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UTILITIES

POWER GENERATION PLANT

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Our client has ownership of more than 50 power plants in Canada, the United States, and Australia producing 8,460 MW of power. It generates electricity, fueled by coal, natural gas, water, geothermal energy and wind, and sells their commodity to wholesale customers in various regions of Canada, the U.S., and Australia. This organization has approximately $3 billion in annual revenue and more than $9 billion in assets.

Objectives

  • Improved processes and enhanced managerial skill sets.
  • Improved the Continuous Improvement climate and culture in the facility.
  • Ensure that at all times safety levels were maintained or improved upon, and that all changes were sustainable.
  • Reduce overtime costs in Routine Maintenance and Operations.
  • Reduce Contractor costs.

Assessment Findings

  • Little or no sign-out of work was occurring at the beginning of the shifts with regards to how much should be accomplished within a given period of time.
  • Field operators were only performing “visual” inspections when touring, and during the observations there were no “check-lists” or “hand-held devices” used to document temperatures, pressures, oil fill heights, etc.
  • There was a lack of an effective backlog management system in maintenance (thousands of hours of backlog were past due to the planned completion date).
  • Supervisors and Managers did not exhibit appropriate management behaviors such as communicating expectations and following-up on variance to plan with their employees.
  • Supervisors spent a great deal of their time doing administration activities and did not understand how to manage their time between these activities and following-up with their people.
  • There was little monitoring of work throughout the day by individual or by activity (Mechanical, Electrical, or Operators).
  • Problems and the hours associated with them were not being properly documented, tracked and summarized so that they could be assigned to the appropriate individual(s) for permanent resolution.

PVA's Response

  • Provided Supervisors and Managers with the appropriate training and one-on-one coaching to effectively engage in work process analysis and solution implementations.
  • Developed and implemented planning elements as per measured standards.
  • Developed and implemented checklists for operations monitoring conducted by the outside operators.
  • Developed and implemented control documents to better manage costs in the Operations and Maintenance areas.
  • Increased overall compliance to work plans by increasing the pro-active follow-up by the Supervisors and Managers.
  • Increased the effective utilization of in-house versus Contractor crews.

The Results

Some significant results obtained by our Client included:

  • 10% improvement in the levels of Operations overtime.
  • 45% improvement in the levels of Routine Maintenance overtime.
  • 106% attainment of the planned savings target.

Long Term Work Continuation

  • A client coordinator was trained and certified during the PVA engagement
  • A quarterly audit of the new Management Operating System was developed and implemented for the plant Coordinator, and was supported through PVA’s audits over 21 months post the project.
  • A weekly Management Meeting and Executive Report was designed and implemented to ensure that all Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
  • The review process was designed to support and drive the organization to continually improve all aspects of the plant in terms of safety, costs and reliability.
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$1.15
+ BILLION SAVED
4.2
AVERAGE ROI
28
YEARS
580
+ ENGAGEMENTS
220
+ CLIENTS

PVA came into my department for an 8 month period and focused right away on Planning, Processes and Productivity. The initial thought was that the culture of my department would cause significant challenges in implementing the PVA process, but other than a few minor bumps, it has been smooth sailing for the majority of the implementation. I am pleased to say that we have now successfully implemented a weekly work plan, bi-weekly KPI’s, an opportunity-based Steering Committee, held multiple Supervisor coaching sessions, and significantly reduced overtime. Overall the process has been very well received, the PVA staff have been great to work alongside, and I look forward to the next steps in my department’s ongoing Continuous Improvement process.

Matt Dover, Assistant Manager, Transmission Maintenance & Operations - Nova Scotia Power

I have worked directly with the PVA organization for more than 4 years now and have completely enjoyed the experience along with the outcomes of their services. Their hands on approach and direct one on one interaction with the staff is the key to their success. We’ve attempted internal initiatives in the past but our operational nature always redirects resources away from achieving real change. Continuous Improvement is not feared any more, it is part of our culture and is woven into everything we do. The Brown Paper exercise, which seems so long ago, is still referenced today and has flushed out initiatives that continue to be realized today. Along with delivering what they said they would deliver, the close interaction with the PVA staff has opened up opportunities for efficiency that never were originally imagined. I can honestly say that they felt like part of our management team and they were as focused on our business being successful as we were.

Dave Pickles, Senior Director Power Production - Nova Scotia Power

PVA provided the focus, format and coaching to drive change and achieve savings faster than would have been possible without them. The representative onsite was a tremendous resource and extremely effective in leading the activities and communicating with all levels of the organization. The tools that were left from the PVA process will provide the basis for CI for years to come.

Jeff Campbell, Manager - Nova Scotia Power - Point Tupper Generation Plant

PVA’S engagement positively affected work flow efficiency, planning and cost improvement. Existing systems already in place at the station were enhanced, along with additional tools put in place were gaps existed. PVA bring professional expertise in work flow management and provide results that are measurable. The process is established through a management operating system, providing continuous improvement and sustainability. We have attained the savings expected and I feel confident we can sustain the results and continue to improve.