Last year the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) published (January 2014) a new standard for Asset Management. Asset Management is the holistic management of an organisation’s physical and other assets in harmony with business strategy. ISO55001 has been in development over a period of about 20 years. It was preceded by PAS55, which itself gained wide acceptance and respect among leading utilities and other organisations throughout the world.

The use of the term Asset Management is growing and it is becoming separately identified from the same term that describes the management of financial assets. The term Maintenance Management might have been used in the past but there are very good reasons for getting to grips with why Asset Management is different.

Maintenance Management was typically not seen as a strategically important function that contributed a return on investment and supported business profitability and other goals. Asset Management, on the other hand, implies that assets are managed, at top management level, with the important business goals in mind. This has the effect of transforming the approach to assets and widening the understanding of their vital role in business performance. Once this point is understood, then all the components of effective Asset Management can be easily appreciated and understood.

• Project Engineering and Management

  • Specification

  • Supervision

  • Tender negotiation

  • Safety

  • User Liaison

  • Contract supervision

  • Commissioning and Handover Management

  • Standards and legislation compliance (HTM, ISO etc)

• Energy Management

  • Energy Assessments and Audits

  • Energy reduction and management strategy

• Design Studies and User Requirement Studies.

  • User Requirement Studies

  • Design Studies

 

• Technical Competence

  • Mechanical Engineering

    • Energy

    • Boilers

    • Ventilation

    • Process engineering

    • Maintenance

    • Valves, Piping and Pumps

    • Healthcare Engineering (Operating Theatres etc)

    • Safety and Risk Management

    • ISO50001

    • ISO55001

    • Commissioning and Handover

  • Energy Management

  • Process Engineering

  • Engineering Management

  • Project Management

Asset Management Standard

 New ISO 55001

Published January 13th 2014

The new Asset Management standard has now been published by the International Organisation for Standardisation. It will be known as ISO 55001.

Asset Management  is the”coordinated activity of an organization to realize value from assets”. Application of the standard will greatly assist organizations from all sectors in getting the best possible value from the physical and other assets that they have invested in.

 

“All over the world, you can see an increasing urge to make savings and optimise business processes. This leads to a reduction in available budgets, limited expenses, lowered costs and rationalisation of organisations and their process work flows.  At the same time, there is an increasing urge for transparency and accountability.”   

Assets, The Institute of Asset Management Magazine, November 2010.

In Asset Management the orientation is shifting from a preoccupation with technical details to the recognition of the need for system functionality.  Old methods – for example, the way contract requirement issues were handled – are becoming redundant.  Lifecycle-oriented functional requirements in long-term integrated contracts are now becoming a stipulation as opposed to detailed prescription of technical solutions in specific contracts.  Changing responsibilities are leading to changes in training, education, organisation and company culture.  Asset owners are coming to appreciate the limitations of a one-dimensional operational level, and the need to deal with maintenance on a strategic level.

BSI PAS 55:2008

PAS 55, the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) Publicly Available Specification for the optimised management of physical assets, with its clear definitions and its 28-point requirements specification for establishing and verifying a joined-up, optimised and “whole-life” management system for all types of physical assets provides the basis for our thinking on Asset Management in Ireland.

Compliance provides evidence of systematic, cross-disciplinary and optimised management that correctly blends responses to short-term requirements with the sustainable delivery of long-term goals.  The specification provides guidance on achieving and sustaining good practice in all facets of acquiring, owning and ultimately disposing of physical assets. It defines the integrated approach required to meet conflicting stakeholder demands, achieve best value-for-money, and deliver significant performance improvements.

 

Arkman Consulting Engineers can assist you to add the following benefits to your business:

 

• Enhanced customer satisfaction from improved performance and control of service delivery;
• The ability to achieve and demonstrate best value for money;
• Improved risk management and corporate governance – with a clear audit trail;
• Optimised return on investment and/or growth;
• Improved maintenance processes, priorities and practices;
• Improved health, safety and environmental performance;
• A Computerised Maintenance Management System that will enable you to measure the success of your strategies;
• Confidence from long-term planning, better sustainability and performance;
• Improved corporate reputation, including enhanced shareholder value, greater staff satisfaction and a more efficient procurement and supply chain.

 

 Asset Management with Arkman Consulting Engineers

 

Breaking News: Better Energy Workplaces Fund 2012

“The Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte T.D., has announced the launch of a capital fund to support sustainable energy investments in 2012 in the public, commercial, industrial and community sectors. This fund, as part of the Better Energy programme, aims to deliver a major increase in the pace, scale and depth of sustainable energy investments in upgrading existing buildings and facilities.”

