Delivering planned maintenance for the mining and resources sectors can be uniquely challenging, given the remote location of many operations.
Access is often restricted by limited transport networks, making it time consuming and logistically complex to transport people and equipment to site. Remote locations are also prone to weather extremes that can impact maintenance schedules and cause costly delays.
According to Coates Industrial Solutions General Manager, Kamaile Knight, choosing the right project partner can help customers to improve maintenance outcomes and address some of these challenges.
“As an experienced industrial solutions provider, Coates understands what it takes to deliver major events in remote locations,” Mr Knight said.
“With Australia’s largest hire fleet and a network of more than 145 branches across the country, we are uniquely positioned to support the safe, efficient and cost-effective delivery of remote customer events.”
Data-driven planning and forecasting
Successful maintenance starts with planning, and the more remote the site, the more critical good planning becomes. Coates brings a wealth of data, experience and capability to shape these events, having supported customers in some very isolated locations in and around Australia.
Coates Industrial Solutions Business Development Manager, Alicia Webley, said, “We take a data driven approach to accurately forecast and plan maintenance events, ensuring customers will have what they need, when and where they need it,”
“SiteIQ is a valuable tool that we use to aggregate prior event data. We also draw on vast experience gained during the delivery of major industrial events to inform future planning for our customers.”
Logistics and flexibility
Sourcing and efficiently transporting the right tools, equipment and expertise to and from site, is another challenging aspect of delivering remote maintenance events.
“The remoteness of some customer sites requires transport to be meticulously planned and often leaves a very narrow time frame for getting gear to site. If you miss that window, you could face a two to three week wait for the next opportunity,” Ms Webley said.
“Some remote customer sites have decontamination requirements for anything that comes to site, which adds to the complexity of logistics. Weather events can also throw schedules off track with little warning, creating an ever-changing maintenance landscape that it can be difficult to achieve.
“Working with a provider that not only understands these challenges but can work alongside customers to respond to their changing needs and timeframes, is key to the success of remote maintenance events.
“With a large and diverse fleet, an experienced Industrial Solutions team and a vast geographical footprint, Coates has the breadth and flexibility to support customers – no matter how challenging the schedule or how remotely they operate.”
Communication
Communication adds value to any project, but it is critical to servicing remote sites. When you’re working remotely there’s really no margin for error – if a customer doesn’t have what it needs, it can’t be sourced in time to deliver on the schedule of works.
“When we work together to deliver a major event, Coates becomes quite entrenched in a customer’s business – like an extension of their project team,” Ms Webley said.
“This approach keeps communication open and allows us to anticipate a customer’s needs, often before they even need to ask.”
Tailored end-to-end solutions
By engaging an end-to-end solutions provider, customers can streamline delivery and reduce the complexity of remote maintenance events. Coates’ comprehensive solutions include a range of products and supporting services, tailored to meet customer needs.
These include:
- Customised on-site tool stores fitted out with hire and customer-owned assets
- Tooling, general and specialist equipment and consumables, including Greener Choices
- Portable buildings including toilets, washrooms and break-out facilities
- Specialists to maintain equipment, manage permits and tool store allocation – all Coates personnel maintain the necessary accreditation to work safely on remote sites
- Technologies like telemetry and SiteIQ to track event assets; optimise utilisation; inform daily reporting; and manage tooling; labour; maintenance; customised contractor access; safety and compliance
- A support ecosystem that includes on-site maintenance and re-fuelling.
Ms Knight explained that Coates takes the time to really understand customer challenges and what’s important to them.
“Having this shared vision and understanding allows Coates to tailor its approach, designing solutions that genuinely meet customer needs and enhance onsite execution,” Ms Knight said.
To learn more, visit coates.com.au.
Featured image: Coates.