Q: Please briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to Asset Management
Paul Grady (PG): I have been employed by the Health and Safety Executive for twenty-five years, providing technical support to the HSE in the investigation of plant and machinery incidents (often involving maintenance condition) and prepared position papers on safe maintenance initiatives. I was previously a maintenance engineer and maintenance manager for papermaking machinery, responsible for the preventive and condition monitoring teams, together with oversight of breakdown and failure investigations, to ensure root cause analysis and recommendations to prevent reoccurrence.
I am currently the chair of the machinery safety committee for British Standards Institute, working with industry representatives in the production of a British Standard prBS14200 entitled “Maintenance of Machinery”.
Panos Frangos (PF): How I work with engineers has evolved over the last 21 years. My team’s and my main objective is to provide analytical support to Sellafield Ltd’s Value Streams and Functions to deliver the decommissioning mission safer, and sooner. Securing sustainable, good practice asset management enables this by mitigating the risk of asset failures affecting mission delivery, ensuring compliance with regulation, improving asset reliability, delivering value for money performance, implementing group and industry learning and making best use of UK assets. More so than before, I work closer with design and operations teams to support them measuring system performance. My team develops analytical methods, digital tools, and visualisations to provide insight of our assets and improve their performance.
Cameron Sloman (CL): Both Shyam and I currently work as senior consultants at AMCL. Shyam has been working within asset management at AMCL for over 4 years now. He has been responsible for leading the development and delivery of a number of Asset Management projects across the Rail, Water, Power and Aviation sectors. Shyam has particular expertise in Investment Planning and Value Framework development.
I joined AMCL in 2021 with three and a half years of experience within the aviation sector, working across Strategy, Operations and Engineering for a UK airline. Most recently I have been specialising in the implementation and delivery of Asset Management Planning capability, specifically focussing on investment planning, whole life cost modelling and whole system decision making.
Mark Norris (MN): I was Fleet Asset Manager of the Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo & City London Underground lines where I introduced Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) to the Victoria line fleet, working with their Reliability Engineers to improve availability by 125% in 18 months.
I also introduced Whole Life Cost Modelling as a way to plan to extend the life of the new fleets of trains from their design life of 40 years to 60 years, based on the 20yr life of the cast iron sections of the bogies, by using lookup tables with varying rates of degradation.
I am a Member and Director of the Institute of Asset Management’s UK Chapter, one of the Register of Asset Management Professionals (AMP) review board and a freelance Strategic Asset Management and Reliability Engineering consultant.
Stephen Moore (SM): Having worked in the nuclear industry for over 38 years and wearing several different hats during that time, I have always been fascinated by how assets fail, what contributes to their failure and how we can either prevent the failure or predict it before it occurs and mitigate its consequences. I am currently the Sellafield Ltd central capability T-RAM Lead.
Mike McCarthy (MMc): As a consultant reliability engineer, I have been involved in many industry sectors throughout my career and have seen how there are common success factors to managing the lifecycle of complex assets in all these sectors. My expertise is in the use of sparse data, expert judgement, and simulation to develop an assurance case for long term asset performance. I am currently supporting the Sellafield T-RAM central capability.
Q: What is the top challenge facing engineers working in Asset Management?
PG: From my experience, there are a wide range of approaches adopted by industry for asset management. Competence of personnel, resource dedication to root cause analysis for both failure and degradation and differentiating between reliability and safety issues are the top challenges I come across. The key question raised is often “how long will it last”.
PF: Opportunities for engineering design improvements and throughput optimisation are missed due to late engagement of engineers with business analysts. Recognising the benefits of simulation modelling and business analytics throughout the project lifecycle can help projects drive and underpin their design.
CS: Asset Management continues to play a role in the challenge facing our infrastructure from climate change. The threat of climate change and extreme events on infrastructure means that our assets must be more adaptable, resilient, smarter, and more sustainable. We must be at the forefront of embedding sustainable thinking into the work we do in managing our assets including making our processes more sustainable, how we influence our people in thinking sustainably, and understanding the data and technology required to achieve long-term success.
MN: Determining ways in which to extend the design life of assets cost effectively, either existing or new assets.
SM and MMc: Finding the right data, at an appropriate confidence level, at the right time!
