance fitters would keep their own detailed records of machine issues and repairs, typically hand written in note books. Generally they were very protective of this information. In their eyes they owned this data and it was not to be shared with anyone. This went some way to protecting their positions at the companies. And as long as the machines ran OK – this was not an issue with senior management who generally where focused on other issues. In my view it was poor practice – but it seemed to work for them. – Most of the time!!
See attached links for some typical examples –
I recall one case at a large company when Verbal Instruction was given…..
I was working at a factory which had an old Flexographic printer. A Safety Audit picked up exposed moving parts…..
I will briefly touch on a problem which can occur when issuing verbal requests to outside contractors…..
Verbal Instruction to replace “Like with Like” has many traps…….
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Mar 21, 2023 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
SLIDE RULE – THE LEGEND LIVES ON
Slide Rule was a real character
Hi, Slide is the name, Slide Rule that is. For years I was the biggest thing in the world of Engineering, Science and Commerce,
Hey, there was hardly a calculation done which didn’t involve me, the Slide Rule. I was the King. I’d been around for hundreds of years and I RULED (excuse the pun). My powers are based on a clever logarithmic scale and it was all me, Multiplication, Division, Involution, Evolution, Trig Functions, Logs, I did it all and I was loved by all.
Then one day a few years ago, it all started to change. Along came a cute little number called Cal – Cal Culator to be precise. Sure she was a bit bulky, not as good looking as me and her batteries were prone to failure, but she had a big advantages over me. She was deadly accurate, fast and so easy to use, time after time after time and anyone could use her. No special skill was needed.
I’m sure that people really loved me, but I could never compete with that accuracy, speed and simplicity. I could get close, but my users still had to use mental arithmetic and a degree of approximation.
Cal however, she was just spot on every time and oh so quick and easy.
Then….As time went by….. she got lighter and shapelier and more colorful with more and more features and functions. She was cheaper to buy and her batteries began to just last and last a long, long time.
Man…. I was gone, I tried to fight back but I had nothing and I’ve been out to pasture for quite a few years now, slowly sinking into the sunset.
But those clever guys on the internet have come up with a way to keep the legend alive and have immortalized me with my own web page on numerous web sites which feature an interactive display, where you can go and use me, the way I was designed to be used.
So the legend lives on. If you’re an old timer and can still remember how to do it, a young timer who is keen to learn or just have an interest, click onto the links below and go have a look and a play. The instructions are simple, so give it a try.
Have a nice day ya all.
https://www.sliderules.org/
http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/n909es/virtual-n909-es.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule
https://www.britannica.com/science/slide-rule
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
