Gas Turbine Handbook : Principles and Practices

Case Study #3 267
develop operating and maintenance instructions; perform routine,
preventive and corrective maintenance; develop and present training
to others; and manage any contractors that may be required to perform
work on that system. They perform outage and parts planning
required for work and coordinate any tests or vendor activities. They
are truly “system owners” and that pride of ownership is reflected in
the way the plant is maintained.
The plant’s management staff is acutely aware of the importance
of a solid spare parts program. In the event of an unplanned
failure, the plant must be able to respond swiftly to return to service.
This is accomplished most effectively by replacing any parts that may
be suspect and troubleshooting those parts after the plant is returned
to operation. The plant carries an inventory of spare parts in excess
of one and one-half million dollars.
The facility is staffed with 20 full-time employees. With the exception
of an instrument technician and a utility man, there is no dedicated
maintenance crew at the plant. Routine maintenance, including
welding, equipment repair and grounds maintenance is performed by
the operating group. Major equipment overhauls and specialty services
are contracted when expertise or manpower requirements preclude
the use of site personnel. This arrangement eliminates many of the
boundaries typical of a more conventional organization with separate
maintenance and operations departments. As a result, the operator/
technicians become more knowledgeable about the plant and develop
an attitude of plant and equipment ownership.
COMMITMENT TO PARTNERSHIP
A host of technical disciplines were brought together to insure
the delivery of a reliable energy source that would meet the requirements
of PG&E and Gilroy Foods, Inc., the plant’s customers.
In addition, an underlying philosophy of customer satisfaction
and team involvement has been integrated into the daily operation of
the plant. The plant staff assumes the customers of PG&E and Gilroy
Foods, Inc. as their own and they work to insure these customers are
well served.
The dedication to meeting PG&E’s needs, as well as PG&E’s
dependence upon the plant is apparent in several respects. For one