Louis Houle (1); (1) Systemex Industrial Consulting, St. Johns, FL, U.S.A.
Engineering
Poster
When a new piece of equipment is installed in a plant, such as a
brewery, craft or otherwise, it typically is associated with expected
performance improvement objectives. These targets usually include
increased throughput, lower cost of operation, safer operation or
improved quality control. Achieving these improvements is highly
dependent on the ability of your operation to identify and meet the
equipment’s requirements, starting at the design phase. Misunderstanding
or failing to identify the operation and maintenance requirements of a
new piece of equipment will lead to a system that is out of control,
unable to meet its performance targets, and it will require substantial
investment of time and money, diverting your team from their larger
objectives, in order to be brought back under control. The kind of rigor
required to achieve this is not innate in most companies and is even
rarer in new and emerging companies. Design for maintainability is the
secret tool that will allow you not only to meet your performance
targets more quickly but also to reduce your capital expenditures. It
starts with the development of the project scope and specifications. The
more precise your expectations (speed, availability, safety,
maintainability, etc.) and constraints (environment, product, quality,
etc.) are, the easier it will be to evaluate equipment choices and
establish their compatibility with your situation, your requirements,
and your overall objectives.
Louis received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the
University of Waterloo in Waterloo, ON. He also holds an MBA from the
Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, ON. His
entire career has been spent in operations, including eight years with
Kraft Foods and another eight years with Bacardi. At Kraft, he held
several roles: project engineer, maintenance supervisor and maintenance
manager. This is where he gained great foundational knowledge in
bottling, packaging, operations and asset performance management. He
then increased this experience and gained significant new experience in
the spirit industry while he was the director of operations for Bacardi
Canada in Brampton, ON, and also as the plant director for the Bacardi
Bottling Corporation in Jacksonville, FL. Louis is currently the
managing partner for Systemex Industrial Consulting USA, based in
Jacksonville, FL, where he is responsible for commissioning management,
asset performance management and risk management practices for the
United States. Systemex is a strategic and tactical consulting firm that
helps its clients optimize the reliability, availability and cost of
industrial assets throughout their entire life cycle.
