AFE May/June 2012 : Page 9

Investing in People Michael B. Cowley, CPMM, presi-dent, CE Maintenance Solutions, LLC, learned the hard way that investing in people is one of the most essential things a company can do, particularly when it comes to building operations and manufacturing, where new technol-ogy is constantly evolving. Cowley began his career in the build-ing trades 34 years ago, when he got his job as a pipe fi tter — a job that allowed him to get his engineering degree at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Aft er graduating, he landed a job with Burlington Industries, at the time one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world. Flash forward a few decades, how-ever, and Burlington was no longer the powerhouse it had been when he had started working there. In fact, aft er years of slowing sales, it went bankrupt in 2001. “Sure, some of the problem was with overseas competition,” Cowley said. “But the real problem was that they cared more about how big their company was instead of the quality of their product. Th ey took a short-term approach that ignored training.” Cowley cited companies like Apple, Microsoft and Motorola as good examples of companies who invest in their workforce. He even gave a nod to Milliken Industries, “Burlington’s arch-nemesis,” as an example of a com-pany that took a long-term approach. “Some people regarded Roger Milliken (the company’s founder and chairman, who recently passed away) as being a little too tough on other people some-times,” said Cowley. “But Milliken was tough on other people because he cared about his company, his customers, and the quality of his product. Milliken took a forward-thinking approach to investing in its people. They were well-known in the industry for its commit-ment to training.” Cowley said that few companies today take a long-term approach, particularly when it comes to train-ing building-operations profession-als. “Companies that fail to make investments in their people will pay for it in the long run,” he said. That notion is particularly true when it comes to building operations. “You can’t train an electrician overnight,” he said. “It takes time and energy. Companies like Motorola understood that; in their glory days the company used to say that they got $10 back for every dollar they spent on training. I believe that figure remains true for all companies, but few companies recognize that.” VFD-Induced Bearing Currents Kill Motors! Split uKIT Universal Mounting Kit Protect your bearings and motors! SGR BEARING PROTECTION RING Proven in hundreds of thousands of installations, the AEGIS ® SGR protects motor bearings from damaging VFD-induced currents and extends motor life. It also dramatically reduces downtime and improves the reliability of motor-driven equipment and systems. U Safely channels harmful currents away from bearings to ground U Maintenance-free, easy to install, lasts for life of motor U New Split uKIT simplifies and speeds installation on any motor—without detaching coupled equipment See how easy it is to install the AEGIS ® Split uKIT! To download a free technical paper on bearing protection technologies, visit our website: 1-866-738-1857 | sales @ est-aegis.com www.est-aegis.com May | June 2012 ■ Facilities Engineering Journal ■ www.AFE.org 9

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