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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2016
Making Plants...
dose and time left; display of procedure
or checklist; and photo/video recording
of task performance. WEGlass will be
worn by outage workers to provide many
advantages. Crews could have access to
drawing displays, real-time displays of
radiation dose rates, total dose and stay
time for an area. Imagine the value of an
outage worker being able to photograph
and video critical activities, providing
data for oversight, quality and training.
These are just a couple of examples
of how we are further implementing
technology in training and field work to
maintain safe practices and high quality
while reducing overall cost.
Marano
: Outside of training, another
way we are reducing costs is our new
wholly owned subsidiary calledWECTEC.
Within WECTEC we’ve created
WECTECStaffingServices, a business for
our internal use to gradually consolidate
our staffing augmentation. This will
reduce our costs for contract workers
since we are no longer going to pay the
profit and overhead of an outside staffing
company, other than for augment staff
with specific specialized skills. We’ve
been in the process of, and are gradually,
during the next several months, moving
those contractors under our staffing
company. This is a new step and another
which will allow us to eliminate certain
costs of providing services throughout
our product portfolio. We’re trying to
leverage our resources at less cost so that
we can continue to be competitive and
gain that edge. This move, which also puts
us totally in control of our outage staff
acquisition, training and development for
even better continuity and consistency in
personnel, will help us achieve that and
ultimately benefit our utility customers.
5.
What is role of Fluor inWestinghouse’s
operations?
Marano
: Fluor is managing the
construction craft. From the perspective
of labor, Fluor has a lot of architect-
engineering and civil-engineering employees,
whom they are managing across the globe.
When we acquired CB&I, part of that
arrangement included Fluor managing the
actual construction craft because, with their
experience, they understand how to do that
better than we do.While Fluor is not managing
the professional engineering activities, they
have a very critical role and are working in
partnership with us to implement craft labor
at the job site.
6.
How does Westinghouse optimize the
benefit of its services for its clients?
Howell
: We’re taking a look at what a
plant really needs to do, what the priorities
are during an outage and as part of long-
term component asset management for
extended plant life. In the long run, what
is going to help industry the most is to
have the most beneficial work done during
outages that maintains the plant safely
and avoids shutdowns and trips. This is
what will best help utilities maximize
power generation, which is necessary for
maximizing revenue and cutting costs.
Marano
: Through our Voice of the
Customer program, we’ve spoken to many
customers and they have given us a lot of
good feedback. They’ve asked us to look
at commercially how we work with them,
our value to them, and also to improve
delivery performance – they want us to be
as customer-focused as possible. They’ve
also asked us to increase our innovative
practical solutions for them, to improve
our financial management and ensure
our talent management provides the best
foundation for enhanced skills and training.
Those requests have fundamentally
become the pillars for Westinghouse going
forward, and we have programs in each
of those six areas. As we’re successful
in them, each will benefit utilities and
Westinghouse. These became focus areas
for Westinghouse as a result of sitting with
utility executives, having a questioning
attitude, closely listening and responding.
7.
How does the Customer 1st program
benefit Westinghouse’s customers?
Howell
: We’ve been implementing
an adjusted version of our Customer First
program through which we assign specific
Westinghouse Customer First leaders in
Six Sigma and Lean technology practices
to projects that really drive improvements
for our customers. This approach allows
us to focus our Customer First leaders
on working with customers and applying
their skills to delivering solutions for
specific customer issues.
8.
How is Westinghouse using “Big Data”
to optimize plant performance?
Howell
: We are rolling out what is
commonly called “Big Data Analytics” to
integrate diagnostic systems that allow us
to understand which valves, components,
motors, pumps and other equipment in
plants may need attention, and which do not.
We can transmit data to our outage control
center and the plant’s outage control center
for predictive maintenance. For example, if
a plant had planned on performing a motor
refurbishment or a motor change-out during
an upcoming outage but the operating
characteristics for that motor don’t really
warrant it yet, Westinghouse will be able to
advise the plant that this isn’t the motor to
work on in this outage. However, perhaps
work on another motor is warranted or the
whole program isn’t required until next cycle
and unnecessary spending can be avoided.
That’s the goal of our big data program,
is to provide diagnostics, monitoring and
predictive maintenance that helps plants
make the most effective use of their O&M
expenditures.
9.
Concluding comments
.
Marano
: I think at the end of the day,
at Westinghouse, we as a company feel
really good where we are in providing
services to the industry in a manner that
supports our industry and the goal of
the Nuclear Promise. We have changed
our approach and are adapting to the
marketplace and our utility customers’
demands. We’ve been working hard to
enhance our delivery, cost effectiveness
and product offerings. We’re at a point
where a lot of folks understand that
we have to earn our way every day and
nothing’s a guarantee, but if we perform,
given where we are as a technology
company, it’s more than likely that
utilities are going to ask us to participate
more, rather than participate less. It is
about the quality of our technology and
the delivery of our products and services.
Howell
: Our vision is to be our
customers’ first call and to make sure that
we can be the provider of services and
engineering, as well as great products like
flawless fuel and accident-tolerant fuel, so
that we are the only source that customers
really need to be successful in the future.
Contact: Donna Ruff, Westinghouse
Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374-
4705, email:
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