The document emphasizes the importance of effective commissioning and startup processes for facilities to ensure they meet operational requirements, thus preventing costly future issues. It outlines key strategies for successful startup, including defining success goals, assessing risks, and creating a training plan for operators. The text advocates for early planning and engagement to enhance efficiency, minimize operational costs, and maximize return on investment.

1. RECONSIDERING THE
POTENTIAL OF
COMMISSIONING AND STARTUP

2. Imagine if a globally acclaimed sports apparel firm failed
to check or assess its products prior to putting them into
the market for the world’s best athletes.
Consumers would likely to be taken aback and they may
even feel deceived to find that the quality and reliability of
the products they purchased were not verified before
placing them into the market.
This would almost definitely cause the brand to lose
consumers’ trust and confidence in their products.

3. However, the reality is that these companies do invest a
great deal of money and time to verify and test their
products.
This is done as the companies are pretty much aware of
the worth of their investments and the damage they may
incur due to their products’ poor performance or unhappy
customers.
Sadly, for many sectors, it is quite likely to underrate the
importance and value of carrying out the verification
process – particularly for larger projects, like a newly
constructed facility or plant.

4. The startup and commissioning processes offer
companies a chance to determine that all components
and systems of the facility are installed, designed,
operated, maintained and tested as per their operations-
specific requirements.
Incorporating these practices into a project helps prevent
expensive assumptions and facilitate continued, top-
quality service across a wide range of sectors.

5. Understanding the Value of
Commissioning
For a project team, moving any facility from the concept
phase through the completion or fully operational phase is
surely an exciting move.
To optimise efficiency, right from the onset, the managers
must be able to run the facility to its optimum potential
from the very first day.
However, attaining a completely functioning building or
process startup is no mean feat and needs investment of
resources, both financial and otherwise.

6. Facility owners usually concentrate on keeping the operational
cost low, for all the right reasons.
However, in the absence of a proper commissioning process,
facility owners may be forced to spend more on operators time,
energy, cost of products sold or replacement of equipment,
than they would invest on commissioning. This is one fact that
is often overlooked by many key stakeholders.
There are many benefits a company can realise by hiring a
commissioning management organization or having proper
commissioning in place. These may include assessing
equipment and components if they are running efficiently,
streamlining the construction schedule with task delegation and
coordination, and preventing overuse of any equipment by fine-
tuning set points to avoid possible future problems by verifying
all operation modes. These advantages offer real value in the
investment.

7. If startup and commissioning are planned in advance, many
problems can be averted during the design or construction
phase, instead of identifying them during the functional testing
phase.
In simple words, with ineffective equipment and building
startups, companies possibly risk a huge sum of money.
To avoid such a situation, companies should keep the end
results in mind and plan early on for the shift from construction
staff to maintenance staff.
Irrespective of the sector or the kind of facility, making use of a
commissioning or startup process can lower current operational
costs, reduce an organization’s time to start production and cut
down the number of component or equipment failures.

8. Such a process will leave a positive impact on project
schedules by roping in the construction team early on in the
project.
If startup and commissioning are planned in advance, many
problems can be averted during the design or construction
phase, instead of identifying them during the functional testing
phase.
To avoid schedule slippage, it is vital that the team identifies all
startup and commissioning tasks along the crucial path.
Doing so will allow general contractors as well as
subcontractors to achieve critical schedule milestones while
providing a more believable date for completing the project.

9. Salient Features of Successful Startup
The value as well as the outcome of creating a rigorous
and exhaustive startup and commissioning processes
spans both the equipment and human variables of any
given project. Here are six important aspects to consider:
Defining Success Goals and Criteria: The first and
foremost thing to do is to establish clear goals.
How will the project move to the maintenance team from
the construction team? What are the parameters of the
organization for accepting a building?

10. Assessing Startup Risks: This includes carrying out a
rigorous startup risk assessment and establishing key
areas of focus. What are the utilities required for startup of
the process equipment?
Do the original equipment producers require the utilities in
advance to begin construction and pre-startup activities?
Are all activities considered in the schedule?
Developing Startup Strategy: This involves creating an in-
depth startup strategy to match the project objectives. The
strategy should include design engineers as well as
operation and maintenance staff, along with startup and
construction team to prevent any unnecessary changes
later on in the process.

11. Developing Early Learning Plan: Find subject matter experts
who can help with the implementation of an ongoing
commissioning process. Involve them early on in the project to
develop expertise and ownership. Determine who will own the
equipment post startup or turnover.
Creating Training Plan: Develop a training plan to transfer key
information from subject matter experts to equipment
operators. Involving the operators in commissioning and
startup is an effective way to make them learn how the systems
and equipment work.
Get them involved early on during the startup planning phase will
also allow them to take ownership of the equipment at turnover.
This will decrease time to move from mechanically complete to
turnover.

12. Integrating Problem-Solving: Create and execute an
effective problem-solving or troubleshooting plan during
startup. By concentrating on assessing the equipment
early on during the startup phase, you can expedite
integration testing towards the end of the task and lower
punch list items.
The startup and commissioning processes offer
companies a way to have a facility which is designed,
installed and verified to function optimally. Carrying out
these steps towards the end of any project offers real
value – realized with the faster delivery of an effective,
dependable facility.

13. Doing so, ensures organizations that they will see a
favourable return on investment, specific to their project
and can continue to offer the highest quality of service
that their clients expect.
Commissioning, qualification and validation processes
can be complicated, hence finding and partnering with an
experienced commissioning management organization
can bring more value to sophisticated construction
projects.

14. Contact Details
https://www.global-cxm.com/commissioning/
Global Commissioning Management and Software
Ltd
Unit 2, Chestfield Business Park, Whitstable, Kent,
CT5 3JB
+441227649087, +447580017944
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