Equipment management

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Traditional equipment management focuses primarily on ensuring that equipment operates properly without failures, as well as on carrying out maintenance and repair tasks. Sometimes, the ability of the equipment to function is the only criterion used to determine its condition, and repairs are carried out only after a failure occurs, which results in significant limitations. Equipment management in the modern sense involves managing the entire lifecycle of equipment, covering every stage from its design, selection, and acquisition, through its operation, to its eventual disposal and reuse. Information technology is utilized to make predictions in advance, enabling preventive maintenance and thus significantly reducing the occurrence of equipment failures. Full-life cycle management of equipment enables comprehensive management across the entire process, from demand planning to recycling, thereby maximizing the value of the equipment. It also promotes continuous innovation in production technologies and enhances the level of social development. Therefore, during the equipment management phase, it is necessary to conduct in-depth discussions and reflections based on the life cycle management theory, strengthen the management and control of each stage of the equipment’s life cycle, establish scientific and reasonable control measures, fully utilize the capabilities of the equipment, and enhance its maintenance. The concept, characteristics, and objectives of equipment life cycle management. Equipment life cycle management, also known as equipment lifecycle management, refers to the management process of equipment throughout its entire life cycle – from planning and procurement, installation and commissioning, use and maintenance, upgrading and renovation, to shutdown and disposal – thereby enabling comprehensive management of the equipment. Essentially, equipment life cycle management is a completely new type of technology that enables comprehensive management of equipment throughout its entire lifecycle – from the initial stages to its use and subsequent phases. This enhances the effectiveness of equipment management, facilitates a full understanding of the equipment’s utility at various stages as well as the value it generates during production, thereby maximizing the economic benefits of the equipment and improving production efficiency. Therefore, making full use of the life cycle management concept in equipment management can enhance management effectiveness and effectively ensure that the equipment fulfills its potential. The characteristic of full-life-cycle management of equipment is that the operation and maintenance management during its use reflects the physical condition of the equipment. Asset management is essential in the process of equipment management; it is required throughout the entire lifecycle of equipment, from procurement and maintenance to renovation, and all the way to disposal. In the life cycle management of equipment, asset management focuses on improving the utilization rate of equipment and reducing corporate costs, thereby demonstrating the value of the equipment. The task of full-life-cycle management of equipment is to achieve the ideal goal of maximizing the overall utilization rate of equipment, by focusing on production and operations. This is accomplished through a range of scientific and technical, economic, and organizational measures that cover the entire process of equipment planning and acquisition, installation and commissioning, use and maintenance, technical upgrading and replacement, as well as disposal and reuse. The difficulties in equipment management include a large number of devices, long distances between them, and a wide coverage area. At present, the equipment in many enterprises is distributed quite widely; for example, in companies involved in the transportation of oil and gas, the distance between each station and valve room is considerable, there are many locations where equipment is installed, and there is also a variety of equipment types. All these factors pose significant challenges to equipment management. Especially during the comprehensive inspection and maintenance of equipment in corporate organizations, as the equipment is installed in various locations across many districts and counties, most of the time is spent on traveling, leaving little time for actually carrying out the inspection and maintenance work. 2. There are many large-scale and specialized equipment, which make them difficult to use; in addition, the staffing and related training are inadequate. Many energy and chemical enterprises have a large number of large-scale specialized devices such as compressors, and their operation and maintenance are quite challenging. Professionals must undergo specialized training and assessment, and obtain the relevant qualification certificates before they can carry out these tasks. Due to a shortage of personnel or inadequate relevant training, improper operation of the equipment or insufficient maintenance can lead to its shutdown. 3. The requirement for data validity is high, and the amount of work required for maintenance and inspection is substantial. Many enterprises have very high standards regarding the data validity of instruments and measuring equipment; it is necessary to ensure in real time that the data from these instruments and devices is accurate and reliable. Therefore, regular maintenance, inspections, and calibrations are required to ensure that such instruments and equipment operate in a compliant and proper manner. Equipment full life cycle management 1: Equipment procurement. As businesses grow, they develop new project plans or need to modify existing equipment due to **standard updates, which leads to the creation of new procurement plans. In such cases, they submit a list of equipment to be purchased to the procurement department, specifying details such as the name of the equipment, its specifications and models, as well as its technical parameters. Enterprises choose to negotiate with multiple suppliers or conduct open tendering, and by comparing quotes, equipment technical specifications, and various supporting services offered, they evaluate them comprehensively to determine the supplier for the equipment. Considering the long-term use of the equipment in the future, the selected equipment must undergo certain practical production trials to prove its excellent performance ； Good maintainability, high versatility and interchangeability of components, rational design, and short lead time for spare parts procurement ； Low energy consumption, equipped with reliable safety devices, and causes no environmental pollution (**within acceptable limits**), meeting **the specified energy-saving standards** ； Good cost-effectiveness and high value for money. 