Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are very complex processes consisting of a closed system of water cleansing. In this system, the water from the tanks is flowed out to pass filtering, degassing, and oxygenation process just to flow back into the tanks, and the cycle repeats. One of the challenges this kind of system encounters is to keep its components completely functional, all its parts in top condition, and run frequent inspections to ensure sustainable farming. This is where Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) comes into the scene to ease this process.
EAM is a module within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management that allows users to foresee all current assets states and tracks their maintenance while generating reports containing information about the expenses and workers assigned to the different parts of the RAS.
With Microsoft Dynamics 365 EAM, you can easily track all maintenance processes within your company by using two options: Preventive Maintenance and Corrective Maintenance. In this blog, I would like to explain how Dynamics 365 Enterprise Asset Management helps aquaculture businesses facilitate their RAS maintenance tasks, including other elements within the maintenance process such as faults, maintenance workers, and consumption of each maintenance work.
1. Preventive Maintenance
Preventive Maintenance is a setup of a Maintenance Plan scheduled to follow a time or counter condition. When that condition is met, the work order for the asset is created.
For example, one of our clients has a Maintenance Plan for the lubrication of Drumfilters, which happens every two weeks; this maintenance plan can only apply to the assets with the Asset Type “filter.” When the maintenance plan is scheduled, the system will take the start date, for example, 04/01/2020, count two weeks from there, and create a work order for the assets that need a lubrication maintenance job such as all the Drumfilters.
2. Corrective Maintenance
On the other hand, Corrective Maintenance has a more reactive approach; it no longer depends on planning the maintenance ahead of time but instead is made when reparations are needed beyond schedule.
The way we usually manage Corrective Maintenance is:
- A worker observes an issue with an asset
Ex: A pipe is leaking, or a pump is making a strange noise
- The worker creates a Maintenance Request in which the asset is selected describing the issue he observed and, if possible, the maintenance job that should be performed
- The Maintenance Clerk then reviews the request and approves or rejects it.
- If approved, the Maintenance Clerk turns the request into a work order
- The work order is scheduled, and the Maintenance Worker can perform the required maintenance job to the asset
3. Forecast and Consumption
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Asset Management helps you create and apply information regarding incurring costs, working hours, item consumption, and other expenses.
For example, a Coil Cleaning job will always take one hour of work and the consumption of an inventory item. By setting this up as a default consumption, it can be transferred to any work order regarding a Coil Cleaning job, and its forecast will show that one hour and an inventory item will be spent in the maintenance task.
This setup will also facilitate the posting of Consumption Journals for the maintenance worker because he or she will just copy the data from the forecast, validate it, and post the consumption journal.
4. Workers
Now that we are talking about workers, Microsoft Dynamics 365 EAM can also register a maintenance worker and assign him or her to a worker group or a specific asset location.
Not only that, but you can also use the Responsible Maintenance Worker Form to assign a worker or a worker group to a specific asset, all assets of a certain type, location, or to perform a job only they are capable of doing, or a combination of all of the above.
For example, you can assign one of your workers to be responsible for the installation processes of Flow Indicator Transmitters that are located in a facility, that way, every time a Maintenance Job meets these conditions, the task will be automatically be assigned to him or her.
5. Fault Management
Microsoft Dynamics 365 EAM allows you to use the Fault Designer Form to be informed about the failures an asset might suffer; this will help you identify common issues and its symptoms into an asset and possible solutions on a work order.
All these components are on the Fault Designer so you can control and access the complete information of common and not so common failures that your assets might present.
In conclusion, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Asset Management is a great tool to maintain your Recirculating Aquaculture System functional and sustainable. By keeping track of maintenance deployments onto your assets; while being able to inquire about the maintenance information such as assigned workers, maintenance schedule, required parts, cost, and common faults that may appear during the recirculating process. Simply put, Enterprise Asset Management grants you complete control over the state of the system and its components.
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope it helps you see how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can provide more excellent coverage in the maintenance of your company’s assets.
If you want to learn more about the benefits the aquaculture industry can obtain with Microsoft Dynamics 365, please download our case study on Atlantic Sapphire’s implementation
And if you want to learn how the solution applies to your business’ specific needs, please contact us