Continuous Reliability Improvement (CRI) is a process developed by the founder of The Maintenance Excellence Institute (TMEI) and it goes well beyond current Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) approaches. RCM for example is focused upon only the assets within the total maintenance business process. CRI combines continuous improvement, methods improvement and the principles of Alan Mogenson's Work Simplification to outline a continuous, integrated process for Working Smarter -Not Harder. CRI is about improving total reliability of the following maintenance resources and within all types of maintenance environments:

• Equipment/Facility Resources (Asset Care/Management and Maximum Uptime via RCM Techniques)

• Craft and Operator Resources (Recognizing the most important resource: Crafts People and Equipment/Process Operators)

• Maintenance Repair Operations (MRO) Resources (Establishing Effective Materials Management Processes)

• Maintenance Information Resources (Effective Information Technology Applications for Maintenance)

• Maintenance Technical Knowledge/Craft Skills Base (Closing the Technical Knowledge Resource Gap)

• Hidden Resources and Synergistic Team Process (Tapping the Value-Added Resource of Effective Leadership-Driven Teams to Support Total Operations Success) Continuous Reliability Improvement brings about a positive PRIDE-in-Maintenance culture and proactive attitudes/actions for the synergy of TEAM efforts to improve each maintenance resources area. All this is focused on contributing to gained value of all resources to support total operations success. CRI applies to all types of public and private sector maintenance organizations.

Going Beyond RCM and TPM : We understand and see the need for the RCM/TPM types of improvement processes to include Six Sigma. On the shop floor we see today's trend toward forgetting about the basics of "blocking and tackling" while going for the long touchdown pass with some new analysis paralysis scheme or buzzword. The CRI approach we use is built upon the basics and then goes well beyond the traditional RCM/TPM approaches with Continuous Reliability Improvement (CRI) of all maintenance resources. It is about improving the total maintenance process and all six maintenance resource areas as shown in Figures on next pages.

Improve Maintenance in Total and Go Beyond RCM and TPM

We strongly believe in basic maintenance best practices as the foundation for maintenance excellence. Our improvement process includes all maintenance resources, equipment and facility assets as well as the crafts people and equipment operators. It also includes MRO materials management assets, maintenance informational assets and the added value resource of synergistic team-based processes. Continuous Reliability Improvement (CRI) improves the total maintenance operation.