Generating station maintenance management has become a more complex and integral component for determining the competitiveness and future of many plants throughout the country. No longer can a utility or an individual plant believe that it’s competitive just because there is an electronic maintenance management system in place and good maintenance people. Processes must be established which promote continuous improvements to be made including incremental decreases in overall plant O&M costs, heat rates, and increases in availability and reliability.

Maintenance management is a dynamic process and, as such, requires a system that can provide accurate, current, and reliable data to all personnel involved in the process. Proactive integration of information technology and personnel throughout the plant now allows the utility to assess performance on a real-time basis and adjust processes and controls as necessary to improve that performance. The Independent Power Producers have taken these steps to automate functions which place them at a competitive advantage. Utilities must evolve in a manner that recognizes the competitive forces which they face and the improvements necessary to meet them. Maintenance management strategies which result from true innovation and proactive practices are those that all power producers seek to emulate in the years ahead.