April 13, 2021

Modern maintenance and strong cooperation are key to the production plant’s success

The maintenance function has become increasingly integrated in factories’ production processes. As a pioneer in the development of maintenance, Quant produces world class maintenance services for customers, bringing safety thinking to the forefront.

The development steps of the maintenance process are always defined together with the customer, at the same time keeping focus on the development of the safety culture and environmental aspects.

“Modern tools have streamlined processes, but maintenance is still up to the people. The innovativeness of employees provides a strong foundation for the development of the entire company, making us able to offer good solutions to maximize reliability and production efficiency”, says Quant Finland’s Area Director Mikko Luoma.

Special expertise supporting the core maintenance

Quant Finland has established long-term maintenance partnerships, e.g. with Nornickel Harjavalta and Boliden Harjavalta. The most recent co-operation in the Satakunta area started earlier in the spring with BASF Battery Materials Finland Oy.

Quant supports Boliden’s core maintenance function with extensive special expertise and has been able to provide clear added value to maximize operational reliability.

“We are not just a subcontractor, we are a partner who shares common targets and a common goal. Thanks to good cooperation, we have been able to give our best possible support with our special expertise in infra, HVAC, condition monitoring and crane maintenance”, says Quant Finland’s site manager Jani Ekman.

”Since 2017, we have been able to provide clear added value to maximize operational reliability. For example, a major improvement in equipment ownership has been achieved over the years”, Ekman adds.

Strong Total Maintenance partner

The long cooperation with Nornickel has continued for decades, and they are one of Quant Finland’s largest customers where Quant is fully responsible for the maintenance.

”The partnership has deepened significantly over the years with jointly defined strategic goals, which we monitor together using key indicators. A significant achievement is the improvement of technical availability”, says Nornickel’s Production Director Lauri Kokko.

The customer’s industry is at times challenging. Raw materials are changing, which means rebuilding processes from time to time. Improving maintenance requires the ability to perceive short- and long-term issues such as global cycles and the aging of production plants.

“We openly discuss future prospects with Nornickel. Openness is key to respond and determine the new solutions needed in a timely manner. Multilevel cooperation and openness have been the keys to the success of our long-term cooperation. We add value to each other by being strongly involved in each other’s processes,” says Luoma.

High availability

Quant has a long history as maintenance professionals, which is reflected in advanced concepts and processes. Particular emphasis has been placed on digital tools and the development of reporting.

”Together, we have achieved a very high level of plant availability. Over the past six years, Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) has increased by 20%. Production losses due to technical failures have been reduced by 75% in the same period, which has made it possible for the customer to break production records several years in a row, says Quant Finland’s Site Manager Janne Haapala.

”In addition to other important metrics, we actively monitor the site cost of maintenance. The good results are evidenced by the fact that as production volumes have increased, site costs have even fallen slightly”, Kokko adds.

However, one of the most important aspects has always been the development of a safety culture. The importance of safety, cleanliness and hygiene is emphasized especially because of the raw materials processed at the plant.

”The development of occupational safety in the common workplace is also one of the most important goals for Nornickel. We are pleased with Quant’s active commitment to occupational safety. I find it very positive that the entire personnel of the company actively participate in the development of safety, e.g. through safety observations and development proposals,” Kokko says.

”There have been times when the number of accidents has been down to zero per million hours worked. The achievement is good and says a lot about the development during the cooperation”, adds Haapala.

A well-functioning collaboration allows both parties to focus on their own strengths. That is, to develop your own core business.

This article was first published in Finnish on Talouselämä’s website 13.4.2021.