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Omron STI Launches Asset Relocation Assessment Services

05/18/2009

FREMONT, Calif.– Omron Scientific Technologies introduces Asset Relocation Services. The program is designed to help companies who are downsizing to determine the federal and local compliance level of its machines that qualify for relocation and the cost to bring those machines into compliance. The aim is to help companies make tough decisions about which machines are most valuable and cost-effective to them during a plant or facility consolidation.
 
“Due to economic conditions, many companies are forced to get lean through downsizing and consolidation, which often results in plant or facility consolidation and the relocation of the company’s machine assets,” says John Peabody, Omron vice president of major accounts. “There are a few key questions that need to be asked and answered before relocating production equipment, including how many machines should be relocated and what are the overall decision criteria in selecting one machine over another.”
 
Selection criteria often come down to the following:

·         Machine production rates
·         Machine uses and versatility
·         Reliability and maintainability of the machine
·         Machine compliance with federal and local safety requirements – if machines are not compliant, what is needed to bring them into compliance?
·         Cost to bring non-compliant machines into compliance.

“Plant production and maintenance personnel are well suited to providing answers and rating scores on the first three criteria, but the remaining answers are best left to machine safety experts,” says Peabody.
 
Following a defined process, an Omron STI machine safety expert will provide answers to the compliance-related questions by assessing all machines that may qualify for relocation based on the company’s score to the first three questions, and assessing all qualified machines relative to the regulations of the destination country if other than the current country. A comprehensive assessment report is then provided to help the company in its decision making process. The report includes:

·         List of applicable safety standards or regulations reviewed and considered during the assessment
·         Overview of the assessment process and method used to determine the risk level for each machine
·         Explanation of the risk reduction requirements that should be applied based on risk level
·         Machine identification (manufacturer, type, model number, serial number, asset number, location, etc.)
·         Description of the hazards associated with the machine
·         Risk reduction performance requirements to achieve compliance
·         Safety-related control system (safety circuits) performance requirements to achieve compliance based on the risk level for the machine
·         Residual risk level for the machine if the recommended safeguarding measures are installed in accordance with all applicable regulations and standards
·         Risk reduction (safeguarding) recommendations with detailed written information covering the type and location of the safeguarding measures recommended and a description of how they will be applied to reduce the risk to a tolerable level of risk
·         A drawing of the guarding concept and approximate location of the guards and safety devices on the machine
·         Corrective action prioritization score for each machine assessed to help establish relocation priorities
·         The estimated cost to bring each machine into compliance.

"While all components in the report are important, the corrective action score and corrective action costs are vital for making an informed decision on which machines should stay, and which should go,” says Peabody.  “In most cases selecting the machines with the lowest corrective action score will save the company money, and with this information, management can make a well informed decision in minutes instead of weeks or even months.”