Innovative Approaches to Overcome Asset Reliability Challenges in Process industries.

In process industries, the conventional method of asset inspection often poses challenges, including delays, manual errors, and a reliance on expert analysis. Traditional asset inspection follows a meticulous yet laborious process. Inspectors collect field data, return to the office for analysis, consult subject matter experts for decision-making, and sometimes revisit the field for additional information. They culminate this process by writing a manual inspection report containing recommendations for subsequent maintenance, along with entering a notification in the ERP system for the Maintenance team to take over. Though established, this method has inherent drawbacks, including time delays and a reliance on expert advice, report writing, and notifications.

However, think about a transformative digital solution designed to streamline the asset inspection process, promising to revolutionize the way inspections are conducted by addressing inefficiencies of traditional methods, while maintaining synergy with the organization’s legacy systems and meticulous asset inspection process. Such innovative approaches redefine the asset inspection.

Additionally, by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for immediate insights, this solution goes beyond being a mere data repository. It actively engages inspectors through AI-driven question-and-answer interactions, enhancing understanding and decision-making.

By digitizing the standard maintenance procedure (SMP), the digital solution brings unprecedented efficiency gains to the inspection process. Real-time data entry eliminates delays, reduces errors, and optimizes the overall workflow. Organizations stand to benefit from substantial cost savings as the solution mitigates downtime and ensures a more proactive approach to maintenance.

During piping inspection, for example, a thickness survey using a UT Gauge equipped with a data logger can integrate with an AI-enabled solution. This system can immediately predict the life expectancy of that area of the pipe based on process service parameters, piping class, and specifications, etc., without the need for referencing any documents, data, or calculations.

Asset reliability pioneers, feel free to share your thoughts on how a new-generation technology solutions are assisting you in achieving reliability excellence?

Authored by Anil Sasi , PMP (Head - Turnaround Excellence Maximl )