24/7 Software Blog

“Nuclear power plants are so big, complicated and expensive to build that more are shutting down than opening up. An Oregon company, NuScale Power, wants to change that trend by building nuclear plants that are the opposite of existing ones: smaller, simpler and cheaper,” writes Jeff Brady in their recent NPR article entitled “This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer.”

According to the article, “The company says its plant design using small modular reactors also could work well with renewable energy, such as wind and solar, by providing backup electricity when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining.”

“The 98 nuclear reactors operating in the country now are large because they were designed to take advantage of economies of scale. Many are at risk of closing in the next decade, largely because they can't compete with less expensive natural gas and renewable energy,” Brady continues.

“To respond to this dilemma, ‘we've developed economies of small,” says Jose Reyes, chief technology officer and co-founder of NuScale, in the NPR piece.

“Instead of one big nuclear reactor, Reyes says his company will string together a series of up to 12 much smaller reactors. They would be built in a factory and transported by truck to a site that would be being prepared at the same time,” writes Brady.

"You're making your [reactor] pool and all that stuff on-site. In parallel, you're manufacturing the modules, and then that cuts the construction schedule to about half,” Reyes explains in Brady’s article.

Brady shares that “NuScale says it also has simplified how the plants are operated in ways that make them safer.”

Now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with property operations.

The progressive approach is where we're going with this.

NuScale is looking at an existing industry and turning it on its head, shaking it up quite a bit, and working to innovate exponentially.

We like this mindset.

It’s what we practice here at 24/7 Software.

What do we say we apply this smart, efficient, and safe strategy to your operation?

“It's been used by brands such as American Airlines, Panasonic and Toyota. It's all over the signage in the New York City subway system. Even Google, Apple and Netflix used it for a time,” write Scott Simon and Samantha Raphelson in their recent NPR article entitled “Helvetica, The Iconic Font Both Loved And Loathed, Gets Its 1st Redesign In 36 Years.”

According to the article, “Helvetica is ubiquitous around the world, but despite its popularity, the typeface has some issues: letters scrunch together at small sizes and the space between them can be uneven.”

“Now, after 36 years, the widely used — and widely controversial — font is getting a makeover,” share Simon and Raphelson.

The NPR piece continues that, “The upgrade was designed by the Massachusetts type giant Monotype, which controls licensing for Helvetica. The company has updated each of Helvetica's 40,000 characters for the digital age, offering three new sizes designed to work on everything from billboards to the tiny screens of a smartwatch. The updated font even has a new name: ‘Helvetica Now."

“Like many changes, though, some people are skeptical,” the article explains.

Skepticism is common when questioning the status quo, change, and your current state.

Agree?

We love to challenge it, though.

It’s in our nature.

But we know it’s difficult to manage change – especially when it’s not always a top priority for your property.

So how do you do it?

How do you redesign your operation to “operation now”- the next generation of your property’s operation?

Keep reading; we’re going to show you.

“It may feel as though the electric car has been crowned the future of transportation,” writes Susan Phillips in their recent NPR article entitled “Japan Is Betting Big On The Future Of Hydrogen Cars.”

According to Phillips, “Auto companies have plans to make more electric car models, and sales — still only a tiny fraction of the overall market — are expected to get a boost as more countries pass regulations to reduce carbon emissions. But Japan isn't sure that the battery-powered electric car is the only future, and it's betting big on something it says makes more sense in big cities: hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.”

“At the LFA Works factory in the city of Toyota, Aichi prefecture, workers install carbon-fiber hydrogen tanks on Toyota's new hydrogen powered fuel cell car. It's called the Mirai, which means "future" in Japanese,” Phillips explains.

The NPR piece continues that “A hydrogen fuel cell doesn't burn anything. It uses a chemical reaction between the hydrogen and the oxygen from the air to produce electricity. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are quiet, like battery electric ones, and they emit only water.”

“Only about 11,000 fuel cell vehicles are on the road worldwide. Nearly half of them are in California, which has stringent vehicle emission regulations and tax credits that incentivize electric and fuel cell vehicles,” Phillips shares further in the article.

Phillips continues, “In Japan, the Mirai is expensive even with a generous government subsidy that brings it down from the equivalent of about $70,000 to about $50,000. The largest cost is the fuel cell production, but Toyota says that will drop as production ramps up.”

“Japan has embraced the technology and aims to create the first ‘hydrogen society,’ which also includes the use of hydrogen for power generation. The energy ministry has ambitious targets in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympics. The city of Tokyo plans to deploy 100 hydrogen fuel cell buses during the games, and it wants to have 40,000 fuel cell electric vehicles on the road, with a longer-term goal of 200,000 such vehicles in the next six years,” according to the NPR article.

