Maintenance software keeps engineers informed

The Kerrygold Company will use computerised maintenance management software (CMMS) to manage engineering maintenance at its new £30M cheese processing and packing facility in Leek in Staffordshire, in a move designed to ensure maintenance is carried out more effectively.

The primary reason for installing a CMMS, according to maintenance team manager Paul Buckley, was a lag in the timeliness of information available to managers and engineers, as maintenance work was being recorded on paper and in spreadsheets. "When we needed to compile even a basic report on what maintenance jobs were carried out on which equipment in the previous month, it would take several hours just to get that information together," said Buckley.

"Even then, we couldn't be certain that the data was complete. The result was that there would have to be an element of instinct and, frankly, guesswork in any decisions based upon the information available. That would have represented an opportunity for improvement in any economic climate, but it's especially important at this time."

As a result, a project led by engineering manager John Norman was initiated to select an appropriate package and Mainsaver, from Spidex Software, was selected.

As well as replacing time-consuming manual recording systems, the project team expects Mainsaver to offer the team access to new levels of detail about the machinery it works with. "The reports in Mainsaver will show us the types of work we are carrying out most frequently," says Norman. "We will then be able to carry out root-cause analysis to determine the underlying reasons for those breakdowns. Once we know what the causes are, we can establish a preventative maintenance routine to minimise or hopefully eliminate each one."

He adds: "We see the introduction of Mainsaver as a significant step forward in gradually increasing the amount of planned, preventative work and thereby improving plant reliability."