No one would dare to dispute the fact that the maintenance function makes a significant contribution to industrial performance or service quality: making equipment more reliable reduces the number of breakdowns, and the hunt for losses practised by Total Productive Maintenance or Lean maintenance enthusiasts helps to achieve economic objectives. The new technological means that are part of the Industry 4.0 revolution enable value to be further increased through better anticipation of failures and better coordination with production and the supply chain. This has already been widely discussed at the last BEMAS maintenance forums.
But this is no longer enough! The world of work itself, already shaken by the pandemic, must adapt to the profound changes in the hyperconnected society and in industry and services by finding new modes of organisation and new professions.
Maintenance does not only contribute to the profitability of the activities: it contributes very significantly, without sufficiently affirming it, to the meeting of the objectives of a sustainable development balancing economic, environmental and social objectives.
This is exactly the subject of the Maintenance Forum held on 9 June by the BEMAS (Belgian Maintenance Association) at the Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle. Sustainable development for the benefit of maintenance activities, limiting climate change by acting on one of the largest energy consumers in the world: the industrial engine, developing value with maintenance and asset management in the face of new economic and ecological challenges, how to integrate the human element in the transition to an industry 5.0 are just some of the themes raised by our speakers in front of an audience of over 80 people. The participants were then able to exchange with our experts on their personal experiences and establish privileged links in a concern for internal development and the search for excellence.
Forum 2022 was also the occasion to present the Technical Team of the Year Award. Following the floods in July 2021, Chaudfontaine - Coca-Cola Europacific Partners was able to quickly get production back on track thanks to solid planning and the optimistic motivation of its employees. In just 5 weeks, they restarted the 2 most important production lines, without losing sight of safety and quality. The commitment of the staff and the mastery of crisis management made this feat possible, illustrating the importance of maintaining close-knit maintenance teams capable of reacting in the face of adversity. They were awarded the jury prize.
No less than 3,600 m² of the Galler factories disappeared under the water. Their technical department is an example of Belgian resilience: they were able to temporarily move production to the Eeklo site and the company was able to react quickly by restoring its stick production machine in record time. Galler's commitment to the objectives of sustainable development, which was the overall theme of today's Forum, is particularly noteworthy. This commitment is reflected in the monitoring of environmental impacts throughout the production process. In addition, an efficient collaborative organisation makes it possible to achieve this remarkable level of performance for an SME. They receive the public award.
BEMAS is already actively working on finding a theme for the 2023 edition of the Maintenance Forum, which has become the essential meeting place for maintenance professionals in Wallonia to reflect on the fundamentals, best practices and future trends. More information on www.bemas.org