Extending the life of assets: a strategy for reducing the carbon footprint
Asset management has long relied on capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating costs (OPEX) to ensure the satisfactory production capacity of a piece of equipment. While this accounting exercise remains an indispensable part of the equation, the life cycle of a physical asset is no longer…
What is the future for hydrogen in Canada?
In a previous article [1], we sought to discern a winning strategy for Québec to develop its local green hydrogen sector. Let’s briefly summarize its main conclusions: hydrogen is complementary to bioenergy, electrification and to strategies of energy sobriety and efficiency that must characterize the…
How to avoid replacing assets unnecessarily
Industry assets are at the heart of organizations’ production activities. The durability of both infrastructure and industrial assets (buildings, bridges, various networks, tanks, conveyors, crushers, lifting facilities, tailings ponds, etc.) is of paramount importance.
Managers must maintain the overall health of their asset inventory. Extending the life of assets allows to postpone direct investments in the most important ones. The financial pressure naturally decreases over time, thanks to the extension of their lifespan.
How does a mining company’s digital transformation contribute to better management of its assets?
The asset management stream of the mining sector’s digital transformation is well under way and very necessary. Whether we consider the issues of productivity, safety, the environment or competitiveness on global markets, several reasons motivate the search for sustainable asset lifecycle management solutions. Fortunately, the accessibility of modern technology performance tools now facilitates their adoption and the achievement of measurable and therefore useful results. This article provides an overview of what digitization represents in an effective asset durability management approach at a mining company.
How can we innovate in railway turntable design?
Turntables have existed since the 1830s, but nowadays they must adapt to brand-new requirements, which we will address in this article. We will also try to answer the question of how to transform them without generating exorbitant costs, while minimizing shutdown times?
What is the strategy for green hydrogen in Quebec?
From November 23 to 25, 2021, was held the 42nd edition of the Québec Mines + Energy Conference organized by the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles du Québec (MERN). Several conferences featured important players in the Quebec and international energy sector. On the menu: energy transition, decarbonation, electrification, bioenergy and hydrogen. Many participants were intrigued by the comments and analyses on the latter, as hydrogen is on everyone’s lips these days.
What does the future hold for Canada’s oil and gas industry?
After fighting the Covid-19 pandemic for almost two years, Canadians have recently turned their attention back to the environment as their primary concern. While prior to the pandemic one in five Canadians considered the environmental issue to be their primary concern, today 17.1% are again of that opinion.
Successful Digital Transformation
According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, 70% of digital transformation initiatives do not achieve the expected results. Companies that have gone through transformation know how difficult such an initiative can be. We anticipate the upheavals caused by change, employee complaints and the exorbitant costs to be incurred. However, the digitization of certain operations is now essential, and the gains from a digital shift are numerous. At Norda Stelo, we believe that the success of a digital transformation lies in five key factors and that, by creating an environment bringing together these winning conditions, your digital transformation will be a success.
Madagascar’s Industrial Marvel
Lying just 300 miles off the eastern coastline of South Africa, the island republic of Madagascar is a hidden gem that is better known for its rich biodiversity and paradise beaches than for its industrial potential. There is more to this place than meets the…
Emergency responses
Whether it’s a train derailment, a collapsed culvert or a highway blocked by an accident, Jean-Pierre has seen everything is his long career. Emergency responses often receive heavy media coverage, but what happens behind the scenes? Here is an informal discussion that plunges us into the reality of emergency responses by engineers.
How would we respond to a collapsed culvert that forces Autoroute 20 to close on a Friday afternoon, or to the breakdown of a crowded passenger train?
Let’s find out!