Heinz Bloch: Saying goodbye to an Industry Legend
Unfortunately, Hydrocarbon Processing received the sad news that its long-time reliability editor, Heinz Bloch, has passed away. Mr. Bloch was a true pioneer in the industry, not only in the reliability/maintenance world he served for decades, but also the words he wrote, presentations he gave and books he published. His work has taught countless individuals--young and old--the importance of machine maintenance and reliability, as well as provided technical know-how that aided colleagues from all parts of the world and provided a foundation for young engineers to learn optimized pathways to success.
Error loading Partial View script (file: ~/Views/MacroPartials/ImagePopup.cshtml)Mr. Bloch had been the Reliability Editor for Hydrocarbon Processing for several decades, authoring a column each month on the importance of machine reliability--a position he took after retiring from Exxon as the Regional Machinery Specialist for the U.S. His ability to provide real-world case studies and anecdotes quickly made him a favorite of the global publication's audience.
Over the course of this media career, Mr. Bloch wrote hundreds of columns for Hydrocarbon Processing, each having their own teachable moments to the reliability engineer. His columns were relatable and were easily applied to engineers from different parts of the world. In addition, Mr. Bloch wrote dozens of full technical articles for the publication, providing the industry with in-depth knowledge on pathways to reliability success in plant operations.
If writing for Hydrocarbon Processing was not enough, Mr. Bloch was a well-known author for several other media entities, as well as having published two dozen books to aid the industry on machine reliability, failure analysis/avoidance, compressors, steam turbines, pumps lubrication and several other subjects. In total, he authored nearly 800 technical papers and wrote extensively on the optimized pathways for plant reliability. His expansive career in both the HPI and publishing sector earned him a spot as one of the 10 inaugural inductees into the Newark College of Engineering's (his alma mater) Hall of Fame.
Although he is no longer with us, Mr. Bloch's immortal words will live on in the thousands of pages he published throughout his life. His work has not only inspired and taught a generation the importance of machine reliability (just visit his LinkedIn page to read the outpouring of condolences and gratitude), but his knowledge and know-how will continue to live on, helping a new generation strive towards operational success.
The industry has truly lost a legend, and he will surely be missed.
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