Asset Integrity? Not Possible Without Data Quality and Longevity

Asset integrity is defined by the ability of an asset to perform its required function efficiently and effectively while ensuring the protection of Environment, Health, and Safety (EH&S) principles. It is simply not possible for an asset to perform in such a way without high quality asset and maintenance data used to conform to such principles.

Let’s take a close look at the ways in which poor quality EAM and CMMS data impacts asset integrity within your company.

Health, Safety, and Environment

The plant maintenance system, or CMMS, is often considered the system of record – the final authority that determines the maintenance activities, tools, and parts to be used. It is important for companies with high-risk operations to have an auditable record ensuring their plant maintenance system data is accurate, complete, and consistent with plant operating and safety procedures.

When a change impacts data for an asset, or its associated maintenance data, the change must be verified against maintenance, safety, integrity, and assurance standards before it can be memorialized. Companies must keep pace with the high volume of changes, and assess, approve, or reject the changes quickly and correctly. Otherwise, their data is out of date and can disrupt the business.

Incomplete and inaccurate EAM and CMMS data results in:

An inability to measure the mechanical integrity of an asset
An inability to predict and avoid operational failures
An inability to prove compliance with corporate and industry standards
Increased risk of environmental, health, and safety incidents

Return on Asset

Decreasing the time to deploy an asset, increasing its up time, reducing its maintenance costs, and extending its life through strategic maintenance, all contribute to Return on Asset (ROA).

Incomplete and inaccurate EAM and CMMS data results in:

Shortened asset lifetimes
Lower return on investment due to increased maintenance costs
Decreased throughput
Increased processing time
Decreased end-product quality

Assets that are repurposed, moved, or sold frequently arrive at their new locations with little or no data, or inaccuracies that are virtually impossible to overcome. The effort required to recover the data for an asset may render the asset a poor investment.

Asset Life Cycle Management

When an asset is acquired and deployed, it should have detailed manufacturer data regarding its appropriate context of use, recommended spare parts, optimal maintenance practices, and other data such as parts catalogs and illustrations. This information contributes to the creation and application of comprehensive maintenance plans and strategies for the asset. The maintenance plans should include detailed criteria and maintenance tasks, from which maintenance work orders can be generated.

Regular preventive maintenance keeps the asset functioning at its optimal level, extending the life of the asset to its maximum, while maintaining safety standards. When preventive maintenance fails, or is incomplete, and a failure occurs, the asset requires repairs. Critical spare parts may be replaced at this time, in accordance with corporate maintenance strategies. The objective is to reduce downtime and resume production as quickly and safely as possible.

When repairs are no longer feasible, an asset is decommissioned, at which time it may be warehoused or disposed of. Data regarding the asset should reflect the decommissioning or disposal, so that spare parts are no longer stocked for the asset, and maintenance activities are no longer scheduled.