Dr. Heller defends Asset Management at the 10th Malaysian Road Conference

At the PIARC seminar, Dr. Heller held a presentation on "Asset Management vs. Managing Assets". He discussed the fundamental difference between planning procedures, such as pavement management systems, and modern Asset Management according to the ISO 55000 standard. While pavement management actually deals with pavement, the object of asset management is not the asset, but the organization that manages the assets. The term managing assets is therefore not a synonym for Asset Management, instead it refers to the planning procedures that deal with the individual assets. The necessity of this distinction is also confirmed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

In the panel discussion that took place at the end of the Malaysian Road Conference, five experts from different countries discussed the crucial question of whether Asset Management matters at all. Dr. Heller, one of the five panelists, focused on demonstrating the benefits road authorities can derive from implementing modern Asset Management. These benefits are not only evident at the management level of an organization, but also in all relevant decision-making processes in which asset managers are involved. The other panelists also illustrated the importance of Asset Management using practical examples from their respective countries.