Reliability Academy
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About the Reliability
Academy

It’s reliability. As simple as it can be.

 

Two decades of world-wide experience
encountering the same problem again and again

Hi, my name is Erik Hupjé, founder of The Reliability Academy and I developed the Road to Reliability Framework™. It’s unique in its simplicity, yet it’s highly effective.

For the last 20 years I’ve worked in asset management, and specifically maintenance & reliability in the upstream oil & gas industry. I’ve worked in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, the Philippines, the Sultanate of Oman and Australia.

Everywhere I’ve seen the same problems again and again.

People in charge of maintenance and reliability are busy fighting fires. Working in highly reactive environments. Almost never a chance to look ahead and think about longer term improvements. Running from crisis to crisis.

As an industry we know how we should manage maintenance and reliability. But within individual organisations this knowledge is often not there where it matters.

Too often those in charge of maintenance & reliability don’t know how to avoid the fires.
Or they don’t have the skills to bring about the change that will stop the fires.

Side view photo of Erik Hupjé

Imagine if your plant was highly reliable, cost-effective and safe. All at the same time. Each and every day.

Working in an environment like this is stimulating. The culture is strong and positive. The relationships are trusting and you can put your energy into improving things. It’s an environment in which the people and the plant thrive. Sadly though, not many plants around the world operate in an environment like this. But it’s possible. In fact, there’s less stopping you than you might think.

What would you give to
achieve this in your plant?

15%

increase in availability

35%

increase in productivity

12%

decrease in costs

You too can achieve high reliability
using our simple 4-step framework

But just because few plants around the world have achieved such an environment does not mean it is complicated or difficult. Sure it’s hard work. And it takes time. But what needs to be done can be summarised in a surprisingly simple framework.

And that’s one of things that frustrates me the most.

Somehow we’ve got people convinced that to achieve high reliability you need to successfully implement a model with 10 or 20 different elements. Most of these models are complex. And the idea of having to implement all those elements would be daunting to just about everyone.

But you know what?

These models are more complex than they need to. You don’t need 10 or 20 elements to achieve high reliability. In my experience the “Best of the Best” get to World Class Reliability by doing the basics really well. And that’s not just my experience, industry research shows the same.

Adopt an overly complicated approach like we discussed and you lose sight of those essential basics. Lose sight of the basics and you’re doomed. You’re doomed to a life of low reliability.

I like to keep things as simple as possible. 

That’s why I developed a very simple model called the Road to Reliability Framework™ which consists of just 4 Essential Elements that you need to worry about. 

It is easy to understand. 

It helps you focus on what’s important. 

And it works.

Black and White Photo of Port Cranes

Let them speak for us

 

Erik is the consummate professional...

Erik is the consummate professional in all aspects of his dealings with colleagues, service providers and other stakeholders. Our team valued his forthright perspective, solid expertise and sage advice on all aspects of Maintenance Management and Readiness during our work with him. Erik in turn fostered a true team spirit, enjoying the respect of the seasoned professionals in our group.

Picture of Jacek Narzomi

Jacek Narzomi

Manager Performance Improvements at Amec Foster Wheeler

Erik is a visionary...

I worked with Erik for the better part of a year on a very challenging scope of work. Working with knowledgeable client is always a privilege, and in the field of Engineering & Maintenance Erik’s extensive international background serves him well. He has an exemplary eye for detail, which earns respect very quickly. He also has an innate ability to listen and define possible solutions.

Picture of Peter Ferreira

Peter Ferreira

Director Blue Lens Group

 

When those in charge of managing maintenance & reliability turn to the market for help they are often let down for a range of reasons:

  • Too often end up getting a solution that is really just addressing one small part of the puzzle. And typically it’s based on a piece of software that is being sold to them.
  • Too often the frameworks for achieving reliability that are being offered are overly complicated. This creates risks around focus and implementation.
  • And way too often, education is neglected.

But improving reliability is a marathon, not a sprint.

It takes time. And often it takes quite a bit longer than you want to hire consultants for. Let’s be honest, hiring good consultants to change your business is expensive. Not something most companies can afford to do for a long time. But, companies also can not afford to ignore reliability for a long time. The solution is quite simple. You need to achieve reliability (mostly) on your own.

To succeed you need:

  • A simple and effective framework.
  • Effective education solutions that teach your education what you need to know. When you need to know it.
  • Simple tools to help you implement the Essential Elements of Reliability.
  • You need a community where you can share experience and get advice from.
  • And you need all this, without having to pay top dollar all the time.

And that’s exactly what’s on offer through the Reliability Academy.

Picture of an Engineer in an Industrial Plant

In case you’re wondering who I am...

I’m not big on social media and I prefer to keep to myself.

But I also understand that when I put something like the Road to Reliability
Framework™ online, people may well want to know a bit about the person behind it.

  • I was born in Brunei but lived most of my childhood in The Netherlands with short stints in New Zealand and Paris, France.
  • I went to The Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands where I graduated in 1997 from the Faculty of Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management.
  • I’m married to the most wonderful woman, Olya, who is a very talented artist. Together we have three awesome kids who are growing up way too fast.
  • Having lived as a family in the UK, the Philippines and Oman we are now living in Brisbane, Australia. And since 2017 we are all proud Australian citizens.
  • Outside work I enjoy travelling, cooking, reading about history and since moving to Australia I’m a big fan of beach fishing.

And if you still want to know more, then get in touch.

Picture of Erik Hupje

Download our eBook now and learn the
Road to Reliability™ Framework™

We believe in your people and empowering them to drive maintenance improvement in your business.

 
Cover of the Road to Reliability Framework eBook—free downloadable guide from Reliability Academy outlining a 4-step approach to reduce unplanned downtime by 90%