Read below - Monition's MD Mike Burrows' article from Railway Strategies for Senior Rail Management Magazine, January 2007, in full: - Monition Ltd has been operating since 1988 and grown to become one of Europe’s leading providers of specialised reliability and maintenance process improvement services.  With the expertise to deliver tangible business benefits that meet exacting customer requirements, the company has recently expanded its operations across Europe, securing a global contract to support one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Monition has an inherent wealth of experience when it comes to delivering improved performance and reliability – knowledge which has been developed from operating across a diverse range of industries, including: automotive, aerospace and general manufacturing sectors. This wide-ranging industrial perspective has accorded Monition an unparalleled insight into practical problem solving. Experience gained from addressing seemingly unique issues that burden individual industries has taught Monition that the reality of the problems faced in one industry, are in fact, often the same problems faced by all. Monition has been operating in the rail sector for over 6 years, securing an impressive portfolio of successfully implemented improvement projects. The company is often perceived as being innovative in its approach. However, Monition’s Managing Director, Mike Burrows, is quick to assert that the processes the company applies are not new or innovative in their own right. The innovation lies in the manner in which Monition applies tried and tested tools of best-in-class and world-class manufacturing to the unique challenges faced by the rail industry. This new dimension in thinking is driving performance to new levels, whilst ensuring that safety is paramount throughout all engagements.
Mike Burrows describes Monition’s innovative perspective on supporting the Rail Industry: - Supporting Rail Undoubtedly, the rail sector is a specialist and demanding arena in which to operate. Monition’s pedigree has developed from a background in heavy engineering and manufacturing. Problems that have been addressed over the last 10 to 15 years have included the ability to reduce unit cost production, improve performance and maintain safety. When Monition was approached to become involved in the rail sector back in 2000, by the then MD of Jarvis OTM, Richard Davis, it was an undertaking with the vision that a number of the processes and procedures that Monition had successfully implemented in other traditional industries could be transferred into the rail sector. Working alongside Pat McHale in the North West area, our initial results delivered a 53% reduction in mechanical breakdowns in the first six-months. This rapid and continuing success provided the business with the platform and credentials to expand Monition’s scope of operations, and our subsequent engagements have seen Monition working with Jarvis Rail, Balfour Beatty, First Engineering, Fastline, Tubelines and Carillion Rail. Focusing on safety and customer benefits Paramount to Monition’s approach of each client project lies in understanding the needs of the customer. Underpinning Monition’s services is an alignment to the Six-Sigma philosophy. This structured philosophy drives the tools we adopt and manner in which they are implemented, enabling us to clearly align project objectives with customer benefits. One of the key aspects we have come to appreciate within the rail industry is the varying degree of maturity of individual businesses, and their ability to support and drive initiatives. This has necessitated in Monition applying careful selectivity in both approach and delivery to ensure that the processes and tools being implemented are not just the right tools for the job, but are the tools and techniques that will fit the customer’s ability to deliver and sustain ongoing benefit. Certainly, this is one approach that could be classed as being innovative in its own right, as we no-longer rely on one-size-fits-all solutions, but tailor the delivery and package to suit the ability of the client organisation with which we are dealing. One of the innovative client projects undertaken by Monition involved introducing a process from the motor industry called SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies). We applied this technique to a major track renewals project and were able, from post-analysis, to identify improvements in delivery of over 30%. The most important aspect of these improvements in delivery and performance levels is the effect on exposure to safety and risk. Monition has been involved in a European initiative (The RIMAP Project) to develop a pan-European standard for the petrochemical industry for risk-based inspections, and the principle of these standards underpins every aspect of our approach to focus on reducing risk and driving increased levels of safety. Approach to monitoring technologies and reliability Monition’s approach to condition monitoring emphasises that one should not expect that the CM tools will automatically deliver improved performance. Monition views the application of CM as part of an overall improvement in asset reliability. It has to be understood that reliability is wider than simply condition monitoring and predictive technologies. Although they are integral components of successful reliability programmes, reliability encompasses much more of a part of successful plant asset optimisation. Reliability focused strategies and programme development drive the correct mix of technologies (including CM and predictive tools), based upon asset failure modes, impact of failure, and consequences of failure on customer-specific key business drivers. The fact of why reliability is truly important is that best-in-class reliability performers typically spend about 60% less on maintenance than industry averages, whilst simultaneously achieving better results in every meaningful category – process uptime, labour efficiency, equipment availability, safety, environmental compliance and on-time delivery. As explained earlier, Monition’s methodology for each client project is to ensure ‘right-tool, right-job’, so that the information supplied to the client can be utilised to improve performance. Quite simply, and possibly one of the only times that this saying might be true, ‘it’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it that counts.’ Partnership I appreciate that Monition’s services on face-value could be viewed as ‘consultancy and service provider’ – labels which often provoke connotations of ‘telling you what you already know’, or delivering what is classed as an ‘off-the-shelf service,’ Monition not only identifies with the customer a strategy for performance progression, but actively seeks real partnership in project delivery, offering tangible KPIs and even risk-share benefits. Where short-term contracts or single-initiative involvement often results in a nice report and a tick in a box, often without any serious move forward - Monition’s approach ensures that both companies are tied directly to delivering improved performance. Critically, we will ensure that projects are only undertaken on the understanding that the service delivery can match and exceed the customer’s expectations. Changes in rail industry maintenance From an outsider’s perspective, and being in the fortunate position to have worked alongside numerous companies within the rail industry, it is clear that there is a drive to merge the standards of delivery across all companies. The reasons for this are many and varied. One of the key drivers is to ensure that the delivery of services and work on the infrastructure are traceable to known quality standards, and that levels of safety can be firmly assured for the ultimate end-user that is the general public. Part of this process is the need to ensure on-time delivery and reduction in possession times, again, leading to better quality and assurance to the rail user and fleet operators. This is leading to improvements in track renewal and track maintenance procedures by the use of “lean” techniques developed in the manufacturing industry. This inevitably lifts the criticality of each component within the lean process, especially the on-track machines. Whilst processes, manpower and materials can be synchronised, optimised and maximised, if the plant that is performing the work suffers a breakdown, the result is that the process overruns. Monition’s services have been developed to complement the above process and the need for change. We have introduced six-sigma training at all levels, not only at the formalised yellow and green belt levels for management professionals, but also at workforce-level through a series of one-day awareness sessions that provide the basics and an understanding of the value of six-sigma in day-to-day operations. In addition, we have looked at the reasons behind inconsistency in problem identification and rectification and developed ‘Analytical Problem Solving’ courses based around the ‘coal-face’ of delivery. These practical coaching sessions revolve around a series of real-world scenarios, rather than death-by-PowerPoint-type training presentations, to challenge teams of personnel to develop and apply logical questioning and analytical techniques to rectify and prevent process and operational defects. Moving to plant reliability, we are applying CM techniques to improve machine performance and deliver the level uptime that is demanded by our clients. As an example, Monition has led development of a stress-wave related technique applied to the monitoring of Tamping Banks. As a consequence, we can now evaluate and determine at what stage in the component lifecycle the Tamping Banks are in relation to acceptance levels. This can be used to establish the remaining useful life, or where on the lifecycle the Tamping Banks sit, ensuring that the risk of failure during renewals or maintenance work is minimised.
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