Black & Veatch and EMS Cognito have teamed up to offer bespoke Lean Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) programmes and training to help utilities achieve world-class asset management.

Well managed assets are central to reduced risk, and outperformance of operational and financial targets

Lean RCM focusses on what a process is intended to do, identifying factors that stop the process from delivering, then implementing steps to mitigate those factors; creating a condition-based regime for asset maintenance.

"What sets Black & Veatch apart is the ability to support every point in the lifecycle of utilities' assets. Becoming an authorised provider of EMS Cognito's IMPACT Masterclass™ Lean RCM Programme extends our reach further into the asset management sphere," commented Scott Aitken, Managing Director, Black & Veatch Europe.

"Our IMPACT Masterclass™ Lean RCM Programme has been adopted across many industries. This agreement with Black & Veatch is an opportunity to introduce our accredited process improvement programme to additional water and energy companies," according to Richard Kelly, Managing Director, EMS Cognito.

The Authorised Provider Agreement between the companies means Black & Veatch's asset management professionals will be trained by EMS Cognito to deliver the IMPACT MasterclassTM Lean RCM Programme to its water and energy clients.

"Reliability centred programmes developed by experts in the design and construction of utility assets will be the ones most swiftly able to optimise and enhance system performance; we will be able to offer great 'speed to value,'" added Aitken.

The IMPACT MasterclassTM Lean RCM Programme encompasses lean manufacturing and reliability centred maintenance tools structured to improve the efficiency of asset-intensive processes.

Integral to the approach's success is early engagement with operations and maintenance teams to ensure the new regime can be embedded as business-as-usual.  “At one site, we have seen a 58 percent reduction in reactive and corrective tasks in the ten months since roll-out,” noted Kelly.

Implementation of the IMPACT MasterclassTM Lean RCM Programme can be accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. This provides investors, regulators and customers with the confidence of third-party verification in the quality of a utility's asset management regime.

Black & Veatch is currently delivering AMP6 asset management programmes for Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water