We are pleased to announce that Arkman has been appointed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) as one of the successful tenderers to provide Expert Strategic Energy Management Support and Expertise in Energy Technologies to the Public Sector.

SEAI will be providing a number of supports to investigate energy saving opportunities and to identify what is required to realise these.

As one of SEAI’s Energy Advisors, Arkman will supply the appropriate guidance, assessment and mentoring support to enable organisations to realise valuable energy savings. 

We have carried out over 100 energy assessments and audits across a wide range of sectors during the last 10 years.  

• When approaching any design or optimisation project, we take a comprehensive and holistic view of all resource consumption. 
• Analysis of existing systems and the preparation of briefs and specifications for planned systems are central to this activity.  We will deliver Customised Energy Assessments to our clients based on our practical experience, sound knowledge and training. 
•  We are conscious of the importance of organisational awareness and staff commitment and inclusiveness in the drive to secure better energy performance.  These factors are essential to Energy Awareness and to Continuous Improvement activity. 
• We have built up a range of instrumentation to enable us to evaluate energy installations accurately and appropriately.  This includes leak detection equipment, pressure and flow measurement and light metering.  Our extensive industrial experience has given us a broad body of knowledge of the design and operation of pumping and treatment systems. 
• We are acutely aware of the need to highlight the necessity for Energy Efficient Design, where, at the outset of a project, analysis and consideration of such aspects as the fuel selection, sizing, certified boiler efficiency, boiler controls and water quality are undertaken. 
• We will prepare recommendations for organisations based on the analysis of data and information gathered from that specific business entity. Our Energy Performance and Assessment Process will be applied to all assessments. 

In Arkman’s view there is no single solution that can be applied in a general way to an organisation. 

Our methodology entails considering energy issues on an individual basis and evaluating each accordingly.

 “… Businesses that are focused on clean low-carbon products and services, clean technologies and behaviours will be central to the next phase of economic development…”

Brendan Halligan, Chairperson, SEAI (The SEAI’s Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015)

“All over the world, you can see an increasing urge to make savings and optimise business processes. This leads to a reduction in available budgets, limited expenses, lowered costs and rationalisation of organisations and their process work flows.  At the same time, there is an increasing urge for transparency and accountability.”   

Assets, The Institute of Asset Management Magazine, November 2010.

In Asset Management the orientation is shifting from a preoccupation with technical details to the recognition of the need for system functionality.  Old methods – for example, the way contract requirement issues were handled – are becoming redundant.  Lifecycle-oriented functional requirements in long-term integrated contracts are now becoming a stipulation as opposed to detailed prescription of technical solutions in specific contracts.  Changing responsibilities are leading to changes in training, education, organisation and company culture.  Asset owners are coming to appreciate the limitations of a one-dimensional operational level, and the need to deal with maintenance on a strategic level.

BSI PAS 55:2008

PAS 55, the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) Publicly Available Specification for the optimised management of physical assets, with its clear definitions and its 28-point requirements specification for establishing and verifying a joined-up, optimised and “whole-life” management system for all types of physical assets provides the basis for our thinking on Asset Management in Ireland.  

Compliance provides evidence of systematic, cross-disciplinary and optimised management that correctly blends responses to short-term requirements with the sustainable delivery of long-term goals.  The specification provides guidance on achieving and sustaining good practice in all facets of acquiring, owning and ultimately disposing of physical assets. It defines the integrated approach required to meet conflicting stakeholder demands, achieve best value-for-money, and deliver significant performance improvements.

Arkman Consulting Engineers can assist you to add the following benefits to your business:

• Enhanced customer satisfaction from improved performance and control of service delivery;
• The ability to achieve and demonstrate best value for money;
• Improved risk management and corporate governance – with a clear audit trail;
• Optimised return on investment and/or growth;
• Improved maintenance processes, priorities and practices;
• Improved health, safety and environmental performance;
• A Computerised Maintenance Management System that will enable you to measure the success of your strategies;
• Confidence from long-term planning, better sustainability and performance;
• Improved corporate reputation, including enhanced shareholder value, greater staff satisfaction and a more efficient procurement and supply chain.

 Asset Management with Arkman Consulting Engineers

                  From 7:00pm

Where:  Institute of Technology

                  Carlow

Contact: Pat Roche (pat@arkman.ie)

Details:

About the Speaker:

Ray O’Neill has a Master’s Degree (Distinction) in Maintenance and Asset Management from the University of Manchester.  Winner of the Farnell Prize for best Master’s Degree; winner of the MEETA National Maintenance Manager of the Year awards (SME section); former Chairman of MEETA, the Irish Maintenance Society, Ray has over 20 years of Asset Management experience.

About the Event:

Asset Management is a term that is becoming more frequently used in relation to “whole life” maintenance and holistic management of physical assets.  The talk will explain the aims and objectives of asset management and its relevance to organisations.

Admission:   Free.  All welcome!

“The Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte T.D., has announced the launch of a capital fund to support sustainable energy investments in 2012 in the public, commercial, industrial and community sectors. This fund, as part of the Better Energy programme, aims to deliver a major increase in the pace, scale and depth of sustainable energy investments in upgrading existing buildings and facilities.”

On its website today, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland announced that applications for funding would be evaluated on a competitive bid basis. 

