Interdisciplinary Professional Programs
College of Engineering

Business Basics for Maintenance and Operations

In this course, we will focus on approaching M&R like a business and strategic thinker. We will focus on how to conduct and communicate ROI, basic math to build budgets and business cases, articulating messages to leadership, accounting, and all other business functions, building and using a M&R strategic approach, truly engaging teams, delegating effectively, in other words all the things needed to approach M&R like a business. 

Learning Objectives for this 2-day course include the ability to:

  • Build a business case for justifying projects and technologies.
  • Understand the importance and role of leading and lagging indicators to transform your department or organization.
  • Communicate effectively, and in convincing fashion, with all levels of the organization.
  • Create and drive effective strategy and tie it to a zero-based budget.
  • Conduct, communicate and sell Return on Investment approaches to capital.
  • Tie finance and accounting principles to maintenance.
  • Understand the impact of cost reduction in the truest sense.
  • Engage your team and evolve your culture with a winning strategy.
  • Link day-to-day activities of maintenance to the organization objectives.

Upcoming dates coming soon!

Take course number RA01836 when it’s offered next.

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What You Will Learn:

The Business Basics for Maintenance Operations course will help you drive a cultural evolution and unveil industry secrets to help you create a center of excellence and turn your plant around in only a few years!

Who Should Attend:

  • Maintenance and Asset Managers
  • Operations Managers
  • Plant and Facility Engineers
  • Reliability Engineers
  • Managers of preventive or condition-based and predictive maintenance programs
  • Maintenance Leads and Technicians
  • Directors or Vice Presidents of Operations, Maintenance & Engineering

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Course Details: RA01836

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Course Outline

Understanding the Big Picture of the Business

  • Why are you in business?
  • Who normally gets the blame?
  • Understanding Financial Metrics

What is Return on Assets and why is it important?

  • What is Return on Equity?
  • What is Return on Net Assets?
  • What is Return on Investment Capital?
  • What is EBIT(DA)?
  • What is Replacement Asset Value?

Understanding Costs Associated with the Business

  • What is Direct Labor?
  • What is Indirect Labor?
  • What Are Fixed Costs?
  • What are Variable Costs?
  • What are Overhead Costs?
  • What is Depreciation?

Understanding Plant Losses

What are the 30 Major Losses in Manufacturing?

  • Equipment Related Losses Overview
    • Scheduled Downtime Losses
    • Availability Losses
    • Performance Losses
    • Quality Losses
  • Human Efficiency Related Losses Overview
    • Worker Loading Hours
    • Worker Utilization Hours
    • Worker Effective Hours
    • Worker Value Hours
  • Production Resource Losses Overview

Understand Capacity Analysis & Utilization

  • Overall Equipment Effectiveness
  • Total Effective Equipment Performance
  • Understanding Production Capacity
  • Understanding Capacity Utilization

Understand Demand Fulfillment vs Demand Creation

  • What is Demand Fulfillment?
  • Holistic Reliability Model
  • How Does it tie into Maintenance, Reliability and Operations?
  • What is Demand Creation?
  • Realizing True Value of Initiatives
  • What is a Return on Investment
  • What is cost savings?
  • What is cost avoidance?
  • What is an opportunity cost?
  • How to calculate savings
  • How to get Buy-in
  • Sharing Your Successes
  • Operations Areas of Opportunity- Solving Common Problems
  • Maintenance Areas of opportunity to capture savings

Business Plan Development & Execution

  • Why a Plan?
  • Understanding Organizational Objectives
  • 4 Strategies/Plans to Familiarize with and Develop
  • Understanding the Overall Business Strategy
  • Organizational Alignment
  • Plant Plan Development
  • Developing a Plant Strategy
  • Developing an Operations Plan
  • Developing a Maintenance Plan
  • Maintenance Budgeting

Nurturing a Cultural Evolution

  • ABC’s of Culture
  • Understand the Maintenance System
  • Understand how to error proof your processes.

Program Director & Instructors

  • Joe Anderson

    Chief Operating Officer

    Joe Anderson is the COO for ReliabilityX. He began his maintenance career, while in high school, working for Tyson (formally IBP). He possesses over 20 years of leadership experience improving maintenance departments processes for Fortune 500 companies in the food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. Joe is the author of a column in Plant Services magazine and is a recognized leader in reliability. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Strayer University. He is a CMRP, CRL, CARO, MLT2, MLA1, LSSGB, IAM-55k, CRL Black Belt and was recognized as one of the top 50 leaders in the country by the United States Congress, being awarded the National Leadership Award.

  • Program Director

    Jon Wellik

Total Credits:
CEU 1.4, 
PDH 14, 
Certificate Compatibility:
Advanced Maintenance and Reliability Management,
Advanced Maintenance and Reliability Management Gold,
Maintenance and Reliability Management,

Course Administration

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Payment Options

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

  • Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
  • Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
  • You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

  • Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
  • Provide the registrations representative with:
    • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
    • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
  • You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

  • Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
  • Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
  • Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
  • You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

Course Notes

This course is part of the Maintenance and Reliability Management Certificate. Enhance your maintenance skills while earning a recognized credential.

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