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The Value of a True Asset Management System for Zoos and Aquariums

Jennifer Perkins, Brightly Software

Zoos and aquariums are treasured places in their communities.  The focus is on the animals (as it should be) but the work that goes on behind the scenes to create this unique space is also important.

Maintenance teams work hard to create a pleasant and safe environment.  It’s not just about picking up trash and trimming bushes (although those are important) but the overall maintenance of each and every important asset in the park.  AZFA members have thousands of assets to track, repair and replace at the end of their life.  But without an unlimited budget, organizations need to have the foundational data to make smarter decisions about future asset investment.

Do you have the foundational data you need and is it accessible?

Creating one central place to collect and store data about your assets is a great first step to creating the foundational data set you need.  At a minimum, knowing the assets, their location, install date, and expected useful life can place an asset in a general phase of its lifecycle.  But by connecting maintenance history to assets, you can get a truer view of asset health.  Degradation curves can be a guide, but actual maintenance history can signal when the increase in the cost of maintenance becomes too much, and a replacement makes the most fiscal sense.

Many zoos and aquariums have a work order system that helps them keep on top of maintenance needs.  They are important but work order systems alone do not track asset health; they track the work being done in a day.  It is only when you combine the work being done with the asset information that you begin to understand the state of the asset.  Having a true asset management system is vital to your daily maintenance activities and long-term asset health.

Insights gained from foundational data

Once you have data, you can gain insights on many things:

• Do you have the necessary resources to handle all the maintenance requests? By comparing work orders to staffing (by trade if necessary), zoos and aquariums can clearly show if there are enough hours in the workday to complete maintenance activities to guarantee public and animal health and safety.
• Are you staffed to meet the level of service expected? Organizations can show delayed response times and growing backlog of maintenance to be completed.
• Do you have bandwidth to add preventive maintenance to routine schedules? Adding preventive maintenance is likely to extend useful life and therefore the ROI on machinery, buildings and other important assets.
• What happens if you do nothing? By using budgets and asset health, organizations can show asset deterioration over time.  This is a great way to help communicate consequences to decision-makers
• What level of risk is your organization willing to take? Looking at asset health, organizations can ask what level of risk is acceptable around aging assets? Asset risk is not the same for every asset.  Looking at risk tolerance can inform decision-makers on capital planning prioritization.
• Can we be greener? By understanding existing assets, especially those nearing replacement, greener alternatives can be considered.  Knowing where the assets are in their lifecycle gives zoos and aquariums the time to properly consider greener options.

Adding additional data points for monitoring

Organizations can add monitoring elements to their data set to target their resources even more efficiently.  Sensors can alert organizations when assets are running abnormally, gone past their preventive maintenance suggested service actions or are being used more heavily than normal.  This helps keep your buildings and grounds running in peak condition and intervening before an emergency.  Many organizations choose to monitor their energy consumption (electricity and water) to see where they have “energy hogs” that can be replaced to save money.  Energy monitoring can also identify unusual billing activity that can highlight a utility billing error, a leak or inefficient assets.  Looking at energy expenditures over time can save zoos and aquariums money as they switch out equipment and see problems before they happen.

All in all, having a true asset management system helps with daily maintenance activities and gives you the insights you need to better utilize your resources, deliver an excellent customer experience and keep everyone safe and healthy.

-- Jennifer Perkins works at Brightly Software as an industry specialist for the public sector.  Brightly has been a long-time partner of AZFA and its members.

Safety Note!

AZA Safety Committee Safety Resource Page

Did you know that AZA Safety Committee recently released a Resource Center on the AZA Website? This site includes previous conference presentations, Drill planning 101, guidelines for building an emergency plan, mental health resources and other resources that have been vetted by the AZA Safety Committee. 

We encourage you to check it out if you have not already. Membership in AZA is not required to access this resource. Click the link below. 

AZA Safety Committee Resource Center