CRH Americas Materials recently awarded Barriere Resource Operation Center Manager Josh Munna the AMAT Award for People Innovation, a category that highlights a new or unique approach, idea or process that models CRH values: People are our priority. Character is our strength. Performance is our commitment. Innovation is our way forward.
Josh’s 2022 innovation submission centered on CLAIRE, which stands for Cleaning, Lubricating, Assessing, Inspecting, Repairing, Evaluating. Part of Barriere’s Total Process Reliability (TPR) program, CLAIRE focuses on optimizing equipment care and cleaning to help safely and reliably deliver quality projects and products Barriere customers have come to expect.
Josh’s innovation submission outlined the goals, processes and results of CLAIRE. In addition to cleaning equipment and helping crew members understand the importance of proper machine care, an overarching goal of a CLAIRE event is to build team morale by inviting employees to be part of a project that lets them do tasks that are different from their regular day-to-day duties.
The first step in planning a CLAIRE event is finding the right piece of equipment, typically a machine that’s considered to be in the “middle” of its life. Next, an equipment department representative conducts an initial inspection of the machine.
For a three-day CLAIRE event, Barriere invites a crew in for equipment repairs and team-building activities, starting with an introduction to the machine and a review of the TPR program’s role in improving machine reliability and efficiency. For the second half of the first day, the crew inspects the machine and points out any significant defects or damage.
On the second day, the crew cleans the machine and parts with a pressure washer and performs — or brings in an outside mechanic to perform — any necessary repairs. The third day is typically the day the crew puts everything back on the machine. Finally, CLAIRE participants and facilitators put together a presentation so team members can discuss what they learned from the event and then present their work to select Barriere upper management, Project Managers, Superintendents, and members of both the Safety and Equipment teams.
At the end of three days, crew members who participate in a CLAIRE event often walk away with a sense of ownership of that piece of equipment, feeling proud of the work they’ve done as a team. Through these innovative events, the process of cleaning and repairing a machine is not merely routine maintenance. With CLAIRE, it becomes a vehicle for learning and team building as well.
Innovation is a core value of CRH, and focused growth is a core strategy. Both are key to fulfilling CRH’s purpose of reinventing the way our world is built. CRH has thanked Josh and his team for working to unlock untapped potential and for experimenting to discover a better way.
As a CRH company, Barriere shares that commitment to innovation. Investing in programs like CLAIRE is an important part of our Culture of Care. We are always looking for new ways to support and engage our talent with opportunities for continuous improvement, as individuals and as a company. We want to thank Josh and his team for their hard work and congratulate them on receiving the AMAT Award for People Innovation
