Setting aside time and money for preventative tank and pipeline maintenance isn’t at the top of most manager’s to-do lists – but it should be, and for good reason. Unplanned work adds an average of 30-40% to the baseline cost of planned maintenance and work. In a recent Tanks & Terminals, Groome Vice President of Sales Steve Houghton explains why it is essential to proactively plan maintenance work to prevent large-scale failures, minimize operational downtime and save money. At Groome, our expert engineers and technicians offer customized planning and turnkey services to protect and extend the life of valuable industrial equipment like tanks and piping.
The first step in protecting assets like tanks and pipelines is developing a lifecycle management plan that is unique to your equipment and facility. Corrosion control is one of the main reasons why implementing a plan to protect and maintain your equipment is so critical. North American Oil & Gas Pipelines, a leading industry publication, estimates that pipeline corrosion accounts for nearly $9 billion in unplanned annual expenditures in the U.S. alone, making it the number one cause of pipeline failure. As the primary vehicle for the storage and delivery of your commodity, tanks and pipelines are valuable assets that require proactive planning to prevent corrosion and maintain operational integrity.
Multiple factors must be weighed when developing a lifecycle management program for assets like tanks and pipelines, including equipment age, size, contents, environment and maintenance history. Thorough examination of these factors by a knowledgeable and experienced team is the best way to ensure proper surface preparation and the successful application of a compatible coating. Groome’s experts can provide insight and custom specifications to ensure that the preparation and coating procedures used will protect and extend the life of your equipment.
Another important reason for planning work is the potential cost savings. Utilizing one trusted vendor to manage the entire lifecycle of an asset can pay dividends in the long run. Moreover, consolidating strategic maintenance for multiple assets under a single vendor will translate into an improved bottom line though reductions in purchase orders and mobilization costs. Vendors like Groome, with the reliability and expertise necessary to manage multiple projects within a facility, will develop and execute a cost-effective turnkey plan to maintain equipment, minimize planned downtime and keep total cost of ownership (TCO) low.
Maintaining a safe working environment is paramount, even more so in the time of COVID-19. Assign a gatekeeper to manage communications with outside vendors and promote clearly defined safety protocols company wide. Utilize trusted vendors that offer turnkey services and operate in compliance with your facility’s health and safety policies to limit headcount and reduce the risk of a facility shutdown.
Developing a lifecycle management plan that prioritizes safety, efficiency and production will help you stay ahead of the curve by minimizing planned downtime, extending the life of your equipment and reducing TCO. A proven industry leader with a focus on dedicated project management, Groome is here to help you create a preventative maintenance plan and provide turnkey surface preparation and coating services to best protect tanks, pipelines and other valuable assets.
Groome’s contact is Steve Houghton, VP of Sales – shoughton@groomeindustrial.com, 551-502-6357.