Plant Engineering: Asset Assessment – Take a Proactive Approach

An article authored by Maria Menard, Manager of Ghafari’s Industrial Engineering Group, recently appeared in Plant Engineering. Titled “Asset Assessment: Take a Proactive Approach”, the piece discusses the value in assessing the viability of plant processes and equipment before problems can arise.

“An assessment doesn’t necessarily have to be precipitated by a problem,” Maria writes. “There are always opportunities for improvement, and an assessment can be a proactive way to improve the facility or process.”

In one example, a project decision maker had rated equipment at a certain age, factoring that it had several years left before it would need to be replaced (although he acknowledged it was only in moderate condition). In the proactive assessment, Ghafari’s project team asked about spare parts and found that, while the equipment was in acceptable running condition, the industrial group did not have the appropriate spare parts on hand. So if the line went down, operators could not immediately make the repair and keep the equipment running. Proactive assessments help clients stay ahead of such situations.

Maria also offers some best practices on conducting a successful asset assessment that yields valuable data and helps to inform decision making, such as early communication, clearly articulated goals, and stakeholder communication.

Read the complete article here.