Utilities, private investors and other organizations can spend billions building new critical infrastructure assets, such as power generation, water treatment or desalination facilities. The focus during development is often placed on meeting schedule and budget with little attention given to long-term asset operations and maintenance (O&M) until after commercial operation is achieved.
Lack of meaningful and actionable asset information results in operators bringing new assets online based on experience, rather than being guided by well-defined procedures and instructions. O&M cannot be optimized, reducing the return on investment of the asset and potentially shortening its overall lifespan.
Asset criticality, optimized preventative maintenance and special procedures, such as lock out/tag out and confined space instructions, are examples of context-specific asset information that is not readily available at hand over.
Data vs. Information
The issue with new build assets is not a lack of data or functioning enterprise asset management (EAM) system. Every nuance of a new asset is documented and reviewed multiple times throughout the design and construction process. Design documents, maintenance plans, safety precautions and parts lists, among other data, are handed over to the asset owner at the time of installation.
The challenge is that data is handed over as flat, isolated files, and although it may be easy to import, it rarely represents the full requirements to maintain the asset. A complex relationship exists between equipment data and maintenance procedures that keep an asset running safely, optimally and reliably. For example, a standard preventative maintenance task requires a definition of the piece of equipment, the labor skills required to perform the task, asset location and the frequency maintenance should be performed. These relationships are not easily discerned from flat file data.
Unless information is delivered through an EAM that presents information to asset owners and operators in a manner that enables effective work and asset management, the data will not be used effectively.
Transforming flat file data into a format required by the EAM to inform asset O&M is a complex task that requires significant expertise beyond data migration skills. It requires expertise in EAM application technology, asset management, maintenance, and reliability. The complexity of the undertaking could result in meaningful asset maintenance information not being available for years after commercial operation begins.
Day One Maintenance
Organizations planning new-build facilities can avoid the O&M information gap through Day One Maintenance services. By planning and budgeting for Day One Maintenance, asset owners will not receive flat, isolated data upon facility handover. Rather, they will receive a full asset and information hierarchy that is ready to import into their EAM.
Day One Maintenance involves enhancing asset data to enable effective O&M – for example, development of hierarchies and systems, PMs, bill of materials or failure codes. It also involves the delivery of the asset information in the EAM to ensure all the complex data relationships are established, and configuration of the EAM to enable and promote maintenance excellence and to preserve the long-term value of the asset information.
Organizations that include Day One Maintenance into their new-build plans are able to gain the most value from their systems. Day One Maintenance eliminates guesswork on how tasks should be prioritized and all documentation needed for every task is readily available to staff responsible for performing each task. Most importantly, organizations are able to maximize and protect their investments within the asset by optimizing its O&M from Day One.
Published originally on Black & Veatch Solutions.