2 Installation, commissioning, and acceptance: After the equipment is purchased, due to the uncontrollability factors that can occur during packaging and transportation, the equipment is first inspected upon unboxing. This inspection involves checking the packaging condition of the new equipment, its integrity, the types and quantities of accessories, the user manual, design documents, as well as any certificates confirming the quality of the product. Precision instruments, meters, and other measuring equipment that are required to be calibrated are subjected to calibration and adjustment in accordance with relevant regulations. After the unpacking inspection reveals no issues, on-site installation and testing are carried out. The testing process includes testing of individual devices as well as combined testing of multiple devices, followed by an inspection of their status and functionality. 3 After the equipment is delivered for use, a \"three-fix\" management system of fixed machines, fixed personnel, and fixed responsibilities is implemented. Personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of equipment must strictly adhere to the company’s relevant regulations, carry out tasks such as preventing freezing, condensation, ensuring thermal insulation, providing corrosion protection, and sealing leaks, and must work with valid certificates. During operation, attention must be paid to on-site management of equipment; economic management of equipment should be strengthened, operational and maintenance plans should be formulated appropriately, in order to increase the equipment utilization rate and integrity level while reducing leakage rates. \"Special-grade maintenance\" should be applied to key equipment used in production. Equipment maintenance is carried out based on its classification characteristics and usage patterns, namely routine maintenance, first-level maintenance, second-level maintenance, as well as minor repairs, medium repairs, and major repairs. Equipment repair and maintenance must be carried out in strict accordance with the equipment manuals and the company’s established maintenance guidelines, to ensure safety, quality, efficiency, environmental protection, and cost savings. 4 Equipment renewal and renovation: Advanced detection, repair, and renovation techniques can be employed during the use of equipment, allowing for timely renewal of the equipment in order to continuously improve its performance. Enterprises can, in light of actual conditions, carry out the renovation and upgrading of equipment in accordance with the principles of advanced technology, efficient production, economic rationality, safety and environmental protection, as well as green energy conservation, based on their production needs. When upgrading and replacing equipment, attention should be paid to improving quality and performance. Based on the actual needs of production, it is necessary to take into account not only advanced performance and economic benefits but also requirements related to safety, energy conservation, and environmental protection. The updating or renovation of equipment should be determined based on factors such as its technical requirements and economic benefits. It is recommended to update or renovate the equipment promptly when it exhibits the following conditions: ① The main components are severely worn, and after multiple major repairs their technical performance can no longer meet the process requirements, thereby failing to ensure product quality ； ②Although the wear is not severe, the technical condition is poor, resulting in low efficiency or poor economic performance ； ③Technical performance can be restored after major repairs, but the repair costs exceed 50% of the original value. 5 Equipment Retirement and Reuse: The main focus during the equipment retirement process is proper asset management; it is necessary to ensure that the equipment has been fully utilized throughout its period of use. When a device has reached the end of its useful life, the department using it must first submit an application for its disposal. Professional engineers then conduct a technical assessment to determine whether the device meets the criteria for disposal. Finally, the asset management department reviews this application; once the company approves the disposal, the device is removed from the accounts, written off, and recycled or disposed of. The entire process of equipment scrapping and reuse must be transparent and honest; when necessary, on-site inspections should be carried out to assess the condition of the equipment, and those components that can be reused should be identified for recycling, thereby maximizing the value of the equipment. Suggestions for improving the full-life-cycle management of equipment 1: Pay attention to the initial management of equipment. The initial management of equipment is an important part of full-life-cycle management. It is essential to fully recognize the importance of equipment procurement and project construction. Purchasing equipment that is legal, compliant, in good condition and functional, and carrying out its installation and commissioning in accordance with laws, regulations and standards, are prerequisite conditions for the safe, stable and controllable operation of the entire production process. Firstly, when carrying out equipment planning and feasibility studies, it is necessary to have the involvement of engineers specializing in related fields such as processes, automation control, electrical systems, and instrumentation from the outset, so as to ensure proper oversight and ultimately determine the equipment procurement plan ； Secondly, before the project commencement, the enterprise can, based on its actual circumstances, form a project team that includes both the personnel responsible for equipment management and those in charge of project construction. This allows the equipment management staff to be aware of the procedures required in the early stages of project construction, and it also enables them to ensure proper installation of the equipment as well as the proper transfer of related documentation. This plays a crucial role in the management of the equipment once it is put into use, and it lays a solid foundation for subsequent equipment handover processes and knowledge transfer. 