Oulun Energia

In the energy industry, the importance of preventive maintenance is emphasized

According to Ari Pekka Juntunen, Maintenance Engineer at Oulun Energia, the acquisition was preceded by a comprehensive survey of the systems available on the market. The main priorities for the procurement were the ease of use of the system and the possibility of mobile use.

– Our old system did not adequately support our evolving and growing maintenance needs. We wanted a system that is simple to use, but which also integrates with other existing systems. In addition, the system must evolve in the future according to our needs.

Today, Novi is used for daily maintenance management, i.e. work orders, work management, and preventive maintenance management. In addition, there is a wide range of warehouse management functions that provide accurate information on the stock status of products and materials in real time.

Over the years, Oulun Energia has invested significantly in the development of maintenance and especially in preventive maintenance and its implementation. According to Jutunen, without a planned and well-organized preventive maintenance process, the risk of machinery and equipment failure increases significantly, and the number of repairs increases. This also means that maintenance has to keep up with the problems.

– During the deployment project of the new system, we paid particular attention to the systematic and rational management and classification of preventive maintenance. In the past, the problem was that, for example, maintenance routes were not properly planned, and installers had to criss-cross the area. The system saves working hours as the work is carefully planned.

The importance of preventive maintenance is particularly emphasized in the energy sector, where a large part of the workload consists of regular maintenance and upkeep, such as vibration measurements, lubrication, filter changes and various inspections and tests. In Oulu, flexibility has been sought, for example, by earmarking part of the preventive maintenance to individual installers, who are responsible for running the work independently with the help of the maintenance system.

A large equipment fleet brings challenges

Oulun Energia’s own power plants form the basis of energy production, with more than 43,000 units in the equipment register. For maintenance, a large fleet of equipment presents a challenge to manage everything in a systematic and clear way.

A concrete example of fleet management was when in 2020 Oulun Energia commissioned the new Laanila biopower plant, which produces electricity, district heat and process steam. For maintenance, the commissioning of the new plant presented challenges, with maintenance and preventive maintenance planning that started from scratch.

According to Juntunen, the aim was to make work at the new facility as flexible and efficient as possible right from the start. This means that, for example, QR codes were added to the nameplates of all the equipment at the biopower plant. QR codes are a handy way to speed up the identification of equipment and the related maintenance records. The benefits of using QR codes can be seen in the efficiency of daily maintenance processes and also in the improved communication between production and maintenance.

– All in all, we found it reasonably easy to get the new facility up and running, as careful groundwork had been done to fine-tune the system and the working methods that support the needs of the new facility.

According to Juntunen, Novi has been well received by maintenance staff, who especially like its reporting capabilities. In the past, the maintenance system was mainly a tool for supervisors, but now it is used by all staff. For example, during reviews, the progress of the current situation can be visually monitored on a single screen. Knowing how the work is progressing, what work orders have been placed, and what’s coming up next makes it easier to monitor the progress.

Maintenance effectiveness is measured during revision

The energy sector is characterized by the need for electricity and heat production units to be operational at all times, especially during peak demand in cold periods. According to Juntunen, there are between one and two shutdowns per plant each year. During the shutdowns, the effectiveness and functionality of maintenance is reviewed. It must be possible to carry out all the pre-planned and agreed measures during short shutdowns.

This requires careful planning and preparation by the organization. As soon as the previous revision is over, attention is turned to the future.

– We start by replenishing materials and spare parts almost immediately after the end of the previous revision. The processes are long and require good preparation. The pace picks up as you get closer and closer.

According to Juntunen, Novi supports the work well. Maintenance instructions are available for the system, and the future project management feature will further improve the planning of revisions. It is important to get a visual and holistic picture of the situation as it unfolds.

In the future, Oulun Energia will invest even more in condition monitoring. With automatic condition monitoring, various parameters such as vibration values, temperatures or lubricant analyses of equipment and machinery can be monitored accurately and regularly. Anomalies in the data provide important information about potential problems long before the failure causes actual problems. According to Juntunen, condition monitoring makes it possible to carry out maintenance work in a timely manner, and only when the condition of the machinery requires it. Equipment data can be used to monitor their condition, and plan maintenance work to minimize disruption to production.  This makes operations more predictable and, for example, make shutdowns easier to manage.

Functioning cooperation

Juntunen thanks Pinja’s experts for the smooth cooperation. According to him, the joint development projects have been successful, and small changes were made and deployed quickly. Bigger development ideas and concepts have been systematically taken forward.

– I think that a good way to do this is to model development ideas, and compile them in a visual format. With the help of the experts, ideas are put into a workable form that is then easy to take forward.  Ideas are scheduled, and progress is monitored in regular collaboration meetings. This has been an easy and productive way for us to work together.