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7 Benefits a RAM Model can Bring to an Organization

7 Benefits a RAM Model can Bring to an Organization

The fundamental purpose of Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) modeling is quantifying system performance, typically in a future interval of time. A system is a collection of items whose coordinated operation leads to the output, generally a production value. The collection of items includes subsystems, components, software, human operations, etc. For example, an automobile can be considered as a system with sub-components being the drivetrain, engine, gearbox, etc. In RAM models, it is crucial to account for relationships between items to determine the final output of the system. In various industries, RAM models have proven to be effective as cost avoidance or decision-making tools, as well as their ability to confirm or counter stated assumptions by internal stakeholders. 

This paper highlights a non-exhaustive list of seven diverse solutions that a RAM model can bring to the organization in terms of decision-making advantages.

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Reliability Assessment and Acquisition Method

Reliability Assessment and Acquisition Method

Asset reliability assessment when buying running and used operating plant and equipment. Aging asset reliability assessment can be done quantitatively if all past component stresses are know, or it is down qualitatively when only operating and maintenance history is available.

I am a developing reliability professional and often read your articles. I was wondering if you could give me a bit of advice about the subject of aging asset reliability assessment for operating assets?

Can you please share your thoughts on reliability assessment for a thermal power plant, and its importance in acquisition of a running ageing plant. Is it a common practice to look at this aspect prior to acquisition and is it practical? And if so, how do we go about it?

Thank you for your advice.

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Integrating Your Risk Management Framework into Your Organization

Integrating Your Risk Management Framework into Your Organization

Guest Post by Peter Holtmann (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

This article is the third of fourteen parts to our risk management series. The series will be taking a look at the risk management guidelines under the ISO 31000 Standard to help you better understand them and how they relate to your own risk management activities. In doing so we’ll be walking through the core aspects of the Standard and giving you practical guidance on how to implement it.

In our previous articles (1st, 2nd) we introduced you to the core elements of the risk management framework. This included integration, design, implementation, evaluation, improvement, and the role of leadership and commitment.

In this article, we’ll be looking at integrating and adapting the risk management framework to your organisation. In particular, we’ll be focusing on how you can best understand your organization’s structures and context, appreciate the role of governance and strategy, appreciate risk management accountability, and the importance of being iterative and dynamic with your approach to integration.

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Self Ownership Part 5

Self Ownership Part 5

This mindset I have and bring to my client’s struggling businesses did not get built overnight. It took years of conscious concentration to develop the discipline that says basically, if something goes wrong, it was probably my fault. Either I didn’t plan or predict a problem, or I didn’t solve the problem before it happened a second time; but now the burden is on me to solve it.

Luckily I have a few tips on how to develop a self-ownership mindset.

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Natural Gas Pipelines: Is There A Safer Alternative?

Natural Gas Pipelines: Is There A Safer Alternative?

Natural gas pipelines have caused incidents leading to fatalities, injuries, and property damages.

To be precise, there have been an average of 50 serious gas pipeline incidents every year in the U.S. between 1990-2009 (Source: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/reports/safety/SerPSI.html?nocache=4823) resulting in more than 300 fatalities. Majority of the reported gas incidents have occurred on the gas distribution lines – i.e.  gas pipeline systems that are found in thousands of communities from coast to coast and distribute natural gas to our homes and businesses.

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The Effect of Interest/Discount Rates on Asset Replacement Decisions

The Effect of Interest/Discount Rates on Asset Replacement Decisions

Asset management in the mining industry is an intricate dance of financial and operational factors. It demands a firm understanding of complex financial concepts to make strategic decisions effectively, one of which is the discount rate. This number, far from being just an abstract figure, can fundamentally shape a business’s strategic path, particularly concerning asset replacement.

The discount rate is essentially the interest rate used to calculate the present value of future cash flows. The concept comes into play when considering an asset replacement. This decision involves weighing costs and benefits over a time horizon that often spans several years. The discount rate serves as the conduit that translates these future values into present terms, enabling apples-to-apples comparisons. Most of use use this in NPV calculations where we evaluate business improvement initiatives, and compare the viability and return of various projects.

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How Well should a Maintenance Job be Planned?

How Well should a Maintenance Job be Planned?

 How well should a maintenance job be planned ? All maintenance work needs a plan that lets the maintainer do the work correctly, safely, in the least possible time and for the least cost. Selecting the information and details that go into the maintenance job plan is vital to its success. Leave out necessary specifics and facts and you put the job at increased risk of failure, loss and waste. Exactly what details are necessary to allow maintenance work to flow wonderfully well at minimal cost and time are important for a maintenance planner and their managers to know. 

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Leadership in the ISO 31K Context

Leadership in the ISO 31K Context

Guest Post by Peter Holtmann (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

This article is the second of fourteen parts to our risk management series. The series will be taking a look at the risk management guidelines under the ISO 31000 Standard to help you better understand them and how they relate to your own risk management activities. In doing so we’ll be walking through the core aspects of the Standard and giving you practical guidance on how to implement it.

In this particular article, we’ll be highlighting the role and importance of leadership and commitment to supporting robust risk management practices. We’ll also be looking at the benefits of such support together with some practical tips for doing so.

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Jack Knife Diagrams for Reliability Engineering

Jack Knife Diagrams for Reliability Engineering

Jack-Knife Diagrams, also known as Log-Scatter Plots, serve as an invaluable visual tool in the realm of Reliability Engineering for prioritizing areas of downtime that require improvement. While many engineers rely on Pareto Charts, we will explore the shortcomings of this approach and how the Jack-Knife Diagram overcomes them.

Now, let’s delve into the distinction between the two methods.

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Being in a State of Flow(charting)

Being in a State of Flow(charting)

Today we look at how to draw simple flowcharts in R.

I think I am not far off when I say that flowcharts are an essential tool in the engineering toolbox. They provide a visual way to describe a set of activities, or a a process if you will. This can range from listing sequential steps in a manufacturing process to laying out a project plan to describing a decision making process (think decision trees).

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

 – W. Edwards Deming

It comes as no surprise that engineers love to use flowcharts to describe or document stuff. If you’re like me, you’ve probably used various Microsoft Office applications to draw flowcharts. I, for example, have mastered creating flowcharts in PowerPoint over the years. Some prefer Visio or maybe some other application (Figma, Miro and the like).

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How to Reliably Design for a Single Point of Failure

How to Reliably Design for a Single Point of Failure

Guest Post by John Ayers (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Reliability is designed into a product.  Poor reliability is long term, difficult and expensive to rectify because it is woven into the fabric of the product. That is why high reliability products require complete and accurate analyses, simulations, and models to be successful. High reliable components are essential as well. Single point failures are taboo but, in some cases, there is no way to avoid them.

This paper presents two examples of how to design single point failures for high reliability.

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Decoding the ISO 55001 Asset Management Standard – Understanding ISO 55001 Clauses

Decoding the ISO 55001 Asset Management Standard – Understanding ISO 55001 Clauses

Understanding ISO 55001 clauses is vital for building a compliant ISO 55001 Asset Management System. Understanding ISO 55001 clauses is easy with a logical flowchart.

The meaning of the contents in the ISO 55001 asset management standard must be correctly interpreted and properly addressed in your asset management system

To fully understand the implications of an ISO 55001 clause, it is necessary to strip each sentence, phrase, and sub-point down into its logical elements

Learn how to turn the text in an ISO 55001 clause into a logical flowchart that lets you fully appreciate the implications and build the correct application in your asset management system.

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