Integrating Reliability with Mechanical Integrity Programs

Facilities implementing process safety programs have established and maintained Mechanical Integrity (MI) programs for years. These programs and practices not only maintain ongoing integrity of process equipment, but also can sustain and improve equipment and system reliability. Many experts believe there is a direct connection between reliability and process safety and that more sophisticated Mechanical Integrity programs can achieve significant cost reductions and quality gains due to improved asset integrity, equipment reliability, and process dependability. This session seeks lessons learned from companies that have effectively expanded their MI programs to address equipment and system reliability issues, including success stories of combining the MI and reliability programs; real and perceived barriers to combining MI and reliability programs, as well as strategies for Overcoming Barriers; similarities and differences in MI and reliability Programs; pitfalls for combining MI and reliability programs; organizational approaches to combining MI and reliability initiatives; guidance on how to jump-start a reliability improvement program; and costs/benefit case studies on reliability improvement programs.