NOTE: The sponsor of this content may contact you with more information on this topic. Click here to opt-out from sharing your email address with this sponsor. (This link will not unsubscribe you from any other BIC email list).
What does it take to get the best out of a team? Of course, it takes hard work and effort, but it also takes honesty and courage: the courage to be honest about performance and how to improve.
Spring outage season: “Review the tape” before your next shutdown
In professional football, the best teams are battling it out in the playoffs. They’re looking ahead at the goal they want to accomplish — a spot at the Super Bowl — but they are also looking back. They’re reviewing their last game to identify what they could have done better, what coverage was missed that now seems obvious on re-watch and what unexploited opportunity they could have taken advantage of if they had seen it in the moment.
“Reviewing the tape” is standard practice for football teams who strive for championship status. Plant managers who strive for a world-class operation can take a page out of this professional sports strategy book as they prepare for the next planned outage.
Every outage season has its challenges that come with a set of expected and unexpected issues that need to be tackled. But it’s in the off season — the time spent planning between outages — where the team can really come together and get prepared for the next “big game.”
At AMECO, we use this time to communicate with plant managers, shutdown and turnaround supervisors to make sure we’re prepared for their next outage season. We help them “look at the tape” of their last shutdown and identify what went well, the gaps in their coverage and what challenges might be ahead in the spring outage season for 2024. We also have honest conversations about how we can be a better teammate going forward.
We use this feedback, as well as industry forecasts, to ensure that we’re prepared with the right tools, consumables and equipment needed, and that our operations centers are stocked and ready to respond when the season begins. We ensure our scaffolding material is ready to ship and our fleet of aerial lifts and light towers are inspected and ready for the field.
Spring outage season: “Review the tape” before your next shutdown
Just like winning an NFL playoff game, in a plant shutdown, there is only a razor-thin margin for error. For an outage to be counted as a win, everyone involved must be able to do their job safely, come in at or under budget and on or ahead of schedule. Success comes from planning, preparation and confidence. No matter how much “pre-game” planning is involved, there will always be unexpected challenges that require a change of plans and an “audible” to be called. Maybe there’s a lack of headroom, or the plan for a crane pick isn’t working quite as anticipated. Or perhaps there’s a lack of lighting in the section of the plant that’s being worked on.
When these challenges inevitably arise, the last thing you want is to delay the "game." Ensuring labor always has what they need so they can keep the job moving forward is crucial to meeting aggressive budget and schedule goals on a turnaround effort. Nothing is more expensive than labor idled because they don’t have the right equipment on hand — and then even worse — losing precious production time and revenue because you missed your startup milestone. Having the right relationships and knowing the best players to bring in during high-pressure situations is key to getting back on schedule. AMECO works hard to be that experienced veteran teammate with the cool hand who can perform when the pressure is on.
As the NFL season finishes, it will be exciting to watch the teams striving to make adjustments and do whatever it takes to keep Super Bowl dreams alive. The teams that prevail are the ones who are best prepared. They have spent hours watching their tape, expanding on what works well and learning from their mistakes.
As you’re preparing for spring outages, be sure to “review your tape,” so you can anticipate the challenges you are likely to face and identify the right players to call into the game to ensure your outage season is a winning season.
For more information, visit AMECO to see how the team can support your next plant shutdown, turnaround and major maintenance events.