Being able to make high confidence decisions early in the design stage that actually delivers the expected long-term performance of an asset, getting the correct expertise around the table early on in the design cycle.
Understanding in project phase that it’s not just about cost and schedule!
Q: How has your approach to Asset Management changed in recent years?
LP: I would say that the work being done to develop digital twins of assets in service is starting to unlock a lot of value at the moment. Modelling the way that various aspects of operation can affect wear of components and asset performance is of real benefit to service operations and planning of maintenance interventions. The understanding that comes from the operational digital twin can also feed back into the design process and drive optimisation of the product.
PF: Developing a closer relationship with the engineering design and operations community has paid dividends over the recent years. We increased the awareness of operational research principles and the benefits of early engagement by developing guidance documents to help engineers better capture requirements and assumptions. We designed dashboards and self-service analytical tools to enable teams to visualise plant data and information. We designed and delivered training courses with interactive modules such as board games and simulation modelling.
CS: Our major focus in recent years has been supporting asset intensive organisations being able to make better and more sustainable decisions through a variety of tools and techniques, as there is increasing scrutiny from regulatory bodies and a need for understanding the environmental, social and governance impacts of our decision-making. We are slowly shifting away from the idea of asset-based decisions being made in silos. Asset investment decisions, for example, are now increasingly being made from a position of knowledge on expected outcomes, and asset intensive organisations are being driven to understand both the quantified and qualified benefits in line with their business objectives.
MN: As Machine Learning and AIs mature, they can revolutionise the maintenance and operation of plants such as Wastewater Treatment plants where I have seen a bespoke system for the water industry, HARVI, deployed and combined with Lean and RCM practices to deliver a 60% reduction in maintenance costs whilst improving performance and reducing risk through preventative operation and maintenance.
MMc: Moving from a ‘traditional standards’ driven approach to applying system engineering principles and simulation techniques to create insight into managing long term asset performance (this involves virtual and physical testing of the requirements, the design itself, maintainability assumptions and proposed operational contexts early in design stage).
Q: What developments are going on in your industry which will change your approach in the future?
LP: I will be talking about the Intelligent Engine and Intelligent Services. These concepts have been developed as part of a comprehensive digital strategy for developing aero engine assets that are connected, contextually aware and comprehending of their surroundings. It’s an exciting concept, much of which is already in the process of being implemented at Rolls-Royce, but which could have application in a number of other industries.
PF: Digital Twins, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are the elements which will ensure Sellafield will deliver its decommissioning mission sooner, safer. Embracing these technologies would mitigate the risk of asset failures, improving asset reliability, delivering value for money performance, implementing group and industry learning and making best use of UK assets.
CS: The introduction and adoption of digital twins and other enterprise and data monitoring technologies has the potential to make major improvements in asset management. The idea of implementing ‘Digital’ is on the minds of many asset-intensive organisations. The possibilities are seemingly infinite, and we can’t ignore that we live in an age where technology is widely available to support increasing regulatory and economic stress. Asset-intensive organisations are currently behind leading edge, and there will be a major focus in the next few years in helping organisations turn paper into digital data; through to a data and technology system of systems that fundamentally challenges traditional asset-intensive business models.
MN: As a Reliability and Asset Management consultant, the development of software to support decision making is key e.g., the Decision Support Tool developed as part of the industry led SALVO Project.
SM and MMc: Artificial Intelligence in system health monitoring (failure pattern recognition etc).
The widespread application of ‘Digital Twin’ technology.
Q: What will you be presenting at the Asset Management 2023: Life Extension seminar and how will this benefit participants?
PG: I will be calling upon my previous investigation experiences with respect to safety as part of Maintenance of plant and machinery. In particular considering the different maintenance approaches to machinery and how this can affect life cycle management. Also recognising that maturity risk assessment and change of use are a reality and therefore how safety and reliability risks can be managed.
PF: My presentation will focus on the benefits of Modelling and Simulation throughout asset life and how it is implemented in the nuclear sector. A continual improvement approach is required to secure a safe, reliable, available, maintainable, and sustainable asset performance and optimise the through-life cost of assets.
CS: We will be discussing how the fundamental principles of asset management lay the foundation for the successful life extension of an asset. This will include:
- How early and effective planning sets the trajectory for an asset’s operational life.
