Michel Kuijer

Ever since my Shipbuilding studies at Delft Technical University, I’ve been interested in so-called ‘systems thinking’: how do parts fit into a larger whole (a ‘system’) and how are they interrelated? Life Cycle Management of for instance ships, made me think how to take usage and maintenance into account during the design and construction phase. Transcending different professional disciplines, but also connecting various phases such as the design and maintenance phase, have intrigued and challenged me. Since then I have always worked in what is now called Asset Management.

After my introduction to System Dynamics, I discovered how ‘assets’ (physical capital goods) can be placed in their dynamic context. This enabled me to give concrete form to Life Cycle Management: substantiated foresight studies that provide insight into how assets will behave in the future and which factors determine that behavior.

In order to make a system’s operation visible (and in particular placing assets in their complex and dynamic context) we as Copernicos have created Asset Dynamics. Asset Dynamics provides insight into ‘systems’: systems that consist of multi factors that mutually influence each other, both in relation to performance, risks and to costs and revenues.

We are happy to share this approach with the organizations we work with. With the ambition that they also include Asset Dynamics in their working method in order to achieve better and above all more sustainable results.