At the heart of the utility industry lies critical assets – the indispensable infrastructure encompassing power plants, pipelines and water treatment facilities that deliver essential services to communities. Compliance, therefore, stands as the safeguard ensuring the integrity, reliability and safety of these vital services. Failure to comply can result in service interruptions, loss of trust between organisation and customer, and costly audits and repairs.
However, in an ever-evolving utility landscape, meeting the complex web of industry, domestic and international standards can prove challenging. This is where strategic asset management comes into play, ensuring utilities not only meet but exceed mandated standards.
Guiding utility excellence
Tailored asset management systems, like the ISO 55000 standard, provide utilities with comprehensive guidelines, ensuring assets are not only operated efficiently but also compliant with industry regulations. This approach involves exhaustive steps, from taking asset inventories to continuous improvement strategies, all essential components of a robust asset management system.
Another key international standard for organisations looking to ensure efficient management is ISO 9001 – a system based around ensuring quality management systems. With core values and priorities of supporting effective business management, fostering operational resilience, ensuring long-term success and customer satisfaction, it’s clear why this system is so pivotal to those organisations with a service guarantee.
Standards in action
Fusion welding is a core process that is used across utilities, often in relation to pipeline construction, that involves melting materials together. This process is heavily regulated, not only with the work itself, but the recording of weld data. This is incredibly important because weld data must be kept for auditing purposes, as well as for maintenance of the asset. Welds, as part of major infrastructure, can cause devastating effects if they fail, and the recording of data is seen throughout weld guidelines.
Within utilities, welding standards, such as the POP003 guideline, play a pivotal role. Fusion welding demands meticulous adherence to data recording protocols outlined in standards like ISO 21307 and ASTM F2620. The Plastics Welding Service Provider (PWSP) must establish quality management systems, ensuring installation, welding and jointing work align with ISO 9001 specifications, as per the WS2 –Thermoplastics guidelines.
Digital asset management
Strong asset management relies on data collection and analysis to make informed decisions. However, the amount of data required can be difficult to maintain and record successfully if proper asset management systems aren’t in place. Fortunately, digital solutions are making it easier than ever to record data, ensure it is accurate and accessible, and mitigate the risk of human errors – a common concern in traditional paper-based systems.
PE Weld Bank is one such solution, it enables seamless recording and monitoring of pipeline and weld assets and is compatible with all hydraulic Butt Welders. Users can digitally measure weld data and upload it to the cloud-based Fusion Management System, making it easy to find and share reports with clients and track project productivity.
The app-based tool can also spot welding errors before they go underground, preventing costly repairs and keeping an organisation’s reputation intact. Through these capabilities, systems like PE Weld Bank support effective asset management, ensuring compliance and operational excellence.
To learn more about how PEWeldBank can help you keep track of all your welding data, head to peweldbank.com
This sponsored editorial is brought to you by, PEWeldBank. For more information, visit peweldbank.com