- The need for quality data and the role technology plays in asset health monitoring.
- How understanding the drivers behind asset intervention decision making will help you achieve the best outcome for your stakeholders.
These asset management principles will ensure you have the tools and planning in place to allow you to confidently extend an asset’s service life, without compromising on risk or performance.
MN: As Chair of the Engineering for Reliability Working Group, I will be presenting the seminar and introducing speakers. I trust attendees will gain insight to how different professionals, industries and organisations plan for and achieve longer service life for major assets and asset systems.
SM and MMc: ‘Assuring Design is Fit for Purpose’. Using the nuclear decommissioning sector as a case study, we discuss how to manage the seeds of success (and failure) in complex asset performance in the long term.
Q: Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the seminar?
PG: I look forward to hearing from all other speakers, as the breadth and depth of knowledge will help inform the draft Standard in its development and help me understand the experiences and best practice of industry stakeholders.
PF: I am looking forward to the Roundtable Discussions and Shared Practices, especially on the implementation of Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore, I am also highly interested in John Chappell’s ‘Asset Management Digital Roadmap’ and Christopher Bates ‘Maximising Asset Life and Reliability through Strong Organisational Foundations and Targeted Digital Change’. It will be interesting to compare notes on implementation of digital strategies and success stories.
CS: Not necessarily one presentation compared to another, we are excited to hear how life extension is being undertaken across different industries, how these practices differ, and how we can take this insight, learn, and apply the good practice across sectors.
MN: I find great value in the Roundtable discussions where people from different industries who have heard input from key industry contributors such as John Woodhouse, HSE, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd etc., are able to discuss how this might impact their industry/ organisation/ thought process and share their own experiences.
SM: I’m looking forward to the following presentations Asset Life Extension (John Woodhouse), Planning to Extend the Life of Major Assets (Mark Norris).
MMc: I’m looking forward to the roundtable discussions and the presentation on making the business case for Asset Life Extension (John Woodhouse).
Q: Why is it important for engineers to come together and share best practice?
PG: Mechanical engineering covers a wide range of plant and machinery that has very different characteristics and failure mechanisms, depending on the industry sector it operates in. Additionally mechanical power systems such as pneumatics, hydraulics, and conversion of electrical power into work and energy result in such a vast mechanical engineering knowledge of applications technology. By sharing this wealth of knowledge, we can all improve our understanding of the real-life experiences.
PF: There is an African proverb I really like and use quite often: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’
In a fast-moving digital world, it is important to stay up to date with the engineering community. This seminar is a great opportunity to share ideas, best practise and celebrate successes.
CS: The asset management sector is growing at a rapid pace, and we are continually being challenged to innovate and come up with new thinking to solve modern day problems. Building on my previous answer, the coming together and sharing best practice is the best way of distributing innovation and new ideas across the industry. It also helps to increase competence across the industry, identify gaps in our thinking and challenges us to drive further innovation to solve the issues we all face and will face in the coming years.
MN: I have attended many seminars and conferences as much to learn about new tools and processes as to have my own approached reinforced, adding weight to proposals put to my own organisation by showing there are others with the same approach and demonstrable improvements.
SM and MMc: Collaboration of peers and open sharing of experiences facilitates a rapid learning opportunity.
The Asset Management 2023: Life Extension seminar will be taking place on 29 March at One Birdcage Walk in London. Join this seminar to:
- Understand the role of people, process, data, and technology in asset management planning
- Learn more about how to put the correct systems in place for sustainable decision making
- Gain practical insight into measuring, evaluating and improving an asset life through the use of technology
- Stay up to date with the role of data-driven insights to monitor the performance and condition of assets
- Find out more about balancing the financial desire to “sweat” old assets with the need for innovation
- Gain insight into modularity and the ways in which it can be implemented in different industries
- Further the role of design engineers in the life cycle of life extension
- Learn a framework for success in building life extension into future designs, with guidance provided by key high-level regulators and stakeholders
- Increase awareness of successful strategies employed to manage life extension in a broad range of sectors
- Take part in a roundtable discussion of your choice on one of the following topics: modularity, data, artificial intelligence and human factors
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/assetmanagement.