Unlocking Efficiency and Cost Savings: Step 3 - Inspection Plans

It's a universal truth that older assets often come with higher maintenance costs compared to newer ones. Unfortunately, in many occasions this goes hand in hand with sudden defects and failures, leading to disruptions and increased costs.

As a responsible tank owner, your aim is to proactively avert these challenges. Your goal is to predict potential issues before they manifest, thereby minimizing unplanned downtime and the associated expenses. In essence, you want to keep a strong hold on how your operations and maintenance work.

In Step 2, we covered how to determine the inspection frequency and explored four distinct strategies for assessing asset condition. Now we are going to take a close look at how to collect inspection data on the degradation of different tank components.

Why create your own inspection plans? The initial step holds significant importance as it's where we establish our approach to gathering inspection data regarding the state of our assets. Since this data is obtained through external contractors, ensuring the accuracy and relevancy of the collected information becomes paramount.

It is crucial that the inspection plan ensures the collection of the correct and desired data. A common issue is that inspections have been conducted by different inspection contractors over time, and these parties do not always provide the same data or report it in the same way. This results in a complex puzzle with pieces that do not always fit together well.

To mitigate this challenge, it is advisable to establish your own inspection regime with predefined inspection plans. Just collecting data is not enough; it necessitates a differrent approach of work. Firstly you should consider what data is essential to asses asset integrity. This approach empowers you, as a tank owner, to transform raw data into actionable information, substantiating the decisions you make.

For instance: If you're aiming for an operational period of 25 years, it will significantly impact the type and extent of information you require to support your objectives.

When crafting your inspection plans, pivotal questions must be addressed:

1.?????? What information do I need to achieve my goal?

2.?????? What data should I collect to reach this objective?

3.?????? How should I gather this data?

4.?????? Where should I obtain this data?

5.?????? How should I incorporate this data into a comprehensive report?

As previously mentioned, the final step holds paramount importance. Utilizing predefined inspection templates empowers the inspection contractor to capture the necessary data accurately.

What’s in it for you? The essence of a robust inspection plan's business case lies in the fact that it guides you to take the appropriate actions, facilitating better-informed decisions about remaining asset life, lowering the costs for maintenance and inspection. In contrast, when you lack accurate data or sufficient information, it tends to result in a more cautious approach, shorter inspection intervals, and, consequently, an overall increase in maintenance and inspection expenses.

Stay tuned for more tank system mastery! ????

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