4 More Strategies to Cut Plant Turnaround Maintenance Costs
We’ve previously discussed 3 Strategies to Cut Plant Turnaround Maintenance Costs, including defining costs, safety, and expert preparation. Considering all the potential hazards, a well-executed plant turnaround can represent a source of saved dollars and time. And cutting maintenance costs during the process is one of the best ways. We will tell you more below.
- Involve all Relevant Workers
No one knows more about the maintenance on your machinery and equipment than those who use them every day. They can tell you which equipment is malfunctioning the most, the least, and even those that have changed in performance. Workers can also tell if the maintenance tasks that are currently being performed are resulting in improved results that justify their costs. Be sure to listen to voices of dissent as well, as some workers may not feel comfortable “going against the grain.”
2. Utilize a Daily Dashboard
Anyone can tell you that information is crucial in a plant turnaround, whether they have been doing it for decades or are on their first. Having accurate and timely data is key to making the right decision at the right time as well as avoiding the wrong one. We recommend generating and distributing a sort of daily dashboard for all involved parties. This dashboard should include all relevant updates on:
- Current costs vs predicted costs.
- Current timeline vs predicted timeline.
- Jobs status from needed to in progress to completed to passed inspection.
- Status of all identified maintenance tasks.
- Recommendations for any new maintenance tasks, along with approval status such as pending, denied, or approved.
- Safety audits.
- Contractor status.
- Items on hand, as well as items needed.
- Any other vital indicators.
This data should also be given to stakeholders in order to motivate all to stay in communication with the progress of the turnaround. This strategy has been proven to avoid hazards, improve performance time, and cut plant turnaround maintenance costs.
- Manage Stock and Inventory
Don’t have enough room to store and manage your plant turnaround stock or inventory? Rent a few containers with what you need. They can be placed on your site with all the necessary items you will or may need. This can include gaskets, lubricants, column internals, valves, and other maintenance products. Be sure to manage your stock levels and keep everyone up to date on the daily dashboard as well. In addition, these items should be stored in a manner that makes them easy to find by the correct parties, along with a sign out system for which item went to use with what project.
- Use Experienced Contractors
An experienced plant turnaround contractor you trust is worth their cost in speed and expertise alone. Any downtime can cost you a lot, so your contractors should be familiar with your organization, your industry, and their role in the plant turnaround. Feel free to check references and extensively interview your contractors. Once chosen, keep your contractor informed on your progress as early as planning so they can adjust their plans and recommendations to accommodate your needs.
The team at AMACS has years of experience helping organizations cut maintenance costs during plant turnarounds, shutdowns, and other outages. Contact us to learn more about our column internals, and how our team assists during turnarounds and shutdowns.