In 2015, Jesus Sifonte invited me to be a speaker at a congress he was holding in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We did not know each other, nor did we even know much about each other. I was recommended to Jesus by a mutual friend, Dr. Andrew Jardine at the University of Toronto.
At that San Juan “congresso” we presented our respective topics and in the evenings we shared a few drinks while speaking about maintenance, reliability, and asset management. We realized that we both had a shared passion for excellence and we learned about each other’s experiences.
Jesus had been running two businesses – PdMTech USA and CMMI (the Condition Monitoring and Maintenance Institute). PdMTech delivered predictive maintenance and related services. CMMI delivered training. I ran one business – Conscious Asset, delivering consulting and training services. We realized that we had one area of overlap in our services offerings – Reliability Centered Maintenance. Jesus’ training covered topics of interest in the field to technicians and engineers – very tactical. My training covered management topics – still tactical but at a different level. We met in the middle with RCM.
Jesus had been very successful in Latin America with his brand of RCM and his business model. He developed his RCM method from research and experimentation that he did while working on his Master’s degree in Reliability Engineering at Monash University in Australia. He was self-taught in RCM. His business model was both novel in our industry and unique for the selling of consulting services. He had enhanced RCM, aligning it closely with international standards and emphasizing the correct use of failure history and in evidence-based decision making.
I had been working with various RCM methods beginning with Military Standards in the 1980s. I enjoyed the benefit of being mentored by a couple of giants in our industry. I had worked for years in a major RCM network but felt that its delivery methods, developed in the 1990s, were now out of synch with technology and demographics. I left, developed my own materials and delivery methods in 2015, and it was working well. My emphasis was on the implementation and continuous improvement of RCM outputs, not on sales of software and billable hours.
Jesus and I complimented each other nicely and realized that we had a lot to share. Jesus had enhanced the method itself, bringing RCM into the realm of evidence-based decision-making. James had enhanced the training delivery, implementation, and sustaining activities, aligning it with today’s lean industry expectations. It struck us that we had the kernel of a new book on RCM and it was already long overdue.
We decided to collaborate in writing that book, “Reliability Centered Maintenance – Re-engineered”. It was published in April 2017.
As we wrote, we talked and shared more. We mused that since we had so much in common, a new book that we were about to publish together, and businesses that were highly complimentary – then why not join forces? The idea of Conscious Reliability® was born. In addition to writing a book, we were now starting a new business.
We decided to keep our consulting and field services businesses as they were. We pooled our intellectual property into the new business and offer training. Our standards are high and we look forward to serving you.
