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M A I N T E N A N C E
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Machinery & Equipment MRO
April 2021
TRADESPEOPLE AND THE NEW DIGITAL WORLD OF MAINTENANCE
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orking with CertainTeed Gypsum and implementing new digital technologies within the maintenance departments has made me realize how vitally important it is for tradespeople to adapt to the new technologies. It has also made me realize that a digital revolution is upon us. Right now, and moving forward, tradespeople will need a range of digital skills to keep pace with the future of work. Experts say that improving digital skills will be the most important factor in adapting Canada’s skilled tradespeople to new innovative technologies. The question is, are maintenance departments ready for it? When looking at the maintenance workforce, there is currently a generational difference between young and older workers. Younger tradespeople have the benefit of growing up in a society full of technology. In the past few years, advances in the digital world has made it easy for younger tradespeople to accept and use technologies in their daily maintenance routines. However, some of our more senior tradespeople have fallen behind as they struggle to understand and use new advanced digital tools. In 10 to 20 years, the current older maintenance employees will retire and their new young replacements will already be adapted to technology, and trade schools will have them prepared for the digital world of maintenance. In the meantime, maintenance departments have the obligation to help the senior tradespeople use the new digital technology and programs. As an example of how fast technology is moving for maintenance people, here are some of the maintenance technologies CertainTeed Gypsum has intro-
duced to the maintenance departments in North America. Below is a short list of the key applications that have rolled out in the past two years, and that directly affect tradespeople and their ability to function in the new digital world. • A new CMMS system with completely changed work order processes. • Work order mobility for trades to process their work orders using a tablet application. Paper work orders are now obsolete. • Tablets integrated with HMI and other manufacturing processes and equipment controls. • Complete digitization of equipment resources and documentation. • Laser alignment and chain tension applications. • Remote equipment sensor so¥ware for vibration and temperature. The majority of the younger generation of tradespeople have devoured the new technology. The middle to older generation can and do struggle to adapt, and if they are not helped to overcome their skills, knowledge and a itudes towards the new tools they will o¥en revert back to the old way of doing things and ignore the new digital systems. However, there are ways we can help them. Bob Purcell, recently retired from Rockwell Automation, a¥er being their Allen Bradley PLC and Control Logic Systems trainer for 30 years. Purcell started out his career as industrial electrician and controls tradesperson, and before he went to work with Rockwell, he went back to college and received his teaching license. We o¥en get into discussions about how technology designers of maintenance applications need to look at the usability of the product from a maintenance perspective.
Instead of looking at a new technology from a management point of view about the report, KPIs and analysis that the new program can provide, people like him look at it from a tradesperson’s angle of what this new technological tool can do for me. Secondly, his experience with training tradespeople indicates that the success of a new digital tool depends on the simplicity and ease of use. New maintenance tools can come from a variety of sources. Sometimes the product is purchased off the shelf and other times they are designed in-house by engineers. He firmly believes that the decision makers need to take every user’s perspective into consideration when deciding on a new purchase or design. Purcell also noticed when Control Logic Systems were designed and programmed in a way that the maintenance person could understand and use it to troubleshoot equipment, the tradesperson becomes convinced that the program is useful and they depend upon it to help them solve problems. The program be-
Photo: pichitstocker / Adobe Stock
BY PETER PHILLIPS
