Dresser-Rand’s Tim Pieszchala recognizes even the biggest challenges can be met with careful planning. As manager, condition monitoring at Dresser-Rand, he has the responsibility to bring together all of the conditioning monitoring products and services offered by the company under the new RECON umbrella. (See RECON article.)

In his new role, Pieszchala heads a team of experts committed to bringing the benefits of D-R’s advanced condition monitoring capabilities to clients around the globe.

"Our objective is for D-R to be the world leader in rotating equipment condition monitoring," Pieszchala said. "But there has been a tremendous amount of preparation work necessary, and it has taken months of planning to bring us to this point. Not only did we need to get product development on track, all of the various performance and condition monitoring tools offered by D-R had to be unified. And we had to begin by educating ourselves internally."

Pieszchala is well prepared for the task. Prior to joining Dresser-Rand’s controls organization in 1999, he had 17 years combined experience in the controls industry, including direct experience with D-R. As a supplier of controls governors for rotating equipment, his largest client was D-R.

"My last five years, before coming to D-R, I was director of engineering for turbomachinery products at Triconex in Houston. I was responsible for in-house product development, managing our contractors, and outsourcing. So I understand the product development engineering process. Also, having worked with D-R from a supplier standpoint – and even to some degree as a competitor – I know the client base very well. But once I joined the company, I had to learn the business from the perspective of an equipment manufacturer."

Prior to introducing the RECON suite of condition monitoring tools, Pieszchala spent months laying the groundwork. "Our first priority was to organize the multiple facets of development – not just the technology, but the internal coordination to connect all aspects of the company," Pieszchala added. One example is the relationship of RECON with D-R’s Availability PLUS®. Introduced in 2001, Availability PLUS offers equipment operators a machinery healthcare service where payment is based on the contracted performance of the equipment. At present, more than 20 clients are under contract for Availability PLUS services worldwide.

"The combination of Availability PLUS and RECON offers Dresser-Rand clients a tremendously effective approach to machinery healthcare," Pieszchala noted. "These services are truly complementary, and allow operators to take full advantage of D-R’s extensive expertise."

Phase two of the RECON introduction involved developing the market and validating the marketing and pricing models. "We know that most of our early success with RECON rests with those companies that have had long-standing relationships with D-R," Pieszchala said. "In addition, we recognize that Europe, in particular, has already embraced the remote monitoring concept. What we’re providing is better tools, technology and processes."

Phase three, the current stage of RECON’s introduction, is well underway and involves bringing the message to D-R clients. "We’re offering expert knowledge and a more efficient, profitable means of operating equipment," Pieszchala said.

Introducing RECON to D-R’s clients around the globe has taken Pieszchala and his team to many of the installations in locations that will benefit most from the services, including Malaysia, and the North Sea. While this has meant extensive traveling, Pieszchala welcomes the opportunity to meet clients face-to-face. "I enjoy meeting all of the people. That, and the challenge of developing this business within D-R, are the two best aspects of my job."