An important asset in any operation is the maintenance workshop and supporting infrastructure. This critical asset allows the maintenance team to effectively support and enable operations achieve their goals. Whether it is a greenfield site or brownfield expansion, ensuring the right workshop and infrastructure are in place requires a thorough understanding of the equipment to be maintained. Bluefield works with clients during the study phase to assist in scoping out workshop and infrastructure requirements. The Bluefield approach is to break down the requirements into the different areas:
- Workshop and support bay requirements
- Impact of insufficient bay capacity
- Fluid and lubricant storage capacities
- Bay fit out requirements
Workshop and support bay requirements
There are multiple ways workshop capacities can be determined. First principles calculation often quoted as the way to calculate bay requirements by understanding every task’s bay requirement. While it can be calculated like this, we find process to be time consuming and requires a level of accuracy in the assumptions for general / breakdown repairs not completed on a schedule. The Bluefield approach is to look at the bigger picture through understanding to total maintenance downtime of equipment. We than spilt out the maintenance downtime into the different bay requirements (General Workshop, Service Bay, Wash Bay, Tyre Bay, etc). This method requires a lot less effort and ensures no workshop requirements are missed.
When considering brownfield operations, it is also critical to understand the impact current workshop facilities have on maintenance activities. The original facilities are set up for the original fleet, yet years later larger equipment now take their place. While the equipment my still fit in the workshop, the efficiency of the work is impacted. A common example of efficiency impacts we see in the mobile workshop is during major outages, two workshop bays are required to complete the work on one machine. This can have a significant impact on available workshop capacity and thus needs to be captured and considered in the bay capacity requirements of existing facilities.
Impact of insufficient bay capacity
An important part of supporting the approval of a new workshop is to articulate the impact a deficit may have. People often underestimate the impact of working outside the workshop. Inefficiencies are introduced from the additional distance required to access parts, tools, amenities for trades personnel, to the lost time from weather (rain, heat, cold), to the need for external crane services. These inefficiencies result in longer downtime of equipment and can result in the need for additional maintenance personnel.
The Bluefield approach is to quantify these impacts and translate time into fleet availability impact and lost maintainer hours.
Fluid and lubricant storage capacities
Ensuring there is sufficient working capacity of fuel, oils and coolant is critical for smooth operation. Bluefield uses a first principles approach to calculate fluid consumption through quantity and frequency of change for every fluid type completed during preventative maintenance activities. Documented allowances are made around the additional usage above preventative maintenance activities.
Bay fit out requirements
Before a new workshop can be designed, the fit-out requirements need to be identified and documented. Our approach is to work with the team to fully understand each bay purpose and ensure the fit-out requirements are clearly documented. Fit-out requirements need to consider the fixed infrastructure components that could include overhead cranes and their capacities, reticulated fluids, compressed air, 3-phase power requirements, the list goes on.
If you are looking for a support partner who can assist you understand a new facility or the impact of increasing demand on existing infrastructure, please contact Bluefield today.
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