2. Strengthening the management of basic equipment information: Strengthening the management of basic equipment information is also a very important part of the entire equipment lifecycle management. It serves as the foundation for carrying out equipment management and information-based management, and plays a crucial role in understanding the operation of a company’s equipment as well as in improving its equipment management system. To strengthen the management of basic equipment information, it is necessary to enhance management from the following two aspects. ① Improve the equipment management system. Enterprises must establish a comprehensive management system for the entire lifecycle of equipment. From the initial procurement, installation, and commissioning of equipment, to its subsequent maintenance and repair after being put into use, and finally to its disposal and reuse, a series of management measures must be devised at each stage. Only in this way can equipment be managed in a more scientific and standardized manner, thereby improving overall equipment management levels, enhancing equipment utilization rates and operational reliability, and ensuring that the full value of the equipment is utilized. In the use of equipment, it is essential to adhere to the principle of giving priority to maintenance and using equipment repair as a supplementary measure. It is necessary to strengthen the inspection and routine maintenance carried out by relevant staff during the equipment’s use and operation phases. At the same time, the responsibilities for equipment maintenance must be clearly defined, and the \"three fixed\" management principles must be strictly implemented. Through standardized and rigorous systems, the safe and efficient operation of the equipment can be ensured, enabling it to generate greater value and benefits for the enterprise throughout its operational life. ② Establish equipment technical records. When the equipment is put into use, it is necessary to create a technical file for each piece of equipment. Through such file management, the standardization and scientific approach to equipment management can be ensured, and it also constitutes a crucial element in implementing the concept of full-life-cycle management. In practice, the technical documentation of equipment consists of important records generated during its procurement, use, maintenance, and renovation. It includes original materials such as the manuals and drawings provided by the manufacturer, as well as various technical documents related to the equipment’s operation, maintenance, and repair once it is put into use. On the basis of establishing complete equipment records, the user units also need to create and maintain basic information such as individual equipment cards, cards for dynamic sealing points and static sealing points, lubrication diagrams, sealing point diagrams, and equipment registers. These should be kept alongside the individual equipment records, thereby establishing a comprehensive set of documents for equipment that includes \"three cards, two diagrams, one register, and one archive\". By continuously improving the basic information on equipment management, a reliable basis can be provided for the planning, decision-making, and improvement of equipment management. 3. Building an information management platform for equipment: At present, in some enterprises, the management of equipment records, basic information, production operations, and routine maintenance still relies on manual efforts, which makes such management quite challenging. Implementing information-based equipment management enables real-time dynamic management of equipment, significantly saving labor and resources. A device full-life-cycle management platform needs to provide data sharing and support for various aspects such as the initial procurement of equipment materials, asset management, as well as equipment operation and maintenance. It enables comprehensive management of devices throughout their entire life cycle, from the initial stages of management right up to disposal. Such a platform must integrate a wide range of functions including device acceptance, device ledger management, device documentation management, as well as device knowledge bases, device defect management, device accident (failure) management, management of special equipment, management of safety accessories, device lubrication management, management of dynamic and static seals, device inspection management, device reporting management, and spare parts management – all of which facilitate timely and comprehensive understanding of the status of devices. Centered on safe production and using equipment records as the basic data, equipment is classified into main equipment, auxiliary equipment, and equipment accessories. It supports preventive maintenance and informational management, is structured according to modern equipment management practices, and enables comprehensive management of the entire equipment lifecycle in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve the level of equipment safety management. Conclusion: The effective management of equipment is directly related to a company’s safe operation, production and business activities, product management, production costs, and market competition. It constitutes the fundamental aspect of a company’s production and management processes, and has a significant impact on its long-term development. Given the numerous stages and complex processes involved in the full-life-cycle management of equipment, it is necessary to carry out proper system planning in advance to establish a comprehensive management framework. Furthermore, in the process of equipment management, the development of an information platform is essential, as it can greatly enhance the convenience and accuracy of equipment management. In addition, it is necessary to increase the level of information sharing to ensure that the departments responsible for enterprise equipment management can share equipment data. With the further advancement of technologies such as the Internet of Things and big data, the management of the entire lifecycle of devices will see even greater development. Comprehensive management of the equipment’s entire life cycle is of great significance for ensuring the safety and controllability of the equipment, improving its level of utilization, maximizing its benefits, and reducing costs.