By Jim Fitch
Practicing Oil Analysis Magazine
Some of you are personally acquainted with my father, Dr. Ernest C. Fitch. Others may know of him by reputation or perhaps through his publications.
His knowledge and vision have been an inspiration to me throughout my career. He is a great mentor and motivator. He is known for the mark he made in the fields of tribology and fluid power. However, in my mind, it was his seminal work in contamination control that most encouraged me to publish this interview. From my observations, the applied knowledge of contamination control in the previous 25 years by hundreds of companies and government agencies has had a far-reaching and lasting impact on machine reliability, more so than any other maintenance initiative during the same period.