A few years ago, motivated by the importance of an efficient asset management, Abertis implemented a plan to provide all of its Concessions with a tool created to know and manage maintenance tasks. The company promoted the implementation of a Management System enabling the application of a specific and homogenous Maintenance Plan for bridges, tunnels, walls and slopes based on two pillars: periodic inspections and preventive operations.

In 2015, INES Ingenieros was commissioned to develop such system by applying its experience in the field, starting with two of the main networks under concession: Spain (with more than 5,000 assets) and Chile (with nearly 2,000 assets). The former had already a precedent for bridges, which was used as an information base. However, there were no previous experiences in the Andean country and an inspection campaign from scratch was launched.

Such campaign enabled to obtain full information on the assets, which would be used in the following asset management. Brazil (with 1,300 assets) and Italy (with 650 assets) were added in 2017. The system to be developed encompassed the establishment of the methodology to be applied (necessary inventory data, periodicity type and scope of inspections, cataloging of damages or problems, algorithms for the establishment of a condition mark or assets state, policy or strategy for the preventive and palliative maintenance, etc.) and data collection and implementation of a computer tool allowing for the display and analysis of data.

It is necessary to have a tool enabling to consult, filter and manage all the information generated in a quick and versatile manner. The tool was developed using a common database adapted to each country. All data related to the managed assets, inspections schedules and future operations together with their corresponding financial plan can be found on the computer application I3MET. Additionally, the assets monitoring is tracked, and an alert is delivered when a predefined threshold is reached. As it is a multi-language application, both the local technicians and corporate managers from Abertis are able to understand each situation.