Keeping a plant running at peak performance requires the concerted efforts of many teams, managers and individuals. Work cycles and schedules must synchronize so that departments are not stepping over each other s pri-orities and hindering productivity. Today, as outsourc-ing and the use of contractor teams gains acceptance, visibility into the full spectrum of plant operations and asset management becomes increasingly critical.Contractors and other third parties, an important part of the extended value chain, need a secure window into real-time status and a way to communicate and engage with plant personnel, assets and data. Modern software can help enterprises step up to the challenge and give the broad team the visibility and functional-ity it needs.Here are four of the challenges:1. Shortage of skills. The current shortage of skilled workers, including asset maintenance technicians, places a strain on many plants. Some resort to third party companies to supplement their inter-nal teams. These outside vendors can focus on a specialized project, like performing a one-time risk assessment, or they can be contracted for ongoing services, like quarterly calibration of assets that must produce precise temperature readings. Highly specialized major rebuilds and overhauls (MRO) projects, like re-bricking a steel blast furnace, may call for an outside crew with extensive and special-ized experience. Hiring technicians in niche areas of expertise has become difficult, especially in some geographic areas. Outsourcing solves some of these problems - but can cause others.
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