Does Your Utility Asset Management Plan Include These Quality Assurance Metrics?

Every savvy asset owner and operator knows the best way to protect and preserve their investment is to ensure their assets begin the life cycle in good health and to foster continued performance through frequent inspection and maintenance.

That being said, you can only evaluate the things you measure. It’s possible that there are issues within your transmission system that remain ignored, simply because you haven’t thought to measure them. It is also likely that many of those issues were present during manufacturing and unfortunately were allowed to escape the plant where they most definitely should have been caught.  Within the last decade, we have seen a growing problem where utility operations and maintenance teams have become overwhelmed dealing with structural damage resulting from manufacturing defects.  A holistic quality assurance program that addresses the design and fabrication stage of the life cycle must be a fundamental component of the utilities’ overall asset management strategy.  Here’s why.

Metrics to Ensure Your Asset Management HAs

Specification Review

A specification or spec review is one of the best ways to ensure that your projects and assets are protected from the very beginning.

During a spec review, our specialist will scrutinize the client/contractor agreement, as well as all asset design and fabrication specifications to ensure the most current industry standards and best practices are being met.  As an example, there are systemic welding defects affecting transmission towers that absolutely can be mitigated with improved standards.

Plant Audit

A plant audit is also crucial for an effective quality assurance program.

When a plant audit is conducted, our professionals will ensure that the facility building your poles and towers is fully prepared to take on the task at hand compared to other potential vendors.  This goes far beyond a simple ISO audit that focuses mostly on documentation. To deliver maximum value to the client, auditors must address the nuances of utility tower manufacturing, such as welding, cutting, and bending of steel components, as well as the appropriate inspection methodologies for such materials. This requires vast and intimate knowledge of the fabrication process for steel towers.

Vendor Surveillance

Where the plant audit was a snapshot in time of a vendor’s quality performance, vendor surveillance is the on-going process by which our technicians monitor the fabrication of your assets in real time.  The same critical quality issues addressed in the audits are being monitored, but now the oversight is continuous for as long as your project is running through the plant.

Many clients simply do not have the time, man-power, or experience to properly oversee the completion of every project. If human resources are limited at your company or if the plant is overseas, monitoring the project may not be feasible.

In this case, you run the risk of remaining unaware of flaws in your components until they are already delivered to you. In circumstances like these, entire projects can be delayed, costing you valuable time and money.

To avoid this, be sure that your asset management program involves the appropriate quality assurance metrics. By implementing vendor surveillance from Exo, our technicians will ensure the continuing success of your projects through daily active reporting, in-process sampling, project monitoring and expediting as well as many other processes that assure quality.

Establishing and executing your quality assurance plan is a matter that should not be taken lightly. Caring for the health and safety of your transmission assets is a responsibility that we take seriously as Exo, with expertly curated programs like the Ex- Tend lifecycle management program.

At Exo, we are unmatched in our thorough and innovative practices ensuring the preservation of assets and return on investments in a wide range of fields.

With a company of integrity like Exo, we will work to ensure that you are receiving the highest quality services without breaking the bank. Our trusted technicians are happy to help you protect the long-term value of your assets and save you money holistically.

If you are looking to fully reap the benefits of full life cycle asset management and learn whether your utility transmission towers should be inspected, repaired or replaced, call us today at 281-259-7000 or contact us online for a free consultation to see how Exo can protect your assets.

Get Started with Exo

Ready to Work With Us?