Seeing 'Infra' Red

Postal employee wins national “Predictive Maintenance” contest

LOUISVILLE, KY — Michael Van Hoover doesn’t have x-ray vision but his infrared skills would make the Man of Steel proud.

Van Hoover placed first during a Postal Service National Technical Training Center competition in Norman, OK. In addition to his job title — Building Equipment Mechanic — the Louisville employee is now known as the National Predictive Maintenance Challenge Infrared Thermography Champion.

Van Hoover was one of 10 contestants selected to compete. Their selection was based on test scores from a nationally available on-line test in December.

During the competition, participants were given 15 minutes to complete each of ten tasks using infrared cameras. Some of the tasks included finding an electrical short and a vehicle parasitic current drain. They also conducted mock building scans in search of deficiencies in insulation and air infiltration.

“It was a good learning experience,” said Van Hoover. “I also met with vendors of two cameras the Postal Service uses. They went over software and showed us some new features with the equipment.

“This is something that’s just really clicked with me,” he said. “A couple of the stations were a little bit easier. However, for the most part we were all pressed for time to finish.”

Van Hoover won an infrared camera for his worksite and every participant received a laptop for their respective worksites.

Other contestants: Duluth, MN, Electronic Technician Patrick Gjerdahl; Denver Electronic Technician Andrew Daubenspeck; Gaithersburg, MD, Maintenance Mechanic MPE Michael Morgan; South Hackensack, NJ, Maintenance Mechanics David Neff and John Horner; New York Electronic Technician Timothy Vogel; San Francisco Electronic Technician Steven Gerlick; Kansas City Building Equipment Mechanic Al Tomlinson; and Jackson, MI, Electronic Technician Paul Yarbrough.

Infrared cameras have become a cost-effective tool for the U.S. Postal Service. They are used for predictive maintenance to detect heat signatures at postal facilities nationwide, including the Processing & Distribution Center on Gardiner Lane.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.