Jim Thompson

Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

January is maintenance month on the Paperitalo editorial calendar. One of my favorite subjects of the year. I looked back at last year's January columns to make sure I was not repeating myself. Last year I was talking about human skills sets and precision training.

Back when I started working in industry--March 1970--things were much different. In my co-op job, I was a drafter on a drawing board. There were other skills, too, but drafting was the main one. You needed to be quick, fast, neat, and have precision to your work. There was no CAD (Computer Aided Design) except in the aircraft industry. It was too expensive for common, ordinary shop floor machines.

I remember when my boss bought an electronic calculator. We had never seen one before. We did our math by hand. I got pretty fast and good at adding or subtracting numbers in this format: 5'- 6 3/16."

In the 1980's, CAD came along. When I outfitted the Jaakko Pöyry in Raleigh in 1988, I only allowed three drawing boards to use for laying out prints we might receive in the mail.

Manual drafting skills were no longer valuable.

So, what does this have to do with maintenance? We are seeing the same thing happening here.

We now have physical tools, software and robots to supplement maintenance functionality. Some are looking at the aircraft industry and noticing "engine health" communications and protocols from there. Engine health is the concept that your aircraft engine manufacturer can continuously monitor KPI's on aircraft engines, no matter where they are (in the air or on the ground anywhere), and immediately provide feedback on operating conditions via their maintenance communications tools and experts.

We are going to spend this month exploring what is just over the horizon in pulp and paper mill maintenance trends. I predict our maintenance professionals will need different skills and overall, maintenance costs will come under control, much like engine health.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

For a deeper understanding, go here.

Study Guide: The Evolution of Industrial Maintenance

This guide provides a detailed review of the text provided by Jim Thompson, which explores historical shifts in industrial skills and predicts future trends in maintenance for the pulp and paper industry. It uses the transition from manual drafting to Computer Aided Design (CAD) as an analogy for the changes on the horizon for maintenance professionals.

Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three complete sentences, based entirely on the information presented in the source text.

1. What is the central analogy the author uses to frame the upcoming changes in industrial maintenance?
2. Describe the key skills required for the author's co-op job as a drafter in March 1970.
3. According to the text, what was the status of CAD technology outside of the aircraft industry in the 1970s?
4. Explain the concept of "engine health" as it is practiced in the aircraft industry.
5. What impact did the widespread adoption of CAD in the 1980s have on the value of manual drafting skills?
6. What three categories of new tools does the author mention are beginning to supplement maintenance functionality?
7. What two specific predictions does the author make about the future of maintenance in pulp and paper mills?
8. How did the author equip the Jaakko Pöyry office in Raleigh in 1988 regarding drafting equipment, and what did this decision signify?
9. What was the topic of the author's columns from the previous January?
10. How were mathematical calculations, such as adding or subtracting measurements, typically performed in the author's workplace in 1970?

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Answer Key

1. The author uses the technological shift from manual drafting to Computer Aided Design (CAD) as an analogy for the future of maintenance. He argues that just as drafting skills were rendered obsolete by new technology, current maintenance practices are on the verge of a similar transformation.
2. In his 1970 co-op job as a drafter, the author needed to be quick, fast, and neat. The work also required a high degree of precision in manual drawing.
3. In the 1970s, CAD was in use within the aircraft industry. However, the technology was considered too expensive for common, ordinary shop floor machines in other industries.
4. "Engine health" is a concept from the aircraft industry where an engine manufacturer continuously monitors Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on its engines, whether they are in the air or on the ground. This allows the manufacturer to immediately provide feedback on operating conditions using specialized maintenance communication tools and experts.
5. The text explicitly states that as CAD became common in the 1980s, manual drafting skills were no longer valuable. The author's own experience of minimizing the number of drawing boards in a new office highlights this devaluation.
6. The author states that maintenance functionality is now being supplemented by physical tools, software, and robots. These tools represent the next wave of technological change in the field.
7. The author predicts that pulp and paper mill maintenance professionals will need different skills to adapt to new technologies. He also predicts that overall maintenance costs will come under control, similar to how the "engine health" model manages costs in aviation.
8. When outfitting the Jaakko Pöyry office in 1988, the author allowed only three drawing boards, which were intended for laying out prints received in the mail. This decision signified the shift away from manual drafting as a primary skill and the rise of CAD.
9. The author notes that in the previous year's January columns, the topic was human skill sets and precision training. He checked this to ensure he was not repeating himself.
10. In 1970, math was done by hand, and the author became proficient at adding and subtracting numbers in formats like 5'- 6 3/16." The arrival of an electronic calculator was a novelty at the time.

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Essay Questions

Instructions: The following questions are designed for longer, more analytical responses. Use the information and concepts presented in the source text to construct a thorough essay for each prompt.

1. Analyze the author's central analogy comparing the evolution from manual drafting to CAD with the future of maintenance. Discuss the strengths of this comparison in illustrating the impact of technological disruption on industrial skills and practices.
2. Based on the description provided, elaborate on how the "engine health" model could be applied to pulp and paper mill maintenance. What specific benefits, particularly regarding cost control and operational feedback, does the text imply this model could bring?
3. The author predicts that "maintenance professionals will need different skills." Based on the technological trends mentioned (software, robots, KPI monitoring), speculate on the nature of these new skills and contrast them with traditional maintenance competencies.
4. Using the author's personal anecdotes from 1970 to 1988, trace the process by which a core industrial skill (manual drafting) became devalued. How does this historical example serve as a cautionary tale or a roadmap for the maintenance professionals of today?
5. Discuss the relationship between the new maintenance tools (physical tools, software, robots) and the goal of bringing maintenance costs "under control." How do these elements work together within the framework inspired by the "engine health" model?

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Glossary

Term Definition

CAD (Computer Aided Design) A technology that replaced manual drafting. In the 1970s, it was primarily used in the aircraft industry due to its high cost but became common in other industries by the 1980s.

Drafting The act of creating precise technical drawings by hand. In the 1970s, this was a primary skill for industrial designers and required speed, neatness, and precision.

Engine Health A concept from the aircraft industry where engine manufacturers continuously monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of engines to provide immediate feedback on operating conditions via communication tools and experts.

Human Skills Sets The topic of the author's column from the previous January, mentioned as a point of contrast for the current year's focus.

Jaakko Pöyry The company where the author worked in Raleigh in 1988 and outfitted an office with only three drawing boards, signaling the shift to CAD.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) Specific metrics that are continuously monitored as part of the "engine health" concept to assess the performance and condition of equipment.

Paperitalo The publication for which the author, Jim Thompson, writes a column. January is designated as "maintenance month" on its editorial calendar.

Precision Training A topic, along with human skills sets, that the author covered in a previous year's column.

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