Having spent nearly my entire career in the field of lubrication, I’ve become increasingly aware that for many companies, the practice of neglecting lubrication has become deeply engrained in maintenance culture.

For these companies, changing such practices is like trying to turn an ocean liner. I’ve become convinced that their complacency is not simply a case of ignorance, but rather follows a pattern strangely similar to addiction.

After all, I’ve taught the virtues of modern lubrication to legends of organizations, only to see many of them quickly and irrationally relapse into their past destructive habits. This typifies addictive behavior.

These observations were the impetus for the topic of this column. In keeping with the addiction theme, I’ve modeled a plan for recovery using words and concepts resembling the highly successful 12-step program that serves as the cornerstone of recovery for the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) organization. After all, if lubrication neglect is an addiction then perhaps it should be treated in similar fashion in a program of 12 steps.

For companies afflicted with this addiction, casual intervention may not simply be enough. Instead, an ultimatum must be declared. Otherwise, past practices and bad habits will gradually return. Like other addictions, denial is the heart of neglect. The 12-step program discussed below brings the denial issue front-and-center. Until denial is acknowledged and addressed, no other progress can logically be made.

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Lubrication requires constant attention. Vigilance is perhaps a better word. It’s easy to forget the things we are not motivated to do. Yet, rarely do we forget those activities we are passionate about and desire to do. We are all driven by animal instincts to seek out the things that we enjoy or which give us a gratifying reward.

Because it’s hard to find happiness in performing most routine maintenance tasks, it’s not uncommon for many of them to become periodically forgotten or perpetually postponed. Much of this is actually “conscious forgetfulness”, similar to procrastinating. Why does this happen? It is most likely due to a lack of rigor which is due to a lack of structure, measurement and incentive.

The post The Consequences of Forgetting to Perform Preventive Maintenance appeared first on Tesibis.

Poor maintenance performance is rarely the result of individual failure. Instead, it reflects deeper organizational and cultural issues that influence how maintenance is planned, executed, and valued. In How to Fix a Poor Maintenance Culture, Jim Fitch examines the systemic causes behind ineffective maintenance practices and explains why cultural transformation is essential for achieving reliable, sustainable results.

Drawing on decades of experience in lubrication engineering and reliability leadership, Fitch outlines practical strategies for improving maintenance culture through leadership engagement, workforce education, standardized practices, and accountability. The article highlights how a strong maintenance culture directly impacts equipment reliability, operational efficiency, and long-term asset performance.

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