5 Lean Management Methods

Effective maintenance involves constantly learning from daily work and refining old habits. Instead of basing decisions on gut feelings, it’s far better to use modern programs that continuously monitor results and provide hard facts. This approach naturally engages the entire team in improving the plant, which, in the case of Alu Menziken, helped increase the mean time between failures (MTBF) from 14.4 hours in 2022 to over 70 hours, even peaking at 79.1 hours in December 2023.

Learn five proven methods based on CMMS software implementations at Żabka Polska, Vitakraft, and Alu Menziken. They demonstrate how moving away from outdated processes and toward a digital foundation translates into measurable improvements in machine availability .

Method 1: Centralize management and eliminate scattered data

In the FMCG industry, a continuous supply chain is a priority, where delays mean shortages on shelves. The Żabka Polska team, managing the picking line, previously faced significant organizational chaos. Implementing centralized software has yielded tangible operational benefits:

• condensing all prevention data into one system,
• saving technicians time by eliminating Excel sheets,
• full control over the demand for warehouse parts.

Organizing information made the tasks of management easier, creating a solid base for building an organized work culture.

Method 2: Team Mobility and Smooth Shift Communication

The next step in optimization is to replace paper reports with a mobile app. Technicians in the logistics center gain access to the system on their phones, freeing them from lugging laptops around the vast facility.

When a fault occurs, a worker takes a photo with their smartphone and immediately assigns a task. This allows the incoming shift to immediately know where to begin work without the risk of losing valuable information. This consistent and seamless communication flow directly increases the overall availability of the automated system.

Method 3: Efficient inventory management with QR codes

A key element of stable plant operations is transparent control over spare parts availability. The team at Vitakraft’s US branch, which manages a global network of over 1,100 employees in 20 countries and delivers approximately 1.2 million products daily, utilized QR codes for this purpose, completely simplifying the management of spare parts.

The use of rapid identification eliminated information gaps the company previously struggled with. Scanning the code instantly locates the asset and facilitates inventory optimization . Seamless part verification effectively supports the continuity of production operations on advanced manufacturing equipment.

Method 4: Root Cause Analysis and KPI Monitoring

The lack of a central fault database prevents engineering teams from detecting recurring problems. Alu Menziken previously struggled with data access delays. Implementing modern software enabled precise equipment analysis:

• automatic calculation of MTBF and MTTR indicators in real time,
• generating mathematical calculations for management staff,
• immediate and transparent image of the condition of the entire machinery park.

Such analytics precisely pinpoint the machines with the highest failure rates and provide the necessary clarity when planning investment expenditures.

Method 5: Moving to Preventive Maintenance and Predictive Engineering

An unstable maintenance system based on employee memory ultimately leads to sudden downtime. At the Alu Menziken plant, the introduction of automated preventive maintenance schedules drastically reduced these disruptions. Calendar-based alerts and machine runtime counters enabled a smooth transition to structured predictive maintenance . As a result, the mean time between failures (MTBF) increased by 267% , reaching structurally stable highs in subsequent years, such as 67.3 hours in 2024 and 73.0 hours in September 2025. Digital preventive support effectively protects the plant from delays.

Intuitive processes and high user engagement

Implementing new operational technologies can be challenging, but the right tools quickly change team attitudes. At Vitakraft, cloud-based software allows technicians and managers to easily manage tasks from anywhere. Reporting issues has become a simple task, not a burdensome administrative burden. The user-friendly interface instantly transformed hesitant employees into active advocates of the modern solution. This ensures systematic recording of activities and builds a highly efficient technical team.

Transformation Summary and Business Conclusions

Digital transformation brings structural improvements in efficiency when implemented solutions closely address the practical needs of the production floor. The experiences of Żabka Polska, Vitakraft, and Alu Menziken demonstrate that a coherent IT ecosystem can transform complex records into a sustainable competitive advantage. Eliminating distributed files facilitates reliable process management , effectively preventing equipment failures.