Managers of process plants and infrastructure face a growing challenge. While the available funding is shrinking all the time, they must, in general, raise performance each year while those around them are increasingly less inclined to accept risks. All of this is happening at a time when organisations are expected to be ‘in control’ at all times. Iv-Groep has the solution: performance and risk-controlled asset management.
Managing according to risk and performance
Asset management has been commonplace for many years in the private sector for facilities like process plants, power stations and production lines, and it has now also been embraced by the semi-private and public sectors. These parties are less concerned about maximising profit than about sustainably assuring societal functions at minimum risk and cost by managing and maintaining waterways, motorways, tunnels, flood defences, locks, dams, bridges and water treatment plants.
To weigh up performance, risks and costs properly, these aspects of the managed assets need to be measurable, analysed and then brought into optimum balance with each other by means of the right maintenance concepts. To do this, Iv-Groep draws on its many years of experience of systems engineering, risk analysis and RAMS engineering. Depending on the complexity of the system and the wishes of the manager, it is possible to express performance levels and risks in qualitative, semi-quantitative or completely quantitative terms. Together with our clients, we will find the best set of (critical) performance and risk indicators (KPIs or PINs) and conduct a performance and risk analysis of the managed assets. This provides a solid foundation for preparing optimum management and maintenance strategies and the accompanying maintenance concepts. Extensive attention will be directed towards the required inspections and monitoring so as to close the 'plan-do-check-act' circle.
Tailor-made solution
Every challenge requires its own particular approach, so Iv-Groep has divided its overall package of potential solutions into five modules:
Module 1: identifying performance requirements, risk standards and critical performance indicators (KPIs/PINs) based on the organisation’s objectives.
Module 2: making a performance and risk analysis of the managed assets. How well are the physical assets performing and what risks does the organisation run?
Module 3: performing a GAP analysis and developing the optimum management and maintenance strategy. Using techniques like Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), a strategy will be drawn up to sustainably fill the gap between present performance and desired performance.
Module 4: preparing maintenance concepts. The optimum management and maintenance strategy will be translated into concrete management and maintenance plans for the managed assets.
Module 5: providing advice and assistance for the implementation of asset management. What is the optimum configuration of functions and roles – including tasks, powers and responsibilities – for making asset management work efficiently within the organisation?
These modules are usable in conjunction with each other or individually. Whatever the case, we will, of course, tailor each module to fit our clients’ needs.
Systems engineering, risk analysis and RAMS engineering
For many years Iv-Groep has been a frontrunner in systems engineering, risk analysis and advice on the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety of systems, or in other words RAMS engineering. We possess state-of-the-art expertise and software for performing FMECA, HAZOP, fault tree analysis, event tree analysis, reliability block diagrams, Monte Carlo simulations and analyses of common cause failure (CCF), human failure and software reliability. In addition, Iv-Groep has its own SE tool called SERVe®Online. This enables unambiguous recording of all relationships between assets, activities, requirements (including contractual requirements), permits and risks and it optimally facilitates the verification and validation process.