The deadline for receipt of applications is Monday, 30 April 2012.

For more information see: http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_Energy_Workplaces/

Arkman Consulting believes that all stake-holders in Ireland need to implement strong energy efficiency actions designed to reduce energy intensity and usage:

• Existing commercial and domestic buildings will need to be up-graded to achieve higher energy standards that will generate lifetime energy savings;
• New buildings should be designed with minimum energy use in mind.  Renewable energy measures such as solar thermal / heat pumps / biomass boilers / stoves should be considered;
• Existing buildings such as hospitals and hotels could be retro-fitted with solar panels for space and water heating.  Photovoltaic (PV) panels, which convert solar energy directly into electricity, are particularly relevant for stand-alone power systems. On a small scale, PV panels can power electric fencing. On a larger scale, they can provide back-up power where grid supplies are unreliable.

We are well-positioned to offer advice and to provide solutions that will optimise energy usage and reduce overall energy spend, and to initiate monitoring and reviewing criteria that will maximise the functionality of systems already in place.

We intend to be at the forefront of the transformation of Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices.

Call:

 Pat Roche on 087 248 4566 or

John O’Callaghan on 087 239 9585

Arkman Consulting Engineers has many years experience working in hospital environments, and is familiar with the particular requirements and controls that are essential when healthcare projects are undertaken.

What We Can Offer Our Clients:

• Wide-ranging Knowledge & Expertise
• Experience & Professionalism
• Risk Management
• An Ethical Approach
• Quality Service
• Responsiveness to specific client needs

Our Principal Activities in the Healthcare Sector:

• Project Management
• Health & Safety
• Design & Specification of specific Hospital Services such as Ultra Clean Ventilation
• Maintenance & Energy Conservation
• Specific Control Measures such as Sterile Services, Isolation Rooms & Theatre Design
• Selection & Installation of Clinical Equipment
• Facilitation of Internal Hospital Moves & Transfers
• Compliance with Standards such as SARI, HIQA & HTM

We Also Offer Lean Analysis & Implementation:

Many healthcare organisations are embracing Lean Healthcare as a methodology for improved flow and efficiency.  The best time to consider the implementation of such systems is at the concept stage of a construction or renovation project. The essence of Lean is the systems approach, which is holistic.  Lean is not about manufacturing or service, but about the system that brings both of these together. 

Lean provides ways of making processes flow faster, more smoothly, more efficiently and more consistently.  Redesigning healthcare by applying principles borrowed from industry can result in the elimination of hospital-acquired infections and other medical problems. The more waste one removes from a process, the leaner it becomes.  The leaner it becomes, the more efficient it becomes. 

Lean:

• Focuses on maximising process velocity
• Provides tools for analysing process flow and delay times at each activity in a process
• Centres on the separation of “value-added” from “non-value-added” work with tools to eliminate the root causes of non-value-add activities and their cost
• Provides a means for quantifying and eliminating the cost of complexity

 Our Recent Healthcare Projects:

• New state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the Mater Private Hospital
• Multi-storey block at St. Vincent’s University Hospital
• Refurbishment of Crosslanes Medical Centre, Drogheda
• Cork Medical Centre design team

Arkman has a Strategic Approach to Improvement Projects:

•  Project Management & Engineering

          Our core activity -where we develop specifications to make our clients’ strategic decisions a physical

          reality & bring their concepts to life;

• Risk Management

          Developing a robust risk management approach for construction & industrial activity;

• Performance Improvement at All Levels

          Where we’ve delivered integrated process improvements & provided cost-effective solutions. 

 Recent Projects:

• Healthcare: A new state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the Mater Private Hospital;

• Safety & Construction: Disability Access for County Wexford VEC; PSDP for a range of clients;

• Energy Efficiency: Energy Management for Ferns National School through Eco Evolution’s “Eco Ed” project;

• Industry: Energy Assessments for SEAI & Glanbia; Energy Project Engineering for a range of clients.

Keeping Up with New Developments:

• The MEETA Annual Conference focused on Structures for Continuous Improvement, Implementing Change & effective Asset Management;

• An Engineers Ireland Seminar on Designing for Safety in Construction, offering practical advice for designers & design teams;

• Committee meetings to craft the proposed International Standard for Asset Management – ISO55000 – to be in place by 2014.  Based on PAS55, it will establish a common language for Asset Management.

Effective Project Management should imply best practice risk assessment and safety management. With the right approach, these objectives are not difficult to achieve and should be less costly and more effective than the alternative reactionary approach, which always increases the risk of a costly incident or occurrence.

The development of User Requirement and other specifications is a complex and time-consuming activity. Arkman can provide specialist knowledge that will help business to streamline this process. We can also assist with avoiding difficult issues should they occur during a project and will advise how to deal with them if the need arises. In addition, Arkman also has all the Project Management skills necessary to optimise outcomes for a project.

Contact Arkman Consulting for more.

Today, Asset Management is a holistic activity that takes into account all the responsibilities that owning, managing or operating an asset demands. Asset Management standards have evolved to a very high level (PAS55 and others) and are continuing to do so.

These standards help businesses to get the best possible return from their assets, while at the same time assisting them to mitigate or eliminate risks.

Contact Arkman Consulting for more information.