POWER UP A WINNER - Plant Services

asset manager
Fee for results
One option (that hasn’t yet gained
much momentum) is to pay the vendor
based on long-term results. This can
dramatically increase the probability
of a successful implementation if objectives
are well documented and communicated,
payment is in the form of a
bonus (not built into the base fee), users
also receive an equally meaningful
bonus for meeting the same objectives,
and targets are achievable.
dc: It’s not what
it used to be
ABB Inc.
Low Voltage Motors
800-752-0696
www.abb.com/motors
© Copyright 2009 ABB
The ABB DMI – Leading edge DC motor technology
With the DMI DC motor, ABB has made
something good even better. ABB has
applied the latest modeling software
to ensure DMI motor designs have the
most efficient magnetic flux and heat flows attainable.
This leads to an increase in the power densities of each frame
size, making more power available in a smaller package.
ABB rotational brush gear design allows maintenance personnel
to check and change brushes from either side of the motor.
For more information, call 800-752-0696 or visit
www.abb.com/motors.
Software as a service
Although CMMS vendors don’t yet define
software as a service (SaaS) consistently,
there are some common threads.
At a minimum, a monthly subscription
rate covers at least software licenses and
maintenance fees, for example, $30 per
module per user per month. At the other
end of the spectrum, some SaaS providers
bundle absolutely everything into the
subscription price, including software,
hosting infrastructure, maintenance,
and unlimited support, training and
implementation services. The pricing
might be, say, $200 per 100-hour block
of use, regardless of the number of
named users or modules accessed.
Users have jumped on the SaaS
bandwagon because of the reduced
burden on cash flow, the appeal of
paying only for what is used, and the
flexibility to scale up or down quickly
in terms of functionality or the
number of users. But, there’s no way
to compare it to traditional pricing
without crunching the numbers.
Formal long-term partnership
One extreme is a formal, long-term
contract such as a joint venture or
outsource arrangement. Most CMMS
vendors are happy to work with a
third-party contract maintenance
company and supply the CMMS, but
are reluctant to supply and manage
the maintenance technicians or their
managers. Perhaps this will eventually
change if CMMS vendors continue
on their current path of transformation,
from CMMS software supplier to
asset-management services provider.
E-mail Contributing Editor David Berger,
P.Eng., partner, Western Management
Consultants, at david@wmc.on.ca.
22 APRIL 2009 www.PLANTSERVICES.com
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