We are a medium-sized metalworking manufacturing company (machining and forming) and are looking for maintenance software.
The following requirements must be met:
- Basic functions (order configuration, status display, notifications)
- The software system must be able to create separate orders for maintenance, inspection, and repair, depending on the type of request.
- Order configuration should be as simple as possible, e.g., by clicking on statuses and using top-down menus with fixed options.
- The structure of the menu selection must be logical; for example, if an order is marked as unplanned, it must be assigned a priority > [0-1).
- A repair order must allow for at least > 5 entries regarding “repair start/repair end,” as repairs or orders - e.g., for equipment - are frequently interrupted.
- The status of a maintenance task must be displayed in the open work order (e.g., “under review,” “maintenance,” “external repair,” etc.).
- Downtime should be distinguishable as planned and unplanned.
- Maintenance plans must be accessible as needed. Required documents must be indexed directly via the order or indirectly via the machine group (in the case of machine-specific work instructions or run sheets), depending on the order type.
- Critical machines must be automatically identifiable in the order, and the status of the recorded machines or systems must be visually displayed as an overview using a traffic light system.
- Resource planning/forecasting: Users must be logged into the system on the day of the task, and spare parts/operating materials must be in stock to be scheduled or processed.
- In the event of planning bottlenecks, this must be visualized via an integrated alarm/notification function (electronic KANBAN system).
- The system must be able to issue a demand notification if resources are not available in time.
- The order must remain open with a status such as “under review” if the necessary supplies or staff are missing.
- An automatic reminder function must be available when annual maintenance is due for a specific machine, and any delay must be visually indicated. This must be recognizable in the “Machine Status” overview using a traffic light system.
- When external maintenance is scheduled, this must be recorded in the order.
- If the appointment has been confirmed with an external service partner, this must be marked in the order via an availability confirmation.
- Direct or, if necessary, external notification of predefined recipients upon resolution of a maintenance order or occurrence of an unplanned machine failure - for feedback to production planning.
- The order includes error codes. Up to 100 error codes can be stored in a single order.
- Changes to the maintenance and repair plan must be recorded for each machine or machine group.
- All changes must be recorded in an index management system and maintained as a history for the respective machine or system.
- Automatic notification of changes to maintenance staff, shift personnel, and shift supervisors, as well as automatic updating of the applicable maintenance or repair plans for users.
- Execution of a plausibility check (logical verification of entries) before an order is issued, with notifications in case of discrepancies.
- Additional information from production (e.g., operator feedback on measurement results) must be able to be stored either in the respective order or directly in the respective machine or machine group.
- Any changes in the system must be verifiable by maintenance at any time by date and time.
- Flexible entry of tolerances and measurement values, as well as monitoring parameters related to machine group and machine number with reference to the respective maintenance plan.
- Incident management
- Downtime must be distinguishable as electrical or mechanical.
- Coordinated machine maintenance: It must be possible to enter multiple responsible persons (max. 5) in a single order process.
- The (assigned) personnel for a maintenance operation must be able to confirm an order separately so that the order status remains recognizable as open.
- If an assigned user is not logged in, another user must be able to take over the order or at least continue processing it. The changes and entries must be recorded in a history for the user
- For external service providers (responsible parties/persons), confirmation must be carried out on their behalf by the client commissioning the external service.
- Operations must be able to access an overview display at any time showing which machines are currently in which status.
- The (paperless) confirmation of the (online) checklist, including the display of the identified error codes and actions taken, must be signaled immediately after the shutdown ends (for paper-based checklists, the shift supervisor must ensure that the checklists are scanned promptly and stored centrally).
- The machine’s activation and deactivation must be communicated via production data acquisition.
- Modular structure of inspection plans: Maintenance modules, labor hours (h), and spare parts (order number) can be freely added to orders.
- System-guided maintenance, e.g., via video or step-by-step instructions.
- Maintenance items must be traceable and fully documented; additions in free text should be possible at any time.
- Minor maintenance tasks must be very easy to perform; that is, during order configuration, illogical selection parameters are eliminated by the plausibility check (e.g., priority does not match unplanned status).
- Summary and assignment of error codes, measurement results, and monitoring parameters by machine number and group for all maintenance performed, and export of data in Excel format via an external interface for data exchange and further processing.
- Fast and user-friendly scheduling and planning of maintenance and repair plans with an interface to existing PPS systems.
- Risk classification of machines/systems according to the “Occurrence, Detection, Significance (FMEA)” evaluation scheme
- System/Machine Structure
- Systems and machines from the production area differ from (IT) devices and building services (HT).
- Machine groups for HT must be explicitly bookable.
- Simplified HT order configuration through recognition of machine groups
- Display of machine status (logged in/logged out) and visualization of machine availability, including differentiation in the display between planned and unplanned downtime.
- Overview of machine status, all open and closed maintenance measures.
- Store critical machines with special identification in the machine group or machine ID.
- Classification of machines as critical only by management.
- Risk assessment of critical machines and spare parts procurement: Storage of parts lists for critical spare parts for critical systems.
- Interactive adjustment of maintenance requirements based on operating hours.
- Maintenance plans must automatically indicate when they need to be revised.
- Easy adaptation of inspection plans to machine groups.
- Operations engineering – specific – entries
- Separate time entry for staff meetings (manual input)
- History of hours worked/prices for additional expenses (e.g., creation of equipment under a separate project number) should be transferred as a block to the new machine.
- Costs of in-house manufactured equipment must be clearly distinguished so that duplicate entries can be ruled out!
- Technician assignments must be recordable by duration and equipment used.
- Analyses/Reporting
- Reports for all data stored in the system, i.e., linking of all key criteria, e.g., order numbers, maintenance plans, machine groups/IDs, error codes, working hours, comments, notes, running times, and downtimes including reasons, status of actions (pending/completed), and used maintenance modules.
- Repair analysis for spare parts and hours.
- Hourly analyses for all facilities, machines, building services, and equipment.
- Analysis of error frequency per machine (determination of operating times via production data acquisition and recording of specific error codes according to definition)
- Orders track error codes, which can be analyzed over extended periods and for individual machines (even multiple error codes within a single order can be identified individually).
- Analyses are time-discrete, retroactive, and highly scalable, e.g., frequency of specific error codes after certain measures (maintenance modules) have been performed for machines (across departments and individually).
- Error analysis with various grouping/sorting options, e.g., alphabetically.
- Analyses based on MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) by machine number
- Planning overview of maintenance activities to be performed, as well as list output of pending repair and maintenance orders with deadline tracking and priority assignment.
- Central spare parts management
- Material inventory entries for the withdrawal of, e.g., spare parts, consumables, auxiliary and wear materials, as well as tools, are stored.
- Spare parts must be specified in the order and be capable of being evaluated.
- Spare part categories: Wear/Risk components must be stored
- Using an electronic Kanban system, consumables (e.g., wear parts) can be automatically synchronized with the ordering system.
- Order tracking for spare parts via data interface.
- Consumables such as auxiliary and wear materials should also be trackable via an integrated electronic Kanban system (real-time)
- Documents
- Maintenance plans should be supplemented with the consumables and auxiliary materials used
- Manufacturer specifications should be stored in the system or linked to it
- Centralized creation and maintenance of maintenance plans in the system
- Parallel storage of up-to-date documents in a central location (DMS)
- Equipment inventory stored in the system
- Compliance with the TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) standard requirement in IATF (International Automotive Task Force) 16949:2016
Approximately 20 software workstations are planned.
Note from SoftGuide: A requirements specification (catalog of requirements) can be requested from SoftGuide.