Loading...It’s a choice faced by facility managers from coast to coast. Let machinery run until it needs attention or shut it down occasionally for maintenance. Which is the better way to go? The answer may not be as complicated as you think. Being proactive by taking a few preventative steps right now could save you, as an owner or facilities manager, thousands of dollars in the long run.
Our own Matthew Walton has the story. Matthew?
Thanks, Chris. You know, productivity is affected in many ways you can’t control – the unpredictability of life can get in the way of running an effective business. But one thing workers and owners can control is how their equipment runs. That is where a reliability program performed by the NECA – IBEW team comes in. By setting a schedule for maintenance and reliability checks, businesses can reduce the down time between re-toolings and save some big bucks along the way. It’s the kind of cost saving work done by NECA contractors and their IBEW workforce.
Jim Weller, Director of Asset Management for Energy Supply Business, Xcel Energy
“Reliability means that you’ve gone out, you’ve touched the equipment, you’ve assessed its condition and determined how much longer it will run and you’ll spend less money doing that. In my business, it costs about twice to do reactive maintenance as doing preventative and predictive maintenance. And that means to us the bottom line is that’s money I don’t have to spend today that I can save and spend tomorrow because I don’t have to spend it on reactive maintenance.”
We all know the importance of maintaining a good work environment. But what happens when your equipment doesn’t get the same attention that other areas of work life receive? What might end up happening? Equipment failures, shutdowns, even safety hazards could end up costing time and money to everyone involved.
That’s where a good reliability program comes in handy. And at Xcel Energy, planning for the reliability of parts and equipment is just another way to keep expenses down – and productivity up.
Jim Weller, Director of Asset Management for Energy Supply Business, Xcel Energy
“The three aspects of having a good reliability program is you have to have a good work-management system. The second thing is that you have to have a well-established and well-understood work flow or work-management process. How does the work get initiated, how does it get assigned, executed and signed off? And the third part is a very well-trained organization. You have to make sure the people who are operating and maintaining the equipment have a thorough understanding of what their job is and how it relates to the equipment they’re trying to operate and maintain.”
Being proactive with preventative maintenance and reliability planning also leads to a safer work environment for everyone.
Jim Weller, Director of Asset Management for Energy Supply Business, Xcel Energy
“Safety is a huge part of what we do in our business, particularly in our industry. Reactive and being reactive is always an opportunity for someone to get hurt and we stress that to all our people, that it’s much better to be proactive and predictive about the work we do rather than reactive, simply because you don’t have the time pressures or the pressures of making sure that people are getting stuff done.”
Nobody handles the pressures of getting things done better than an IBEW maintenance team. In this area, too, they have a leg up on the competition.
Steve Erickson, System Protection Technician Specialist, Local 111
“The training that we get through the IBEW apprenticeship programs ensures the reliability of the system because the individual knows what is going on within the equipment and can get it up to the level of operation it needs to be to ensure the reliability.”
People working in the electrical industry have particular concerns when it comes to the reliability of not only their equipment, but also their products.
Jim Weller, Director of Asset Management for Energy Supply Business, Xcel Energy
“Breakers, generators, transformers, motor control centers, all those are mechanical pieces of equipment that fail periodically and they can fail either mechanically or electrically. Part of having a good reliability program is measuring what those potential failures might be, exercising pieces of equipment regularly, taking physical measurements so you understand the condition of that equipment and then make a decision to act on that. On the other side of the business is making electricity or manufacturing electricity. A lot of rotating equipment, a lot of high temperatures, high voltage, you want to make sure those pieces of equipment perform safely all the time.”
Steve Erickson, System Protection Technician Specialist, Local 111
“Reliability and safety do work hand in hand and we have a very good safety program going for us too with the IBEW.”
Jim Weller, Director of Asset Management for Energy Supply Business, Xcel Energy
“Good reliability programs take a while to get started. Whether it’s electrical or mechanical that you’re concerned about it, trying to get a program started takes a real focused effort. And there are companies out there that will help you do that.”
Reliable and safe. A NECA-IBEW trademark for getting the big job done. NECA contractors have the tools and resources to help you get electrical reliability programs into place today.
So a good first step would be to call the NECA chapter or IBEW local in your area today.
The sooner you call, the sooner you save.
Thanks for the good information, Matthew.