CAFM at Corus

10 September 2010

Improving communications and streamlining facilities and maintenance operations in the complex industrial facilities of Europe’s second largest steel producer has been achieved by the implementation of a CAFM application that also has helped centralise the FM service

TRANSITIONING FROM A NUMBER OF paper based systems to one centralised CAFM application at the Corus Swinden Research, Development and Technology site at Rotherham has provided a centralised FM service, improving streamlining its operations.
Corus RD&T (Corus Research & Development Technology) relies heavily on its Engineering & Site Facilities (ESF) department which is responsible for maintaining and supporting H&S measures in order to ensure a safe working environment for its workforce of over 850 employees.
Corus Group was formed in 1999 through a merger of British Steel and Koninkljjke Hoogovens. In 2007, it became a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world’s sixth largest steel producer, and is Europe's second largest steel producer. The effective prioritisation of maintenance requests and the reliability of plant and equipment is critical to the ongoing success of the Corus business.
Corus RD&T required an efficient, reliable and future-proof FM software application to manage the facilities at its Rotherham site. Prior to implementing QFM from Serviceworks many of the servicing and maintenance functions were paper based, with jobs being allocated on an adhoc basis. Communication between the service engineers was often unreliable because individuals remembered job specifics (such as due dates) from memory rather than referring to documentation or data stored in an IT application.
The aim was to seamlessly embed a CAFM system into the Corus Swinden RD&T site in Rotherham, to provide a centralised FM service.
Corus also needed a solution which could support asset management for both the built environment and engineering plant. Following a system selection process, Corus chose QFM software from Service Works Global in 2007.
Since the installation of QFM, Corus RD&T ESF has benefitted from significant improvements in work planning/scheduling. The ESF team utilises QFM to instantly log jobs through a centralised helpdesk, prioritise the tasks, assign to the most appropriate service engineer and close the job once completed.
As Gary Lindley, Facilities Manager at Corus, explaines, ‘The implementation of the QFM system allows priorities to be selected for individual events and ensures that reported work is not overlooked”.
Corus has taken advantage of QFM Event Director, a strategic management tool that provides real-time event information via a graphical interface. Traffic light colour-coding built into the system highlights deadlines and provides the capability to monitor performance and intercept, escalate and action potential issues.
Gary Lindley explains, “QFM Event Director provides invaluable monitoring and work order optimisation information, by highlighting resource issues, contractor performance and producing an overview of outstanding workloads. A variety of additional QFM reports are also used to provide informed management reporting and job status information.”
R&D can by its very nature be dangerous and as such, rigorous control over H&S is paramount. Corus RD&T holds ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) accreditation for its research sites, and QFM ensures that that regulatory compliance of specific equipment and systems is monitored, controlled and reinforced.
Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedules are co-ordinated and managed through QFM, allowing the ESF team to collaborate with different research departments to ensure minimal disruption to core functions during routine maintenance work. As Lindley explains, “Having the PPMs on QFM provides a clear auditing facility which demonstrates legal and regulatory compliance, such as the control of Legionella and asbestos. The system assigns clear responsibility for servicing, maintenance and ownership of equipment, asserting full control over resource planning and budgets”.
Using QFM has enabled Corus to effectively centralise the reporting of repairs and servicing via a company intranet site and thus provide real time information back to the appropriate department regarding start and completion dates. A range of reporting tools ensure that Corus’ management has full visibility of both ESF staff and contractor performance. It has maximised labour output, therefore significantly improving efficiency.
Control, efficiency and effectiveness have improved within the ESF team, enabling the delivery of an optimum service to Corus’ Research departments. In addition, utilised CAFM software to manage legal and regulatory data to support ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) compliance.
Gary Lindley concludes: “Centralisation has meant greater control, more efficient and effective use of resources and less duplication. Our staff are able to effectively prioritise and plan work to ensure that a first class service is provided to the Research Departments. Use of QFM software has raised the profile of the ESF team and increased awareness of the services we provide.”