How Blackwoods supports power companies through shutdowns

When a power company takes an asset offline for routine maintenance, the stakes are high. A full overhaul is costly, taking weeks of planning and two to three months to complete. Some plants have multiple power generating units, with shutdowns happening several times a year.

This puts outage coordinators under serious pressure. Workers rostered on around the clock need hundreds of MRO and PPE items to get the job done. Work needs to run smoothly, so the asset is brought back online with minimal impact on the end customer.

Outage coordinators have to forecast how many products they’ll need, figure out how to get these into workers’ hands, find space in the warehouse to store the extra inventory, and put contingency plans in place to deal with the inevitable supply chain issues. It’s time-consuming and complex. And if something does go wrong, it can blow the timeline – and the budget – out of the water.

Blackwoods delivers a tailored solution.

Blackwoods can alleviate the pressure on outage coordinators right from the planning stage with an end-to-end shutdown solution that takes the complexity out of the supply and management of consumables. It starts with meetings six to eight weeks before the shutdown to set the budget, understand the activities and build the stock profile to suit. Purchase orders are raised well ahead of time.

A bulk storage container and a shopfront container are stocked up with the pre-approved, site-compliant items and deployed on site for the duration, avoiding logistical headaches and making sure workers have access to the items they need, when they need them. The containers are staffed by Blackwoods team members on a rotating roster. Workers can quickly walk to the shop, scan a QR code in their helmet, get items and go back to their task without delay. The solution can be easily scaled to meet customer needs, with additional containers and on-site staff.

The benefits of partnering with Blackwoods.

The major benefit of the Blackwoods solution is cost control. Customers only pay for what they use, rather than committing to a large upfront spend. Stock is held on consignment and can be reported against specific cost centres, giving clear visibility over where money is being allocated.

If projected usage looks like it may exceed the original budget, customers can increase the PO value. Transparent weekly reporting on cost and consumption means no surprises and no unexpected budget blowouts.

Blackwoods actively manages the inventory and responds to changes in demand throughout the outage. Because inventory is housed in on-site containers, there’s no need to find additional storage space in warehouses. Containers are also positioned for optimal access, minimising downtime caused by workers having to walk long distances when they need something.

Why Blackwoods?

Sally Robinson, Blackwoods National Strategic Account Manager, says the solution is flexible, and can benefit any customer needing support for routine shutdowns.

“The biggest value our customers see is that there’s no disruption to their business, any increased activity is absorbed through the Blackwoods on-site stores during outage. We manage the process end-to-end. That means clear controls, clear accountability, and escalation measures in place if required, so our customers can focus on getting the unit back online safely, on schedule and on budget.”

Take the pressure off planning for your next shutdown and contact Blackwoods for support.