Uptime Elements Award: the industry acknowledges the best organizations in Asset Management
The highly anticipated Uptime Elements Awards 2024 will be presented at the International Maintenance Conference to be held in Marco Island, Florida, on December 16-19 of this year. Organized by Reliabilityweb.com, this conference and these awards represent the international Maintenance and Reliability community's recognition of organizations that have achieved outstanding results through their Asset Management programs.
Reliability and Asset Management continue to evolve as businesses gain complexity due to increasing product demand and service delivery, the onslaught of digital technologies, and environmental and climate challenges. These awards recognize the vision, capability and best Asset Management programs of leading companies around the world, through which they have achieved extraordinary performance and profitability results while extending the life of their equipment and protecting the safety of their people and facilities, as well as caring for the environment.
The winners of the awards will be presented on December 17, in an emotional ceremony on the agenda of the International Maintenance Conference IMC 2024. The presentation and award ceremonies will be chaired by Terrence O'Hanlon, CEO & Publisher of Reliabilityweb.com, creator of the Uptime® Elements™ framework and a passionate and enthusiastic advocate of Reliability Culture and Asset Management, whose work and contributions have been recognized and adopted worldwide. O'Hanlon will be joined by Maura Abad, Vice President of Operations of Reliabilityweb.com and other members of his brilliant team.
2024 Winners
A total of 10 companies received Uptime Awards in different categories. The judging panel considered different aspects depending on the award category, such as automation, system integration, improvements and innovation, procedures, customer service, all within the Uptime® Elements™ Framework, the set of analog and digital techniques whose strategic application guarantees the profitability, safety and continuous improvement that characterize Asset Management.
Best Work Execution Management Program: San Jose Water
San Jose Water (SJW) received the award for Best Work Execution Management Program. By its nature, this company has a profound impact on the lives of millions of people. Founded in 1866, it is responsible for supplying water to more than one million customers in Silicon Valley and the greater San Jose metropolitan area, and manages 2,400 miles of pipelines, 3 water treatment plants, 240,000 service lines, and numerous groundwater production and chemical treatment facilities, all with a strict commitment to providing high quality water and protecting the environment.
Starting in 2021, they began the implementation of a robust HxGN EAM system for SJW's Distribution Systems, Operations, Treatment, Warehouse and Fleet departments, resulting in “transformation of work practices, responsibilities, work performance management and culture.” Andy Yang, Director of Asset Management, commented that this recognition “validates all of our hard work to serve our customers and pursue excellence.”
Best Asset Lifecycle Management for Reliability and Sustainability (ALM) Program: Kerry Ingredients APMEA
Kerry, a global leader in flavor and nutrition serving the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, was the winner in the Best Asset Lifecycle Management for Reliability and Sustainability (ALM) Program category. Founded in 1972 in Listowel, it is a leading supplier to the Irish, UK and selected international markets. With 147 plants worldwide, it supplies more than 15,000 food, food ingredients and flavoring products to customers in 140 countries.
Company representatives explain that Kerry Ingredients APMEA's Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) Framework of Excellence is an integrated and holistic approach that successfully transformed the company by ensuring top notch safety, quality, reliability, sustainability and profitability in its operations. Muhammad Yusuf Bin Nazman, Regional Maintenance Lead APMEA, explained that the ALM program has been implemented with strategic vision and a focus on empowering the company's talent.
Best Reliability Engineering for Maintenance (REM) Program: JLL
The globally recognized Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (JLL) was this year's winner of the Best Reliability Engineering for Maintenance (REM) Program. JLL is a provider of real estate and investment management services and provides property and corporate facilities management services. It has a team of Reliability Engineers, formalizing processes, frameworks and procedures for the activities contained with the Reliability Engineering for Maintenance Domain (REM), maintaining its commitment to Sustainable Asset Management, adding value to its operations and investing in technology and people.
The organization has digitized its services with the implementation of the unique PM+ system, which has enabled them to make data-driven reliability decisions by integrating data flows to and from the CMMS, to perform criticality analysis, reliability strategy development, reliability engineering, capital projects, repository for root cause analysis, reliability-centric design, among others. “We are proud to receive this award and use it as motivation to move forward on our Reliability Journey” - said Brendon Russ, Global Lead, Reliability and Asset Management at JLL.
Best Digitalization for Reliability and Asset Management Program: Pan American Energy
Pan American Energy (PAE) was recognized as Best Digitalization for Reliability and Asset Management Program. This global energy company operates in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, and Brazil, and explores and produces oil and gas, refines and markets fuels, lubricants and high-quality chemicals, as well as building wind farms in Brazil and Argentina as part of its energy transformation.
The organization received the award due to its digital transformation efforts at the Campana Refinery (Argentina), with a Digital Transformation Roadmap comprising Knowledge Management; Smart Enterprise; Connected Assets; Connected Worker; and Operations Agility, aligned with Uptime® Elements™, specifically the IoT Domain. Its digital transformation journey also includes the addition of the Digital Twin and Artificial Intelligence for Predictive Analytics. “We have adopted a culture of continuous improvement, focused on the needs of our internal customers, the Uptime® Elements™ Framework has been key to improving our system” -said Javier Marcelo Mascheroni, Reliability & Maintenance Manager, upon hearing the news of this award.
