Peter Willmott passes away

Tributes have been paid to renowned engineer Peter Willmott of SA Partners who has died. Peter had worked for the company for many years and was a champion of the ‘Total Productive Maintenance’ approach to operations.

“Peter was a true inspiration to so many people and organisations around the world, and a great mentor and friend to those he worked with,” said Ailsa Carson of SA Partners. “His pedigree and professionalism were second to none.”

Peter Willmott graduated with an Honours degree in Production Engineering from Loughborough University and was a Chartered Engineer. His early career was as a mechanical craftsman in the aerospace industry.

He took part in five Total Productive Maintenance study tours to Japan in the early 1990s and became a world renowned and respected authority on the topic. Peter produced several articles for Maintenance & Engineering, including this piece about overall equipment effectiveness. 

Earlier this year he was awarded the Shingo Prize for a publication he co-authored with colleagues Andy Brunskill and John Quirke, titled ‘TPM: A Foundation of Operational Excellence’.

“His knowledge, friendship, humour and energy will be greatly missed,” Alisa Carson added. “Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”