- Vicente Macián, Dr. Tibaire Depool, PhD
- Journal Magazine, vol. 32
From your perspective, how important is asset management?
Asset management, as understood by ISO 55000, will be decisive for the survival of large companies. The complexity of comprehensive management in large industries is only possible by adhering to the “principles” set out by the standard. In the past, the different departments within companies were seen as isolated entities that simply had to function well on their own to deliver an optimal overall result. Today, all departments must be aligned with the company’s objective, and everyone—from the CEO to the newest operator—at every level (strategic, tactical, and operational) must have the mindset that proper management of the company’s assets is, within the scope of their responsibility, fundamental to achieving that objective.
In the global economic context, how can asset management help companies? Savings, sustainability, or risks.
As I mentioned in the previous question, asset management must involve all departments in the company, and its optimal implementation will deliver benefits across every aspect of the organization. From a production standpoint, higher-quality products will be achieved at a lower cost thanks to collaboration between production, maintenance, and raw-material and spare-parts warehouses.
In the same way, financial savings will be achieved if finance, administration, and human resources work in alignment. Finally, with proper asset management there will not only be a direct benefit in products; it is also necessary to take into account social demands, both internal—such as occupational health and safety and corporate social responsibility—and external, in terms of the environmental impact of what is produced and, above all, the company’s long-term sustainability.
Why should an engineer know about asset management?
As a professor in the Master’s in Maintenance Engineering, I work with students every day and I also have direct contact with the companies that hire them, so I am aware of the gaps our graduates have. Unfortunately, asset management is not a topic that is usually covered at university. We try to ensure our students become familiar with this field thanks to lectures such as those delivered by experts from the PMM group. Our engineers will be responsible for ensuring companies remain viable in a market that is increasingly demanding in terms of products and the energy and environmental impact that production entails. This will only be possible with a clear understanding and practical application of proper asset management.
