THE BOTTOM LINE ”

The ultimate test for instrument technicians, electricians and electronic technicians, as well as mechanics and millwrights will be their troubleshooting skills.

While most maintenance tasks in a plant are routine, knowing how to systematically think through a problem is vital to a plant’s operating efficiency.

Acquiring troubleshooting skills equips the worker with strategic thinking that can be applied to the analysis of problems in any industrial system. Developing logical thinking skills and the ability to create a personal troubleshooting outlook will prove valuable under any troubleshooting situation.

Developing logical thinking should arm one with the knowledge to:

• Define root cause problem solving
• Define troubleshooting
• Describe basic steps involved in any general troubleshooting procedure
• How to obtain information about any malfunctioning system
• How to compare problem symptoms to normal operation
• How to describe sources of information concerning normal operations
• How to describe sources of information concerning the background of a problem
• Recognize the difference between a symptom and a cause
• How to develop a troubleshooting plan
• Recognize the importance of schematics while troubleshooting
• Describe the steps necessary to repair a problem
• Describe the steps that can be taken to prevent future trouble

Developing logical thinking skills is the bottom line test of any good maintenance technician. Individuals with excellent logical thinking skills are worth their weight in gold. They’re the ones who keep American industry humming!

More tomorrow – – – – –

— Bill Walton, Founder of ITC Learning
bwalton@itclearning.com

“AMERICA WILL CONTINUE TO BE BUILT BY THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”