Our Maintenance and asset integrity management program is designed to protect and restore equipment in order to maintain function and integrity. As a critical component of an asset integrity management (AIM) program, our maintenance engineers and technicians dedicate time to developing and implementing maintenance strategies that optimize production and use cost-effective maintenance techniques.

Typical maintenance techniques include cleaning, inspection, lubrication, testing, replacing, and/or repairing components. Furthermore, the responsibilities of a maintenance engineer may be predictive or preventive.

Predictive Maintenance

The purpose of predictive maintenance is to prevent unscheduled shutdowns by predicting damage and failures before they occur. This can be done through inspection methods or utilizing sensors to collect data and measure the current condition of equipment during operation. For this reason, predictive maintenance is sometimes called condition-based monitoring. Although installing predictive maintenance measures can be costly, the result of such an investment shows an overall reduction in maintenance costs and facility downtime.

Corrective Maintenance

Corrective maintenance is performed on equipment in order to restore a failing piece of equipment back to its operating conditions. Here, it’s important that if maintenance technicians need to replace a component, that they follow specifications and if possible, replace components with original equipment manufacturers. Examples of corrective maintenance repairs include welding, sealing, adjusting fixtures, etc.

Reliability Centered Maintenance

Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is a framework that ensures that preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance tasks are practiced in an efficient, reliable, and safe manner. The benefits of a well-organized RCM framework include maintaining the integrity of components, extending the life of equipment, and eliminating unplanned shutdowns.

RCM programs are unique to every company. However, there are several critical factors to consider.

Maintenance programs should follow a cradle-to-grave approach and evolve as the facility incorporates new equipment and decommissions aging infrastructure.

It’s also important to document all equipment, data, procedures, and facility objectives. All maintenance procedures should be documented in a detailed manner so that successive tasks can be performed efficiently.

Establishing clear objectives also helps engineers and inspectors align their decisions to meet facility goals.