| Q: What does LivingReliability (LR) Sell? Software?Utility services, consultancy services? Any improvement they are aiming for? | A: LR sells a methodology developed to achieve verifiable reliability from maintenance related data. Software and consulting make up the offering. |
| Q: Who is LR? Corporate Profile?(3-4 liner only) | A: LR is a company incorporated in Canada and in Colombia for the purpose of spreading and commercializing rational, scientific, evidence based maintenance management. Its principal methodology, Living Reliability Centered Maintenance (LRCM) relates monitored data from Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) activities to the information in the Maintenance Management System (CMMS). This relationship is anchored in the language and thinking process of RCM. The EXAKT CBM optimizing methodology applies rigorous statistical techniques to build decision models (rules) for the auditable achievement of evidence based maintenance management. |
| Q: Why would a customer buy LR products and services? Is it Price? Features? Organisation? | A: The maintenance community has long recognized the advantages of CBM. However, apart from technological strides in collecting and manipulating large quantities of CBM data, systematic conversion of that data into verifiable improvements in reliability has remained elusive. The EXAKT system and related LRCM information methodology converts CBM programs from undirected exercises in manipulating data to a process for systematic, auditable, and continuous improvement of reliability, safety, and cost. |
| Q: Why would a customer replace their existing product with LR? Differentiators? | A: There is no replacement of existing products. EXAKT and LRCM augment the effectiveness of the organization’s existing maintenance and reliability related activities. |
| Q: What are the Issues with LR Product ? Dependency/Platform/Complexity in using/upgrades? | A: EXAKT as do all data dependent Reliability Analysis (RA) tools requires a specific (and new) approach to the treatment of information and observations surrounding the execution of maintenance work orders. The existing methods used by all Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs) are inadequate for this purpose. They cannot feed RA software with data of the quality and form required. A Living Reliability Centered Maintenance (LRCM) process implements a systematic change in the way work order information is perceived and transferred to the CMMS database. |
| Q. Instrument data collection and validation? | A: EXAKT is general purpose software. It works with existing instrument data collection and validation systems. In addition, EXAKT provides further validation specifically for the needs of RA. (*This answer will be repeated for many of the questions below.) |
| Q: Field inspection data collection? | A: See above* |
| Q: Centralized repository for all test and inspection data? | A: See above* |
| Q: Analysis of test and inspection data? | A: Statistical testing for relevance of data to actual failure modes and for the performance of predictive content. |
| Q: Approval of all tests and diagnostic results? | A: See above* |
| Q: Recommendations for additional tests, asset replacement or changes in maintenance practices? | A: EXAKT and LRCM consitute a Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) culture. They are based on two types of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), low and high level. The conformance to good information practices are measured daily by the low level KPIs. These are designed to be achieved by personnel while simultaneoulsy supporting high level KPIs, for example, cost, reliability, and availability. |
| Q: Alarms and event triggering on all out of range inspection and test values? | A: See above* and EXAKT is designed to optimize the setting of alarms by relating them directly to ground level recorded observations from the CMMS. LRCM provides a simple method of recording RA enabling information on a work order. |
| Q: Asset Health indices calculation? | A: EXAKT provides Remaining Useful Life Estimation (RULE) with confidence intervals based on the latest set of monitored data and current working age. Reliability engineers use the confidence indicators provided by EXAKT to track and verify improvement in work order information practices that enable good decision making. |
| Q: Definition of tolerance and thresholds on test data and AHI? | A: See above* |
| Q: Effective age of assets? | A: In LRCM and EXAKT this is handled at the failure mode level. At overhaul and during maintenance of all types, some failure modes are renewed (zero timed) and other failure modes remain in service and continue accumulating age. Those that have been renewed experience one of two life ending events, either by failure or by suspension. A suspension is a renewal for any reason other than failure. The LRCM process requires that the failure modes be identified (by reference to a dynamic RCM knowledge base) and that their endings be recorded accurately as either Potential Failure, Functional Failure, or Suspension. By this method, the software keeps track of the true age of significant failure modes in an asset. This is the only practical and workable answer to this question. |
| Q: Comparison to peers? | A: See above* |
| Q: Short term probability of failure? | A: Provided by the software based on condition data. |
| Q: Long term probability of failure | A: There is no defference between the two when modeling is based on individual failure mode behavior. The next failure of a failure mode can be soon (short term) or later (long term). The confidence envelope as a function of the distance in time is reported by the software along with the RULE. |
| Q: History of tests and laboratory analyses? | A: EXAKT correlates test results with failure and suspension recorded in the CMMS. It builds and validates decison models that execute automatically when such test results become available in various databases. |
| List of assets performing outside operating standards | A: See above*. In addition a RULE and decision recommentdation are provided. The later is based on optimizing objectives built into the model. |
| Historical maintenance log? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Statistical cost comparison of pre-emptive maintenance versus post breakage repairs? | A: EXAKT uses this information provided by existing systems. It provides sensitivity analysis to determine the degree to which errors in this information will affect CBM optimization. |
| Q: Maintenance scheduling and planning based on historical data? | See above*. EXAKT and LRCM feed this process. |
| Maintenance plan for systematic work and task with notification management. | A: See above*. EXAKT and LRCM feed this process. |
| Q: Manufacturer’s and regulatory mandatory maintenance per equipment types. | A: See above*. The RCM process uses all available information to set up the initial maintenance plan. |
| Q: Maintenance work priority for backlog activities or strategic equipment? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Several different plans with priority of application? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Creation of simulated plans to observe impact on workload? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Determine the criticality with respect to delivery point and station relative impacts of failure? | See above*. |
| Q: Classify the risk associated with asset failure probability and criticality | See above*. |
| Q: Capture utility performance policy in term of industry recognized performance indicators (SAIFI, SAIDI, SARI, etc.)? | See above*. |
| Q: Provide a mapping overview of delivery points and associated asset criticality (performance radar)? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Generate a summary of assets most at risk based on AHI? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Use AHI, the performance radar and asset life curve to prioritize the top candidate projects | A: See above*. |
| Q: Build ten best scenarios that minimize enterprise risk while taking into account all applicable constraints? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Identify the higher enterprise risk projects with highest impacts for each year over an adjustable time frame (5, 10, 15, 20 years)? | See above*. |
| Q: Mobile platform? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Modular and scalable architecture | A: See above*. |
| Q: Modular and scalable architecture? | See above*. |
| Q: Importation of data from external application (ERP, EAM, EMS, GIS, etc.)? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Importation of data from laboratory instruments (M4000, Zensol, etc.)? | See above*. |
| Q: User customizable personal working space? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Support for IED? | A: See above*. |
| Q: Customizable reports and dashboards? | A: See above*. |
© 2011, Murray Wiseman. All rights reserved.