Growing competition and cost pressure have prompted some companies to delay modernisation projects and new purchases. This decision, while causing a short-term drop in operating costs, will lead to higher operational risks. New maintenance strategies promise high savings potential. However, for power plants and systems in the process industry there is no ‘one size fits all’ strategy.
Cutting costs at the wrong end never pays. Attempts to introduce savings at the wrong point may prove particularly damaging where maintenance of power plants and systems in the process industry is concerned. Recently, various damage-related incidents have shown that many defects can be solely attributed to less than ideal maintenance and monitoring strategies.
Maintenance must be clearly differentiated from remediation. Remediation refers to reactive measures, whereas maintenance, as the word indicates, involves maintaining function through appropriate preventive actions. Qualified maintenance focuses on the continuous improvement of plants and systems, with the aim of ensuring smooth processes and operational reliability over the long term.
