Many years ago I was employed by a fairly large company\nwith many and diverse operations to keep the gears turning towards increasing\nvalue for shareholders. It was during those years that I realized the value of\nsetting clear objectives that will create focus on desired performance and\noutcomes in a complex organization. And if every division did its bit of\nsetting, managing and achieving objectives, we should arrive at an accomplished\nmission for the greater organization. Not that we always succeeded in every\nrespect, but the company\u2019s performance was definitely above average and today\nis a JSE listed company of note. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Applying this principle to the micro business environment takes us to\nthe boiler house with a burning question: is there a proper mission for steam\nplant operations (SPO)? And can it be broken down into key performance areas\n(KPA\u2019s) and key performance indicators (KPI\u2019s)? I am convinced it can be done,\nprovided we ask the right questions and adopt a proper approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first question is to identify who the \u201cClient\u201d of steam plant\noperations is, as the client will definitely have a significant say in the\nobjectives of SPO. Normally it is Production, or Operations, or the entity\nusing the steam to create value elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second question follows naturally from the first, namely what\nexactly does the client\/user require from SPO in terms of steam supply?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And lastly SPO has to consider the requirements of the larger\norganization and how it expects SPO to contribute to its mission. This includes\ndepartments such as finance, occupational health and safety and the\nenvironment, quality assurance, engineering, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cannot be too difficult to find the answers. My personal attempt is\nlisted below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My proposed Mission for SPO then: To continuously supply steam to\nOperations at the required steam pressure at the lowest total cost per unit,\nwhilst preserving steam plant assets and not compromising the health and safety\nof persons, or the environment. (Or any derivative of the aforementioned.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How is SPO to respond to this proposed mission? In a nutshell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately there is no shortcut to excellence. It always requires\nhard work, sound knowledge and lots of dedication to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This post was compiled by Ren\u00e9 le Roux<\/strong> for\nLe Roux Combustion, all rights reserved. Do you want to know more about steam\nplant management? Please contact us for your professional boiler automation,\nsteam system efficiency and coal characterization needs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kindly note that our posts do not constitute professional\nadvice and the comments, opinions and conclusions drawn from this post must be\nevaluated and implemented with discretion by our readers at their own risk.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many years ago I was employed by a fairly large company with many and diverse operations to keep the gears turning towards increasing value for shareholders. It was during those years that I realized the value of setting clear objectives that will create focus on desired performance and outcomes in a complex organization. And if … <\/p>\n