FEATURE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT
BEST PRACTICE ACHIEVES effective asset management
A challenge to maintain a fixed asset base, Karen Conneely of Real Asset Management explains how costs can be reduced
T
he past few gruelling years of prolonged economic downturn have
led companies to review budgets with increased scrutiny as they attempt to identify areas where cost savings can be made. With this in mind the costs of maintaining the company’s fixed asset base can be a challenge
BEST PRACTICE Maintenance managers know that proactive asset management can cut costs and improve lifetime value yet making that shift towards best practice is often an uphill battle. Effective asset management is about using asset insight and good process to improve operational effectiveness, reduce outgoings and understand the business risk associated with individual asset failure. It is about improving planning and providing individuals across the organisation with visibility into the end to end spend on asset maintenance. Despite the long term awareness that
strong proactive policies for asset maintenance can reduce costs and extend an asset’s lifetime value, in far too many organisations jobs are primarily reactive and there is no understanding of the business cost associated with individual asset downtime. Yet reactive maintenance is three to
five times more expensive than planned maintenance. There is no time wasted waiting for the right resources and individual workloads can be scheduled
more effectively. Critically, assets that are maintained on a regular basis are less likely to break or stop working.
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES When assessing an asset base at board level the interests lie in ensuring that all assets within the company are being used to their full potential and providing the best possible return on investment. High level information covering running costs, stock levels, turnover and impact on profitability allows business planning decisions to be optimised. Moving through the organisation, the
maintenance manager is concerned with KPIs set by the board on unit production. His primary concern is that the factory equipment is primed and in good working order to fulfil these. Planned maintenance is high on the agenda at this level – working out volumes of planned maintenance, the amount of time each job will take, the downtime it may cause and the impact on production. Having the assets working as efficiently as possible allows maintenance managers to deliver on targets and to resource the factory in line with what is likely to be deliverable. At the crux of the operations the
worker on the factory floor is not operating with a pure concern for what the job requirement is against each asset. An overview of that asset’s history and whether it can carry out the job effectively and simply right there and
VERSATILE, COST-EFFECTIVE CONDITION MONITORING
Monitran has launched the MTN/5000, a cost-effective and versatile microcontroller-based condition monitoring system which can have up to 12 channels and features a 3.5 inch TFT touchscreen and easy- to-navigate menu. The user is able to set data sampling rates (up to 1million/second), input ranges and resolution and alarm levels on a channel-by-channel basis or across all channels. The system is designed to work with Monitran’s accelerometers and velocity sensors but can
accommodate most other sensor types including those for measuring temperature, pressure, displacement and proximity. It can accept a voltage or current as input and raw signals are made available at BNCs on the front panel. As standard the MTN/5000 has 12 digital I/O channels which can be used for multiple alarms or as a communication channel for integration with other systems. As an optional extra the system can be fitted with Modbus TCP/IP for networking purposes or to enable multiple MTN/5000s to operate together within a larger monitoring or control system.
Monitran T: 01494 816569
www.monitran.com Enter 301
then is all that matters in this case. A holistic approach to consolidating this information is pertinent with the launch earlier this year of the new ISO 55000 standard that puts asset management firmly on the agenda.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL It is clear that good, accurate and detailed asset information is at the heart of successful ISO 55000 accreditation. With a robust computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) an organisation can quickly collate the depth of information required: how many jobs occur each day/week or month? What is the fix time? Which skills and subcontractors are required to complete the job? What items were requested from stores? Was there a delay in attaining spare parts and what are the associated costs in terms of business performance? In depth analysis of asset performance
information from purchase through repairs in tandem with the business impact of the failure of individual assets is key to understanding business cost and risk. By running an asset management system throughout an organisation that is sympathetic to the requirements at all levels, allowing ease of use on the ground, planned maintenance overviews and reporting capabilities for management level and the provision of strategic high level information at board level, three sets of data in one view can facilitate more strategic decisions based on data visibility at all levels. The ability to assign a risk level to each
asset enables far better risk management and ensures maintenance activity can be prioritised for critical assets. With good understanding of every aspect of the maintenance process, organisations can run ‘what if?’ scenarios to accurately assess the impact of increasing proactive maintenance and determine in which areas this would be most successful and valuable. ISO 55000 provides a clear framework for enabling efficient, improved performance. It is by taking this proactive approach that asset managers will be able to demonstrate quantifiable, long term business value to the organisation.
Real Asset Management T: 01689 892100
www.realassetmgt.co.uk Enter 302
8 MAY 2014 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT / FACTORYEQUIPMENT
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