Forewords
The very basis of communicating depends on agreeing on a meaning. If we show a 6 month-old child an orange and consistently call it a banana for the next 18 years of his sheltered life, he will not believe the person who tells him that what he calls a banana is, in fact, an orange. The point of this analogy comes into full focus as we consider what could happen with miscommunications in virtually everything we hear, do, say, or perceive. Whether it is conduct or behavior, designing, making, using, selling, or buying—we must agree on definitions.
In this second edition of a successful book, the father-daughter authors Michael and Emma Holloway maintain the spirit of this theme but update the long list of terms and items that require adherence to definitions. In the process of doing so, they often ask us to challenge our preconceived notions and opinions. One person’s preconceived opinions can be seriously at odds with somebody else’s opinions, unless an agreed-upon definition becomes the central core of our understanding.
This is of great relevance in the expanding Universe of Industry. The relevance of definitions becomes clear in hundreds of different pursuits and endeavors, although space and time available force us to verbalize a motto that, hopefully, is accepted by those seeking safety and reliability in work processes and asset management: “Discover Reliability Facts; Rethink Old Assumptions.” This book will prove helpful to those who seek to add value rather than engaging in dead-ended debates and flawed arguments.
Heinz P. Bloch, P.E.
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There’s a story about when Spanish explorers first arrived in the Gulf of Mexico, they wanted to know what the name of the land was. They asked the first local that they encountered, “What do you call this place?” The Maya, who resided on the peninsula said, “Yucatan” which has been the name of the peninsula ever since. Unfortunately, Yucatan in Mayan means, “I don’t understand.” Oops.
Misunderstandings in the industrial place can have less comical outcomes. The first step in avoiding miscommunication is by having shared lexicon. Mr. Holloway and Ms. Holloways’ 2nd edition of the Dictionary of Industrial Terminology is the industry’s benchmark to standardize lexicon used across maintenance, engineering, and reliability disciplines. This literary tome is a must-have anchor on the bookshelf of any technician, engineer or thought leader in the industrial space.
Congratulations on amassing such a valuable document, which will be a guiding resource for years to come as the first line of defense against miscommunications in the workplace.
Greg Livingstone
Chief Innovation Officer Fluitec
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This is an often-repeated story by communication experts about an old lady who hoped to rent a room in Switzerland. She voiced her concerns regarding the availability of a commode that she referred to as WC (Water Closet). The recipient, the landlord, presumed WC to be a Wayside Chapel. His response is naturally hilarious.
“I take great pleasure in informing you that the WC is located 9 miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It can hold 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays. As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early. There is, however, plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly. It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC, as it was there, that she met her husband. It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. We can take photos in different angle. My wife, sadly, has been ill and unable to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly. You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it. Others prefer to wait till the last minute and arrive just in time. I would recommend your ladyship plan to go on a Thursday as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere. The newest addition is a bell which rings every time a person enters. We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all, since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all.”
Words are important! They provide a compass to our thoughts and endeavors. Almost 2,500 years ago, Socrates stated, “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” In a world that is more than ever tied up in the exchange of information, knowledge, and ultimately wisdom, we need to heed Socrates. In this fast-paced world, where communication aspires to be super-luminal, we need to be precise, concise, accurate and succinct, because success hangs on the efficacy of this communication. Since we are all in the pursuit of excellence, it is a boon to have an agreed-upon definition of words that we use on a daily basis and even words that we rarely use, provided we all understand the definition going forward and work towards that goal of reducing failure and producing excellence. The team of Holloway and Holloway has undertaken a mammoth challenge. Collecting and defining in agreement with what we all must drive towards—a universal understanding of communication of the utterances we use daily as not to contribute to confusion. Terms have been classified under various categories to assist the reader as well as various industrial acronyms, abbreviations and commonly used phrases have been thoroughly explained. The father/daughter team has established themselves as an asset to our industry.
Dr. Raj Shah
Director
Koehler Instrument Company, NY
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The 2nd edition of Dictionary of Industrial Terminology fills a much-needed role for stakeholders across numerous industries. By compiling a comprehensive lexicon of industrial terms—each contributed by a recognized subject matter expert—Michael and Emma Holloway have admirably updated and expanded the terms defined in this volume. Users will find expanded definitions and illustrations useful—particularly when translating terms from English to other languages. Where a given term is used in multiple ways, the Holloways have included all of the relevant definitions. The Dictionary uses clear concise language, making it a valuable desktop reference for engineers, operations personnel, and managers.
Dr. Fredrick Passman President
BCA, Inc.
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“You two need to stop skylarking and turn to!!! I want this overhead dusted and the deck swabbed!” If you’ve ever served in the US Navy, you might have an idea of what you just read. You may have even heard it or something similar. If you’ve never been in the military, specifically the US Navy; that phrase may just sound like a bunch of gibberish. What it means is for the two sailors to stop messing around and get busy, the ceiling, with the vents and piping all need to be dusted, and the floor needs to be mopped. While I was in boot camp I learned, what seemed at the time an entirely new language. After I retired and started working in maintenance, I had to relearn English. Much of the terminology I learned in the Navy is different for the same items, and concepts in the civilian world.
If there had only been a text, I could turn to that would have helped me to translate what I was thinking into the civilian terms, that would have been a huge help and radically reduced the learning curve! Some of the terms in this book may be different than what you call them. That is fine, honestly that is kind of the point, to help us all to learn a common language so that we are literally on the same page when we are talking about things and comparing ideas and strategies.
For this to be most effective you may need to challenge your preconceived notions of what something is or is not. We all come from different backgrounds and learned much of this maintenance and reliability stuff through tribal knowledge. It has been passed down from generation to generation of technicians since the beginning of time, or most likely, we made it up as we went along.
In the few years I have been involved in maintenance and reliability, I have been blessed to have met and worked with many experts in our field. As an “expert”