Progression, change, and innovation all excite us.

It’s why we’re so focused on today’s article and getting this insight to you.

What are you betting big on now and for the future?

Tough question?

Let us help.

It’s time to look at your current situation, your current operation.

Are you operating as you should in 2019 – and most important – thinking about 2020 and beyond?

That’s OK if you’re not because you’re in the right place and reading the right article.

Of course, we’re not worried about bringing your attention to hydrogen cars.

But we do need you to pay attention to all the lessons here.

We’re betting big on the future of Proactive Operations. And you should be too.

Let’s work together to create a Proactive Operations society.

Are you ready?

“A wire fox terrier named King has taken the crown at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. He's the 15th wire fox terrier to win "Best in Show,” writes Matthew S. Schwartz in their recent NPR article entitled “It's Good To Be King: Wire Fox Terrier Wins Westminster Dog Show.”

"You know, I love you all,’ said Best in Show judge Peter Green as he stood in front of the finalists. ‘Every one of you.’ Then Green, who spent years honing his own craft as a professional dog handler to terriers, raised his arm and pointed at the dog he apparently loved the most. ‘He's best in show," shares Schwartz.

According to the NPR article, “The 7-year-old King is ‘as good as it gets,’ Green said, according to USA Today. ‘The head, the expression. Everything is really, really as good as it gets. And then the handler has him in perfect condition," explains Schwartz.

"I look at King, he's like a beautiful painting, a piece of art,’ King's handler, Gabriel Rangel, said earlier in the day. ‘The way he stands and performs, he's the whole package," the piece continues.

Kudos to King and his handler, Gabriel, for a remarkable victory.

It certainly got us thinking about one thing.

Is your operation “as good as it gets” or can it be improved?

Can you get better?

We believe you can, and that’s because your operational environment is always changing.

It’s always evolving.

That requires you to rethink what being as good as it gets is – every day.

Now, that’s not a bad thing or something you cannot handle.

But, you need to have the right mindset, fierce discipline, and a proven methodology engrained into your operation, all the way from your team’s behavior to your processes to the technology you use.

Keep reading; we’ll explain.

“Last fall, Corey Chase drove 6,000 miles around his state to ground-truth what every Vermonter with a cell phone knows: there are many, many places in the state where you simply can't get a signal, not to mention the 5 megabits per second data download speeds the carriers were claiming,” writes John Dillon in their recent NPR article entitled “One Man's Quest To Prove Vermont Has Terrible Cell Service.”

According to the article, “The six-week effort involved six cell phones, a state-owned Prius and an app from a software developer in Bulgaria.”

“What Chase, a Vermont Department of Public Service employee, found is now part of a detailed challenge before the Federal Communications Commission that officials hope will bring federal dollars into the state to improve the wireless network,” explains Dillon.

The NPR piece continues that “Chase, a telecommunications infrastructure specialist, drove the equivalent of Montpelier to Los Angeles and back. But his windshield time was along state roads and through town and village centers, at a slow pace of 40 mph. And occasionally he found himself on no road at all.”

"There's apparently a road that goes from Stamford to Bennington. I tried to take said road, and there's a state-government printed sign on the road that says: 'Your GPS is wrong, turn around now,” said Chase, according to Dillon’s article.

“Although Chase saw lots of beautiful sights and foliage driving around the state, his excursion was really a massive data collection project,” Dillon clarifies.

Data collection?

Looking at the weakness in the infrastructure?

While the title of Dillon’s article alone intrigued us, this undertaking hit home.

We see lessons for property operations worldwide.

So many lessons: complacency, change management, identifying your weaknesses, and most important, recognizing that your operation is terrible reactive.

We need to change that.

But, as you’ve seen with Chase’s mission, that requires a lot of time spent collecting data and going places you’re not necessarily comfortable going.

Are you ready to do what’s needed to be proactive?

How do you think your 2018 went?

Do you feel good about the year?

We bet you’re ready to take on 2019 – that’s how proactive leaders are.

But, you might be struggling to achieve a certain level of performance.

Something doesn’t feel right.

Since you’re reading this article, it might have something to do with how many tools you’re using to manage your operation.

Are we close?

You know, you’re using a texting system from one provider and a CMMS from another.

Everything “works,” but not without many communication breakdowns.

No one is on the same page across personnel.

Your operational functions are limited in their success – everyone is getting by.

But, we believe you can achieve maximum performance.

We know you want to employ Proactive Operations correctly.

That’s why you’ve got to read this article.

It’s time to bring your operation together and reinforce your pursuit of perfection.