Joining forces to to drive productivity

The Asset Management portfolio combines Nexus Global’s management software tools with GP Strategies’ engineering knowledge, maintenance and reliability training skills, and service delivery.

Providing a comprehensive solution to manufacturers’ asset management strategy, the complete toolkit enables users to train staff, validate asset performance data, plan maintenance activity, and investigate the root cause of machinery failure.

“Asset Management is about ensuring that the physical assets we use to manufacture products are fully with operators and maintenance staff having the right skills and data to maintain them. Better planning, based on superior knowledge and data, means that equipment can be used more efficiently with fewer interruptions for planned maintenance or for failures,” states Paul Nokes, GP Strategies’ vice president for engineering and technical services, EMEA. “By identifying the right strategy for maintenance, we can save plant operators time and money and drive operating efficiency.”

GP Strategies is a global engineering and technical services organisation headquartered in the United States. European multi-national division Lorien Engineering Solutions, which employs 120 people in Burton on Trent, UK, and Wroclaw, Poland, is an engineering design and project management firm that specialises in capital projects in the food and drink, brewing, and life sciences sectors.

Doug Robey, vice president of GP Strategies in the US, says: “GP has long-established expertise in the areas of engineering craft skills assessment, hands-on craft skills training, and maintenance documentation development, which we are now bringing to the UK thanks to this partnership. The Nexus Global tools focus on reliable engineering, driving the correct actions that are based upon good data. We believe that this combination provides GP with a comprehensive and powerful offering, particularly to the process and general manufacturing industry.”

US-based Nexus Global Business Solutions is a global asset performance management consulting company that provides customised, comprehensive solutions to organisations across the US, Canada, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Larry Olson, president, Nexus Global, said, “The more we spoke to GP Strategies, the more we realised the power of combining our knowledge and experience. We believe there is nothing else like this in the market. The tools that we have developed will be combined with best-in-class knowledge and service delivery from GP Strategies. We’re excited about this partnership and the benefits it can bring to UK manufacturers.”

The Asset Management suite of tools includes:

• Business Optimizer (operational excellence and leadership training)
• Data Optimizer (validating asset performance data)
• Planning Optimizer (for planned maintenance activity scheduling and tracking)
• Investigation Optimizer (Reliability Investigation Management System – to investigate the root cause of failure)
• Strategy Optimizer (planned maintenance optimization to assess how critical an item is and how it may fail).