Source: www.rta.ae
By adopting best-in-class practices and conducting scores of benchmark studies with several global entities, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that it had achieved positive results since its Asset Management System was introduced in 2011 in a bid to achieve objectives and initiatives of the RTA’s strategic goal, namely “Assets Sustainability,” be it related to public buses, trains, roads, bridges, tunnels, taxis or other vehicles.
Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Technical Support Services Sector, said “We have achieved palpable results since the Asset Management System was implemented as evidenced by obtaining the Assets Management Certification, PAS 55, thus becoming the first Middle Eastern entity to receive this international certification in this score. Such world-class system specifications are based on measuring the results of the set targets.” He pointed out that all RTA’s operating agencies have played a crucial role in achieving these results through application of policies, update of operations and integration with both Risk Management System and Safety & Environment Management System, besides the RTA’s keen attention to upgrade key transport plans & models, prioritize relevant work programs and optimize utilization of RTA’s assets.
Al Madani added, “The Asset Management System has contributed many positive results at the operational level, most notably cutting down the metro maintenance & operation costs by more than 15%, slashing the cost of some assets’ life cycle by reducing the cost of public buses maintenance by more than 20% equivalent to AED 45 million annually, as well as reducing the projected cost of purchasing new buses by more than 35%, thanks to adopting technical specifications with optimal performance as regards buses replacement plan. The System has also generated revenues of AED 22 million by selling unexploited assets, in addition to saving AED 1,178,000 approximately by exploiting some unused assets.”
Al Madani pointed out to other concrete results that have been achieved since the Assets Management System was introduced, thus enabling the RTA to accurately count its assets which amounted to 238,000 assets in 2013 with 100% completion rate and a total value of AED 80 billion. The assets include a huge, integrated portfolio comprising RTA’s facilities and IT networks, in addition to the RTA’s infrastructure in Dubai emirate, service centers, buses, depots, marine transport fleet, and taxi cabs together with their own platforms, as well as roads, bridges, tunnels, signals, rails, metro stations, trains, structures and systems among others.
Al Madani further added, “Since the implementation of the Corporate Assets Management System in 2011, it has positively & significantly contributed to achieving RTA’s 8th strategic goal of “Assets Sustainability” as the System boasts clear standards and accurate performance indicators that enabled us to sustain the RTA’s assets for many years. Moreover, the RTA’s Asset and Property Management Department permanently follows up & updates the system, and trains the concerned personnel on using & measuring the implementation of this System. This reflects the work team’s ongoing effort and commitment to facilitate tasks to realize optimum performance of the assets in general.”
“Corporate excellence standards have been adopted to build this initiative in the first place, be it in terms of preparing the necessary methodologies and system application mechanism or setting the system performance indicators, since the adoption of standards is considered as an intricate work style that leads to materialize tangible results on the ground,” he elaborated.
In a related development, Uday Al Deesi, Director RTA’s Asset Management, said “The Asset Management System has preferred the PAS 55 system over other global asset management systems since it meets all RTA’s asset management requirements in terms of its operational efficiency, detailed comprehensiveness methodology of asset lifecycle and customer satisfaction standards, besides its integration with safety & environment standards, optimal management guidelines of operational cost, and the fact that the system proved reliable throughout the entire asset lifecycle and its viability to all types of assets.
“The Asset Management Department has succeeded in presenting innovative ideas aligned with the System such as using it as a professional tool to deal with the huge and diverse RTA assets,” he continued. He added that this idea had significantly contributed to achieving palpable results in addition to furnishing RTA’s employees with additional knowledge & modern means of management that help them to dispatch their duties.
On the other hand, the RTA has worked on transferring knowledge in line with distinguished scientific methods for training RTA’s employees on the System according to a prepared plan. The civic body has also contributed to the dissemination of the initiative among several government institutions in the emirate, thus contributing to transferring the idea to these entities with a view to achieving the Dubai Government goal regarding the emirate integration.
“The RTA adopts the world’s best practices and innovative technologies, and persistently works towards developing and sustaining its System in accordance with the global standards to prepare for obtaining the ISO 55000 certificate,” concluded Al Al Deesi. More info
