Predictive and proactive
“The solution is a huge step-change for the business,” says Duncan Lawson. “Whenever someone notices a problem – even a slight niggle – the facility is available to report directly in to the Maximo system and a work order is raised. Every work order is tracked through its entire lifecycle and by querying the data and understanding the dependencies, we can recognise patterns, identify root causes, and often take preventative action.
“For example, if we find that a certain piece of equipment is prone to developing a certain type of problem, we can investigate ways to avoid that problem–whether by training the production line staff how to identify and fix the problem, or by rethinking the type and frequency of maintenance that is carried out, or even by finding a replacement that doesn’t have the same failure mode and re-engineering the solution.
“The result is that small problems get solved before they become big problems, which keeps our production lines running smoothly. In the two years since the new version of Maximo went live, we’ve seen significant reductions in the proportion of unplanned maintenance that our engineers need to carry out . Previously, 39 percent of all workload was corrective or emergency maintenance, which had the potential to interrupt production. Now, this has fallen to just nine percent. The implementation of the system has provided enhanced visibility of our assets’ performance at both individual site and group levels. The result is improved reliability, increased production line efficiency, and better asset utilisation.”
Improved financial control
A further advantage is increased financial control. With a complete record of the maintenance history of each asset, Allied Mills can generate reports on true lifecycle costs – helping to plan future purchases more effectively and make more efficient use of capital. This also applies to the management of spare parts inventory: the company has a much more accurate idea of the types and quantities of spares it needs to stock at any given time – which helps to reduce overstocking while also decreasing the risk of running out of critical parts.
Real-time insight
Finally, the solution has helped Allied Mills move from static periodic reporting to a model where enterprise – wide information is available in real – time. IBM Maximo provides personalised Web – based dashboards for each user, delivering simple graphical representations of selected key performance indicators that are designed to allow both engineers and managers to find the information they need at a glance.
“We can break down the figures in different ways to suit different users – for example, an engineer might be interested only in the Tilbury site, while a senior manager might want an overview of all three mills,” explains Duncan Lawson. “We can flag up work orders that may have a bearing on safety, or prioritise them according to their potential severity and impact on production. Next year we’re also planning to introduce the Visual Planner add – on from CiM Maintenance, which should help us organise operational workloads with greater accuracy, scheduling planned shutdowns to suit the needs of the business and ensuring we get the maximum benefit from available downtime.”
Steve Barton, Managing Director of Allied Mills, concludes: “By working closely to gether, Vetasi and our in – house team have built a solution that is fundamentally changing the way we manage our assets. IBM Maximo gives us the tools we need to gain real – time insight into our maintenance processes and work proactively to address potential problems before they arise, helping our production lines run seamlessly and efficiently – and ultimately delivering greater operational control.”
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