Maintenance Preparations Important For New Plants

Poor plant start-up performance is usually blamed on poor design and unsatisfactory equipment. But, in most cases, the real cause of poor performance is inadequate preparation for operations and maintenance. Inadequate maintenance preparation, unlike inadequate operations preparation, will not immediately manifest itself in a new plant. However, not taking advantage of the window of opportunity afforded a new plant to organize the maintenance operation ensures that the new equipment honeymoon is unexpectedly short. Also, once a plant has entered a “breakdown mode,” it is extremely difficult to turn around.