On its website today, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland announced that applications for funding would be evaluated on a competitive bid basis. 

The deadline for receipt of applications is Monday, 30 April 2012.

For more information see: http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_Energy_Workplaces/

 

Arkman Consulting believes that all stake-holders in Ireland need to implement strong energy efficiency actions designed to reduce energy intensity and usage:

• Existing commercial and domestic buildings will need to be up-graded to achieve higher energy standards that will generate lifetime energy savings;
• New buildings should be designed with minimum energy use in mind.  Renewable energy measures such as solar thermal / heat pumps / biomass boilers / stoves should be considered;
• Existing buildings such as hospitals and hotels could be retro-fitted with solar panels for space and water heating.  Photovoltaic (PV) panels, which convert solar energy directly into electricity, are particularly relevant for stand-alone power systems. On a small scale, PV panels can power electric fencing. On a larger scale, they can provide back-up power where grid supplies are unreliable.

 

We are well-positioned to offer advice and to provide solutions that will optimise energy usage and reduce overall energy spend, and to initiate monitoring and reviewing criteria that will maximise the functionality of systems already in place.

We intend to be at the forefront of the transformation of Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices.

 

Call:

 Pat Roche on 087 248 4566 or

John O’Callaghan on 087 239 9585

 

Arkman & Healthcare

Arkman Consulting Engineers has many years experience working in hospital environments, and is familiar with the particular requirements and controls that are essential when healthcare projects are undertaken.

What We Can Offer Our Clients:

• Wide-ranging Knowledge & Expertise
• Experience & Professionalism
• Risk Management
• An Ethical Approach
• Quality Service
• Responsiveness to specific client needs

Our Principal Activities in the Healthcare Sector:

• Project Management
• Health & Safety
• Design & Specification of specific Hospital Services such as Ultra Clean Ventilation
• Maintenance & Energy Conservation
• Specific Control Measures such as Sterile Services, Isolation Rooms & Theatre Design
• Selection & Installation of Clinical Equipment
• Facilitation of Internal Hospital Moves & Transfers
• Compliance with Standards such as SARI, HIQA & HTM

We Also Offer Lean Analysis & Implementation:

Many healthcare organisations are embracing Lean Healthcare as a methodology for improved flow and efficiency.  The best time to consider the implementation of such systems is at the concept stage of a construction or renovation project. The essence of Lean is the systems approach, which is holistic.  Lean is not about manufacturing or service, but about the system that brings both of these together. 

Lean provides ways of making processes flow faster, more smoothly, more efficiently and more consistently.  Redesigning healthcare by applying principles borrowed from industry can result in the elimination of hospital-acquired infections and other medical problems. The more waste one removes from a process, the leaner it becomes.  The leaner it becomes, the more efficient it becomes. 

Lean:

• Focuses on maximising process velocity
• Provides tools for analysing process flow and delay times at each activity in a process
• Centres on the separation of “value-added” from “non-value-added” work with tools to eliminate the root causes of non-value-add activities and their cost
• Provides a means for quantifying and eliminating the cost of complexity

 Our Recent Healthcare Projects:

• New state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the Mater Private Hospital
• Multi-storey block at St. Vincent’s University Hospital
• Refurbishment of Crosslanes Medical Centre, Drogheda
• Cork Medical Centre design team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Ideas on Performance Improvement…

Arkman has a Strategic Approach to Improvement Projects:

•  Project Management & Engineering

          Our core activity -where we develop specifications to make our clients’ strategic decisions a physical

          reality & bring their concepts to life;

• Risk Management

          Developing a robust risk management approach for construction & industrial activity;

• Performance Improvement at All Levels

          Where we’ve delivered integrated process improvements & provided cost-effective solutions. 

 Recent Projects:

• Healthcare: A new state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the Mater Private Hospital;

• Safety & Construction: Disability Access for County Wexford VEC; PSDP for a range of clients;

• Energy Efficiency: Energy Management for Ferns National School through Eco Evolution’s “Eco Ed” project;

• Industry: Energy Assessments for SEAI & Glanbia; Energy Project Engineering for a range of clients.

Keeping Up with New Developments:

• The MEETA Annual Conference focused on Structures for Continuous Improvement, Implementing Change & effective Asset Management;

• An Engineers Ireland Seminar on Designing for Safety in Construction, offering practical advice for designers & design teams;

• Committee meetings to craft the proposed International Standard for Asset Management – ISO55000 – to be in place by 2014.  Based on PAS55, it will establish a common language for Asset Management.