Mr. Hughes, a Professional Engineer, is a member of ASME and ASTD. He is currently a senior Reliability trainer, consultant and analyst with Reliability Center, Inc. His expertise encompasses all areas of Human & Plant Reliability including the training, mentoring and facilitation of FMEA, Opportunity Analysis and Root Cause Analysis initiatives worldwide.
Comments from our AES students:
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“The instructors were top notch! This will go down as the best training class I have ever taken…..I can’t say enough good things about it.”
Principal Engineer
“Excellent scope, useful practice and practical applications.”
Operational Excellence Manager
“Overall great courses. Instructors were knowledgeable and drew from actual experiences, citing actual success using the methodology being taught.”
Continuous Improvement Performance Manager
“PROACT, as a tool for RCA, is a tool that incorporates leading thinking about problem solving the first time…..This class was very helpful to improving my skills at achieving first time meaningful corrections….”
Director of Performance
“Information packed course…well worth the time.”
Performance Group Team Leader
PROACT Lead Investigator Series
Lead by RCI Analysts: Ron Hughes, Mark Latino & Victor May and
Fractology Expert, Neville Sachs, President - Sachs, Salvaterra & Associates, Inc
July 25 – August 4, 2011
Congratulations to the 16 AES Reliability specialists who attended and became certified in the Reliability Center, Inc.’s (RCI) Lead Investigator Series Certification Program.. The AES participants in this uniquely customized program truly formed a global team with members representing the Philippines, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, Cameroon, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and the US.
RCI developed the Lead Investigator Series to provide candidates with a solid foundation in mechanical reliability, root cause analysis and an in-depth understanding about the conditions that increase the risk of human error in the workplace. All of these integral skills will then be utilized within the PROACT® Root Cause Analysis framework and software to ensure that investigations are efficient and effective.
Once certified, Lead Investigators will be capable of analyzing any undesirable outcome in a very disciplined and methodical manner. While their base expertise may lie in a specific area such as, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), they could be used as analytical resources in other areas including Maintenance, Operations, Reliability and Quality.
The AES students completed the workshop program, passed the certification exam and were awarded PROACT® Lead Investigator Certification plaques. The AES program included; PROACT RCA Methods, Human Error Reduction, Failure Scene Investigation Mechanical and PROACT Software Training. [ Visit AES Corp ]
NEW CASE HISTORY MOVIE:
Value Added Root Cause Analysis
RCA can solve more than just the problem you are looking at. Follow Ron Hughes, senior reliability analyst, as he demonstrates the PROACT Root Cause Analysis process and the problems that are uncovered. See how he uncovers the causes and saves his clients thousands of dollars, improves productivity and eliminates the problem from happening again.
Weyerhaeuser Thermo Compressor
Cone Failures
Ron Hughes, Senior Reliability Consultant & Analyst, RCI
Event Summary :
Weyerhaeuser Company: Valliant, Oklahoma: The Thermo Compressor Cone on Paper Machine Number 3 was experiencing repeated failures due to cracking along a longitudinal weld. Replacement Thermo Compressor Cones lasted two months and two days, respectively, before new cracking appeared.
Bottom-Line Results:
• Base metal of Thermo Compressor Cone changed to Chrome Moly from 516 Carbon Steel Radiographic examination of all welds made and welding specifications provided Stress Relief of assembly performed after fabrication.
• Vibration analysis of piping conducted as well as improvements to their support system.
• Experienced a 25% increase in production capacity. Corrective action time frame was approximately four months.