Best Overall Program: Pan American Energy
Pan American Energy was also the winner of the Best Overall Program category, due to its proven ability to establish corporate objectives and departments aligned with the organization's goals through PDM management tools, and the application of the “Operations Integrity System” management framework: Assignment of asset criticality or risk in CMMS, the development of Reliability strategies, preventive plans, proactive maintenance, ODR included in Hexagon J5 on each shift, and strategic application of digital technologies to achieve its objectives. The Award for Best Refinery (in LATAM), by the World Refining Association was acknowledged by Andres Roberto Cincotta. QAQC Leader - Reliability & Maintenance Department.
Best Leadership for Reliability (LER) Program: CCCSD Central San
This year, Central San was the winner of the Best Leadership for Reliability (LER) Program of the Uptime Awards. Since 1946, this company located about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco has provided wastewater services to nearly 500,000 residents and more than 3,000 businesses in Central Contra Costa County, maintaining more than 1,500 miles of sewer mains and 18 sewer pump stations. It also collects more than 2 million pounds of household hazardous waste and more than 1,500 kilograms of unwanted medication annually.
This award has been the result of continuous improvement by implementing an Asset Management Plan aligned with ISO 55000 standards, having an excellent Reliability program and developing a culture of leadership, and achieving more than two decades of 100% compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, making it one of the top 20 in the United States. Neil Meyer, Maintenance Division Manager, said that this award “is a testament to our Reliability journey, which could not be achieved without a culture of leadership and a dedicated, talented and inspired workforce working with a common vision, values and mission.”
Best Competency Based Learning (CBL) Program: CINTAS Corporation
This year's Best Competency Based Learning (CBL) Program recognition went to Cintas Corporation. Headquartered in Mason, Ohio, Cintas supplies a wide range of products and services including uniforms, carpet mats, janitorial and restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguishers and testing, and safety courses. Cintas is a public company traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is included in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
Cintas has won other Uptime Awards in the categories of Maintenance Safety, Best Reliability Leadership and Best Reliability Program. This new award is recognition of Cintas’ efforts to train its technicians, front-line operators, operations leaders and senior executives. “This award is a testament that, at Cintas, there is a deep appreciation for the value and contributions of our Reliability strategy. The company provides strong support, the necessary resources and funding for effective Reliability training and development programs,” said Eric Ayanegui, Sr. Director Operations Engineering at Cintas.
Best Asset Condition Management (ACM) Program: Arnold Engineering Development Complex
The Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) earned this year's Best Asset Condition Management (ACM) Program award, demonstrating its high capability and reliability in the operation of more than 68 wind and propulsion tunnels, rocket engine and turbine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges and other specialized units located in eight states. Many of the complex's test units are unique in the world.
The organization oversees thousands of assets that vary in both size and complexity. Its Asset Management program is divided into Reliability Engineering, Pressurized and Hazardous Materials Systems (PHMS) Engineering, Condition Based Maintenance Engineering, and Data Management. Each group has specific activities by area, and this program along with the application of emerging technologies has brought them cost savings of more than $20 million over the past few years, also earning them a Spark Tank award for the use of acoustic imaging, presented by the Air Force Material Command (AFMC). “We are honored to receive the award from ReliabilityWeb.com, which validates our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement in the field of maintenance and reliability,” said Craig Calcagno, Asset Health Assurance Staff Engineer.
Best Defect Elimination (DE) Program: Saudi Aramco, Khursaniyah Gas Plant
The Uptime Award in the Best Defects Elimination Program category for 2024 went to the Saudi Aramco, Khursaniyah Gas Plant. The plant, located in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, has developed a new methodology that improves Reliability by eliminating defects, which avoids downtime and production losses. Khursaniyah Gas Plant processes associated and non-associated gas and sour condensate from oil and gas fields, supporting Saudi Aramco's business objectives. Its Defect Elimination program protects equipment availability and prevents the introduction of defects anywhere in the equipment life cycle. This award represents “a catalyst in the transformation of reliability measurement and commitment to action,” said Walid Alghamdi, Operations Manager.
Khursaniyah Gas Plant proudly unveils Tech-Time, an in-house developed program designed to revolutionize maintenance reliability. By providing 24/7 access to expert guidance and leveraging cutting-edge tools like virtual reality, Tech-Time empowers employees to address maintenance challenges in real time. This initiative fosters a culture of defect elimination, ensuring long-term asset uptime, reduced downtime, and enhanced operational efficiency. With Tech-Time, we are not just fixing problems — we are creating a future of sustained reliability and success. “It is not just a program; it is a culture shift”. said Samil Alshaibani, Reliability Unit Head.
Special recognition in Risk Management: NASA
NASA, the U.S. government agency dedicated to space research and exploration, and the development of technologies inherent to this activity, received Special Recognition in Risk Management, after developing and implementing an Agency Master Plan, based on the Reliability Centered-Maintenance (RCM) model, which uses predictive maintenance and online condition monitoring (OCM) technology to minimize unplanned failures.
The agency applies a Tiered Maintenance (TM) strategy to address the maintenance funding gap by addressing the highest risk assets. It does this by leveraging Mission Relevance (MR) scores that rank facilities based on their mission, ensuring that funding is distributed and utilized effectively across the Agency. This system ranks facilities into four tiers (facilities with the highest MR scores receive more resources) and provides a clear framework for facilities to allocate their annual resources. This strategy ensures that critical facilities receive the necessary financial support, thereby reducing risk to the Agency's missions.
“NASA is honored to be recognized with the Special Recognition in Risk Management award, which validates NASA's risk-based strategies in managing the maintenance and operations requirements of real property assets in an era of constrained budgets. NASA will apply continued emphasis on utilizing an RCM approach, which will result in improved asset management practices and methodologies,” said Michael Stites, Agency RCM Program Manager.