BY DEREK PINTO, SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER, RELIABILITY
This is one of those rare times where I get to espouse something that can benefit everyone in the Reliability Ecosystem—from technician through executive. With regard to who wins from adopting a Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM) program, the answer lies in segmenting each stakeholder group, identifying their challenges, and then helping them understand the benefits.In my last article, I talked about transitioning the culture of an organization from a traditional Time-Interval Maintenance (TIM) approach to a Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM) approach. Now, I’ll support that conversation with my perspective about the needs and desires of each group.
Group 1
At the front line are the technicians, operators, and reliability/process/EHS engineers who actually use the wireless hardware and condition-monitoring software solutions that we provide. These people are looking to decrease, or eliminate, the inefficient use of maintenance personnel who are performing unnecessary tasks—an unintended consequence of Time-Interval Maintenance practices. The more frequent the use of unnecessary maintenance tasks, the higher the chance for human error and safety incidents, which no one wants.
The benefits of CBM: Lower maintenance costs over the long term, reduce downtime, optimize performance, prevent equipment failures, and enhance safety.
Group 2
Next are the managers of Group 1. They are most likely involved with and interested in our reporting features. Cost concerns and ROI conversations typically begin at this level. These people are in a position to address and influence the issues that come from unplanned downtime occurrences and attrition.
The benefits of CBM: The ability to use actual plant data to calculate ROI—with confidence—and advanced analytics to provide insights into equipment health and performance trends.
Group 3
Then comes the reliability, operations, maintenance, and engineering directors. These experienced leaders are likely familiar with most CBM technologies and therefore are tasked with/responsible for selecting an approach. The directors understand the need to increase plant value and rely on data and metrics for decision making.
The benefits of CBM: Eliminate unplanned downtime events, decrease labor costs and over-maintenance, and develop better long-term strategies, using their own plant data.
Group 4
Senior leaders within engineering, maintenance, and operations who are ultimately responsible for improving reliability/performance, implementing cost-reducing strategies, preventing critical failures, and supporting safety/sustainability goals.
The benefits of CBM: Increase enterprise value by preventing unplanned downtime events, decrease labor costs for maintenance and repairs, and reduce waste/environmental impact. The ability to provide a single dashboard to apply to an enterprise of plants is a plus.
My role in this ecosystem? Introduce the concepts, guide my customers on appropriate inputs into an ROI model, and help them select the best pilots, prior to enterprise-wide adoption. If I can help elevate the attention of CBM so they can see the big picture and assess the value of adopting a condition-based mindset for the entire enterprise, that’s a plus.
And speaking of ROI models, I’ll share some thoughts about that topic in my next article. In the meantime, please schedule a call with me to discuss your thoughts and comments.
And speaking of ROI models, I’ll share some thoughts about that topic in my next article. In the meantime, please schedule a call with me to discuss your thoughts and comments.