If your asset maintenance program is in need of some maintenance of its own, you might want to turn to the nearest chess player for some advice.
That’s one of the surprising takeaways from How to fix your maintenance program, an Infor white paper written specially for enterprise asset managers.
It’s no news that unexpected outages can cost chemical manufacturers millions of dollars in costly down time, lost batches, and snagged production lines. But the problem isn’t as simple as a single pump, sensor, or length of tubing.
“Each asset consists of a complex system of other components, likely interrelated to assets across the plant floor,” the white paper notes. “This hierarchical setup requires the ability to monitor, track, report, and execute activities based on an understanding of how one move will impact another”—not unlike a well-executed chess strategy, where a seemingly innocuous move in one corner of the board sets up a devastatingly successful advance on the next move.
The basic principle applies right across a modern chemical production line, but the Infor white paper uses the simple example of a sudden, unexplained pressure drop. The cause could be a cracked nozzle, a blocked pipe, a failing sensor, or defects in the power system—all of which points to the complex effort required to keep the system running at optimum capacity.
“Managing this ecosystem requires understanding how each asset works with others, identifying indicators to determine where a failure is, and acting to correct the problem,” the paper advises. To make that a standard practice in your business, you’ll need a keener understanding of Enterprise Asset Management, and the right software system to support your EAM strategy.
Click here to learn about the five stages of asset management maturity. It’s a crucial first step in assessing and accelerating your own company’s Enterprise Asset Management strategy.
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