Optimizing your compressed air system and saving energy are both really good ideas. The Compressed Air Challenge is holding a Web-based seminar on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. eastern time with some tips on how to do both. Subsequent classes will be Nov. 16, Nov. 30, and Dec. 7.

Learn how to uncover common issues in compressed air systems in this interactive live seminar. Led by U.S. Department of Energy experts, this course covers a seven-step action plan for affordable system improvements.

Are you interested in improving motor and drive efficiency? Do you need to reduce downtime and save on costly repair bills? Then be sure to attend the Best Practices: Motors and Drives webcast May 19, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Companies are contantly trying different approaches to manage energy and carbon efficiently across different industrial plants. Best-in-class companies have invested in technology to automate business processes, improve visibility into energy and carbon data, and utilize it to optimize plant processes. This has enabled best-in-class companies to achieve a 12% reduction in emissions, reduce energy consumption by 13%, and surpass energy and operating margin goals by 17% and 12%, respectively.

The majority of posts you read on condition monitoring are all about detecting the onset of failure. Using condition monitioring in this way could also be described as the traditional approach to CBM.

The principles are pretty straightforward.

1st - Define the failure mode you are looking for and work out what signs it exhibits that it is starting to fail. (Be careful not to confuse cause and symptom, of course.)

2nd - Determine the time between detection and functional failure.

I have ranted and raved about the curse of criticality here several times in the past. While criticality is very good for separating clients and their money, it's use for implementing reliability is somewhere between severly limiting and a fatal flaw..depending on the urgency your company has.

The last few months have seen many of our colleagues thrown out of work as the economic crisis begins to take its toll on working men and women all over the world. The truly unfortunate thing is that these people had absolutely no way of taking positive action to correct this situation.

But, there are jobs out there for us. Have no doubt. Reliability is embeded in many asset-centric organizations these days as a strategic advantage, and there is a demand for professionals.

During the holiday period I spent a lot of time thinking about efficiency. We moved, myself and my family, from the Middle East to Australia where we now live in New South Wales. (Wonderful place, visit me sometime.)

In times like these it can be easy to try too hard, or reach too far. Reliability-centered maintenance, Weibull analysis, Crow Amsaa, etc., are all very valid excercises, and they all deliver phenomenal value - but before thinking about initiatives like these, are there other things you could be doing?

Over the next few weeks I am going to be pushing as much value as I can do into this column. Like you I have watched as mining companies, auto manufacturers, plastics manufacturers and others have announced labor cut backs.

Even OPEC is screaming for international help stabilize the oil price.

This is not just commentary. A company my father works for is one of those that has been hit by this crisis so I am feeling this also.