The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has collaborated together with four Municipalities across South Africa and the University of Pretoria to conduct an asset management in-depth study using a specially developed online tool (www.assetcloud.org). This flagship management tool provides a common language and framework for defining key elements of Asset Management transformation.

Asset management is the lifecycle steward, guiding your assets from cradle to grave, ensuring they perform at their peak while minimising costs and risks. It is the asset maestro, conducting a symphony of planning, acquisition, operation, and maintenance to ensure your assets perform their best, on time, and on budget.

This SANEDI initiative aims to significantly improve asset management in municipalities across South Africa. Using this project, municipalities will gain skills, tools, and insights necessary for efficient and effective asset management. Through capacity building and in-depth assessments, the project will identify areas for improvement, contributing to more efficient electricity tariff determination and financial stability.

“Much of our existence and comforts of life continue to depend on the services and products obtained from highly mechanised and automated industries. We have become dependent on services such as continuous supply of water, uninterrupted availability of electricity, access to various destinations via good transport infrastructure etcetera,” says Prof Prathaban Moodley, General Manager: Applied Energy R&D and Innovation at SANEDI.

“More than ever, our quality of life and wellbeing depends on the continued integrity of physical assets. Yet when these assets fail, not only is the economy under threat and not only is the provision of services interrupted, but our very survival and comforts of life are threatened. As a result, the processes by which asset failure occurs and what must be done to manage them are becoming very high priorities indeed.”

The Lifecycle Steward

Asset management is a cornerstone of sustainable communities. Local governments often find themselves navigating a treacherous terrain of asset management challenges. From capital expenditures that prioritise short-term savings over long-term sustainability to asset registers that are as incomplete as a puzzle with missing pieces, the road to effective asset management can be riddled with obstacles. The lack of holistic planning, outdated maintenance strategies, and a dearth of reliable data can lead to spiralling operational costs, decreased asset performance, and a compromised ability to serve the community. By combining asset management with smart grid technology, local towns and organisations can achieve significant strides towards their sustainability goals.

“It’s time to rethink our approach to asset management and pave a new path towards a more sustainable and efficient future,” Prof. Moodley added.

Asset management is not merely a technical process; it is a strategic approach to building sustainable communities. The four municipalities selected for the training and study between July and September are the Langeberg Local Municipality,  Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Greater Kokstad Municipality and the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality. Through a four phased approach these municipalities are set to begin finalising their strategies by January 2025. This will include identifying and documenting gaps and developing strategies for completing tasks while aiming to begin assessing and monitoring progress by March 2025.

“The training has provided a theoretical background for attendees which when applied within the municipal setting could improve the municipalities systems and practices in relation not only to electricity asset management, but the management of all infrastructure assets,” said municipal trainee, Sisekho Sako.

“The asset management framework that was presented provided a blueprint that the municipality would like to adopt in order to provide an implementation asset management plan. The training also identified areas of improvement within the municipality in segregating the roles of all the role players in asset management, overall emphasising the need for commitment of Senior Management in ensuring successful asset management practices.”

SANEDI and UP are expected to deliver a joint preliminary report once the training workshops are completed by September 2024 and a final report on the results of the study in March 2025.