Die Krise effektiv managen So geht Asset-Management in Corona-Zeiten
The article, written by Frank‑Uwe Hess (Chairman & Co‑Founder of T.A. Cook, Berlin) on 15 June 2020, examines how the COVID‑19 pandemic forces the process, chemical and pharmaceutical industries to rethink asset‑management and maintenance strategies. With production halted or operating in emergency mode and a looming global recession, companies must cut costs without compromising plant reliability, safety, or regulatory compliance. The author outlines six concrete, short‑term measures to align asset‑management with the crisis: (1) advance planned shutdowns, turnarounds and clean‑ins to exploit the production dip; (2) avoid indiscriminate budget cuts and instead target cost reductions that carry minimal risk; (3) increase precision in maintenance and inspection to extend equipment life; (4) identify “bad actors” – assets that generate disproportionate unplanned downtime – through root‑cause analysis; (5) optimise preventive‑maintenance (PM) programmes, eliminating inefficient tasks and focusing on true failure drivers; and (6) shift from an availability‑centric to a demand‑driven, cost‑oriented maintenance model that matches reduced market demand. Throughout, the article stresses methodical crisis management, using home‑office time for strategic work, and warns that short‑sighted cuts could jeopardise the ability to ramp up production when demand recovers.
Topics
COVID‑19 Economic Shock and Its Implications for Process‑Industry Asset Management
Analysis of how the pandemic and the resulting global recession have halted production, reduced demand, and forced a rapid reassessment of cost structures in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.