How to safely, efficiently and cost-effectively service remote sites

Your guide to improving the planning and delivery of remote maintenance events

Delivering planned maintenance for the mining and resources sectors can be uniquely challenging, given the remote location of many operations. Access is often restricted by limited transport networks, making it time consuming and logistically complex to transport people and equipment to site. Remote locations are also prone to weather extremes that can impact maintenance schedules and cause costly delays.

According to Kamaile Knight, General Manager for Industrial Solutions at Coates, choosing the right project partner can help customers to improve maintenance outcomes and address some of these challenges.

“As an experienced industrial solutions provider, Coates understands what it takes to deliver major events in remote locations,” says Kamaile. “With Australia’s largest hire fleet and a network of more than 145 branches across the country, we are uniquely positioned to support the safe, efficient and cost effective delivery of remote customer events.”

Here we explore the challenges that remote site operators face, and how Coates can support all stages of planning, delivering and optimising remote maintenance events.

Data-driven planning and forecasting

Successful maintenance starts with planning, and the more remote the site, the more critical good planning becomes. Coates brings a wealth of data, experience and capability to shape these events, having supported customers in some very isolated locations in and around Australia.

“We take a data-driven approach to accurately forecast and plan maintenance events, ensuring customers will have what they need, when and where they need it,” says Alicia Webley, Business Development Manager (North) for Coates Industrial Solutions. “SiteIQ is a valuable tool that we use to aggregate prior event data. We also draw on vast experience gained during the delivery of major industrial events to inform future planning for our customers.”

SiteIQ extracts maximum value from your hire by helping you to understand how, where and when equipment is being used

Logistics and flexibility

Sourcing and efficiently transporting the right tools, equipment and expertise to and from site is another challenging aspect of delivering remote maintenance events.

“The remoteness of some customer sites requires transport to be meticulously planned and often leaves a very narrow time frame for getting gear to site. If you miss that window, you could face a 2-3 week wait for the next opportunity,” says Alicia.

“Some remote customer sites have decontamination requirements for anything that comes to site, which adds to the complexity of logistics. Weather events can also throw schedules off track with little warning, creating an ever-changing maintenance landscape that it can be difficult to achieve.”

“Working with a provider that not only understands these challenges but can work alongside customers to respond to their changing needs and timeframes, is key to the success of remote maintenance events,” Alicia continues. “With a large and diverse fleet, an experienced industrial solutions team and a vast geographical footprint, Coates has the breadth and flexibility to support customers – no matter how challenging the schedule or how remotely they operate.”

Communication

Communication adds value to any project, but it is critical to servicing remote sites. When you’re working remotely there’s really no margin for error – if a customer doesn’t have what it needs, it can’t be sourced in time to deliver on the schedule of works.

“When we work together to deliver a major event, Coates becomes quite entrenched in a customer’s business – like an extension of their project team,” says Alicia. “This approach keeps communication open and allows us to anticipate a customer’s needs, often before they even need to ask.”

Tailored end-to-end solutions

By engaging an end-to-end solutions provider, customers can streamline delivery and reduce the complexity of remote maintenance events. Coates’ comprehensive solutions include a range of products and supporting services, tailored to meet customer needs. These include:

• Customised on-site tool stores fitted out with hire and customer-owned assets

• Tooling, general and specialist equipment and consumables, including Greener Choices

• Portable buildings including toilets, washrooms and break-out facilities

• Specialists to maintain equipment, manage permits and tool store allocation – all Coates personnel maintain the necessary accreditation to work safely on remote sites

• Technologies like telemetry and SiteIQ to track event assets; optimise utilisation; inform daily reporting; and manage tooling; labour; maintenance; customised contractor access; safety and compliance

• A support ecosystem that includes on-site maintenance and re-fuelling.

Coates' tool store offering includes mobile, permanent or tool store compounds

“Coates takes the time to really understand customer challenges and what’s important to them,” explains Kamaile. “Having this shared vision and understanding allows Coates to tailor its approach, designing solutions that genuinely meet customer needs and enhance onsite execution.”

Very early during conversations with a leading minerals and metals customer, some logistical issues were identified around getting the right equipment and tooling to and from a particularly remote site. In response to these challenges, Coates tailored a specific solution where transport costs were minimised and there was ongoing access to essential equipment, improving the efficiency and supporting short notice changes of an ever-evolving maintenance program.

Coates also worked with this customer to implement a uniquely competitive pricing solution. Both examples demonstrate the value that Coates places on finding innovative and customer-focused solutions, and building long term, mutually beneficial partnerships.

“Most customers aren’t looking for a quick fix, but for a partnership that is commercially viable, sustainable and built on a foundation of trust,” says Kamaile. “Only by taking this approach can we work towards outcomes that everyone is excited to achieve.”

Contact Coates Industrial Solutions for more information on supporting your next shutdown or maintenance event.