News

AMCL awarded Endorsed Training Provider Status by the Institute of Asset Management (IAM)

AMCL’s range of Asset Management training and development courses have been independently assessed as meeting the requirements of the IAM’s Endorsed Training Provider scheme. Course delegates can now receive an IAM endorsed certificate confirming that they have fulfilled relevant knowledge requirements specified in the IAM Competences Framework (2008).

AMCL also offers a single day 'Introduction to Asset Management' course which is open to all. The course includes an overview of BSI PAS 55 and is suitable for those new to Asset Management who require a concise introduction to the subject, its benefits, and the approaches that asset intensive organisations can adopt to deliver sustainable reductions in infrastructure costs.

Specialist advice published for those working in, or learning about,
asset-intensive industries

The first book of its kind, Asset Management : Whole Life Management of Physical Assets, has been published offering comprehensive and accessible coverage of all the major aspects of asset management, and providing an invaluable reference to those striving to deliver sustainable reductions in infrastructure costs. Bringing together the insights, experience and advice of a panel of leading thinkers and practitioners (including AMCL’s Martin Pilling and Richard Edwards) it gives readers multiple perspectives on the practicalities of adopting asset management principles and equips them with tools and frameworks they can use to create effective asset management strategies and cultures within their own organisations.

Successful asset management demands an enterprise-wide, cross-functional approach. The contributions which make up this book each reflect on the origins, development and achievements of asset management, considering its implications for organisational structure and culture, leadership and competence. Contributors draw on data, case studies, examples and illustrations from a wide range of sources including the rail and utilities sectors, oil and gas, process and manufacturing industries, public sector estate management and procurement, climate change research and major civil engineering works.

Asset Management : Whole Life Management of Physical Assets (ISBN: 9780727736536) is published by Thomas Telford Books and can be purchased at : http://www.thomastelford.com/books/bookshop_main.asp?ISBN=9780727736536

AMCL Joins UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Framework Contract

AMCL is pleased to announce it has been awarded membership of a framework contract with the MoD (Ministry of Defence) in the UK. The Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS as it is commonly known) allows for fast and efficient procurement of AMCL’s Technical Support services including Technical Studies, Project Support, and Engineering Support.

The contract runs until March 2011 and the MoD has the option to extend for one further year. FATS provides a faster and more efficient contractual route to procure Technical Support as it offers pre-agreed contract terms and conditions, rates and discounts, and it uses standard Tasking Forms.

AMCL’s capabilities are mapped onto the FATS Technology Taxonomy, and this information is available via a search tool called the Market Knowledge Matrix. FATS can be used by all Ministry of Defence (MoD) Integrated Project Teams (IPTs), Business Units and Departments, and also Other Government Departments and Public Bodies.

BSI PAS 55 Assessment on Scottish Water

BSI PAS 55 (the British Standards Institution’s “Publically Available Specification” for the optimised management of physical assets and infrastructure) is rapidly becoming recognised as the global standard against which asset intensive industries, such as utilities, rail and mining industries, are being benchmarked.

AMCL has recently completed a significant PAS 55 alignment assessment and development roadmap for Scottish Water which will lead to enhancement of its asset management capabilities ‘beyond PAS 55 compliance’ within certain activities.

AMCL is a Patron of the UK based Institute of Asset Management (IAM) and supported the development of BSI PAS 55 : 2008 – the latest revision of PAS 55.

AMCL Develops Maintenance Strategy For London’s “Crossrail” Programme

Crossrail Limited, the subsidary of Transport for London which is tasked with delivering the major new railway running through central London, has appointed AMCL to support the development of long-term, sustainable maintenance for the system.

The Crossrail project delivery programme is progressing well and attention is focussing on ensuring the optimised whole-life cost of the future asst base to provide value for money to the project funders.

To achieve this, Crossrail Limited is looking to ensure that the project uses a 'best appropriate practice' approach to the development of maintenance regimes. With approximately 8 years until the introduction of full service on the railway, AMCL is working in a quadripartite format, with Crossrail Limited and the 3 maintenance contractors as the key stakeholders.

AMCL's knowledge and experience of world-wide Asset Management practice across a range of sectors is helping to ensure a successful outcome to the project development process within demanding timescales.

Rail Infrastructure Reliability to Benefit from a Coordinated Approach to Remote Condition Monitoring

Strategic research undertaken by AMCL on behalf of the UK Department for Transport’s Technical Strategy Advisory Group (TSAG) has identified opportunities for further improvements in rail journey reliability through greater coordination of improvement activities. As a result of this (and ongoing) research, a new group is to be established to ensure greater integration, coordination, and information sharing in order to improve overall rail infrastructure reliability. Key activities that this new group will oversee include:

• Maintaining an ongoing technology watch
• Encouraging the development and application of international information standards
• Encourage the sharing of best practice approaches to cross system analysis methods and to the
  development of prognostic algorithms

The adoption of more sophisticated analysis using data from diverse sources is a key enabling activity in improving rail infrastructure reliability. The adoption of common information standards at interfaces between systems and organisations will be a significant component of these improvement activities.

Serco Docklands Embrace BSI PAS 55

BSI PAS 55 (the British Standards Institution’s “Publically Available Specification” for the optimised management of physical assets and infrastructure) is rapidly becoming recognised as the global standard against which asset intensive industries, such as utilities, rail and mining industries, are being benchmarked.

AMCL has recently completed a significant PAS 55 alignment assessment and development roadmap and training plan for Serco Docklands (that operates and maintains the Docklands Light Railway in London UK) which will lead to enhancement of its asset management capabilities.

AMCL is a Patron of the UK based Institute of Asset Management (IAM) and supported the development of BSI PAS 55 : 2008 – the latest revision of PAS 55.

AMCL Supports Introduction of New Points Technology to the UK Railway

UK mainline rail infrastructure owner Network Rail has recently completed the first phase of implementation of its latest high performance points operating system, the Hy-Drive System. This combines significantly improved UK technology for rail lock and detection, with a hydraulic back-drive system designed by Alstom and used in Italy. The new system meets the requirements laid out in Network Rails most recent and more rigorous standards for points systems in terms of both performance and safety.

AMCL initially supported the introduction of Hy-Drive with a comprehensive competency enhancement plan for internal and external staff providing a Training and Development plan along with a full set of training material for the system. AMCL were then tasked with the execution of the plan, ultimately delivering training to over 800 installers, testers and maintenance staff across the UK over a 2 year period aligned with the system introduction. Full training records and the training materials have now been handed over to Network Rail’s in-house training department with the initial ‘bow wave’ of training successfully delivered.