Implementation of QRmaint CMMS in a food production facility

In the food processing industry, maintaining high product quality and efficient management of production processes is key. Modern production plants are increasingly using CMMS systems to improve maintenance management and increase operational efficiency.

One of the important aspects of implementing a CMMS system is ensuring the efficient operation of production machines and effective management of the technical team. Experts with many years of experience in the maintenance industry emphasize that the key factor of success is the integration of modern digital tools with the daily tasks of employees. This allows for reducing downtime, optimizing the work of technical teams and better control over the processes of maintaining machines and devices.

Implementing a CMMS system in food production plants brings tangible benefits, such as improved work organization, shorter response times to failures, and greater transparency of maintenance activities. Systems of this type allow for monitoring the technical condition of machines in real time, automatic generation of service orders, and more effective planning of inspections.

Thanks to modern digital solutions, manufacturing companies can better respond to consumer needs by delivering the highest quality products. Technologies supporting maintenance are becoming an integral part of the development strategy of companies striving to optimize processes and increase competitiveness on the market.

Industry Challenges: Food Production

Food production is associated with many challenges, which are even more demanding when these are products intended for people. In such cases, manufacturing companies must face a large number of tasks and must comply with regulations and standards that help maintain food safety, but also so that consumers can receive a tasty product.

The role of the maintenance department of production machinery in a food processing plant is even greater because semi-finished products used in food production have a very limited shelf life. Hence, the food production process must not only be fast but also appropriate in terms of maintaining the appropriate temperature throughout the entire production, storage and delivery cycle.

Challenges in a food production company for the maintenance department:

• Machine maintenance: Under normal conditions, the production department is not able to prepare the entire assortment in stock. Therefore, the company is not able to plan long-term downtimes, where it is possible to carry out inspections of machines and devices. The downtime of machines must be closely synchronized with the production department in order to maintain maximum availability of machines and effectively implement the assumptions of demand plans.
• Machine failures: Maintaining production continuity is crucial, therefore minimizing downtime during unplanned repairs resulting from machine failures and breakdowns was a significant problem requiring constant evaluation and analysis. Tasks such as quick reporting of failures was a problem requiring great attention from production managers but above all from the maintenance department.
• Cleaning: Food production requires maintaining high standards of machine cleanliness. The challenge for workers is not only to repair these machines, but also to clean them thoroughly after repair, which creates additional downtime. The entire cleaning process before returning the machine to service must be carried out smoothly and in accordance with the correct procedural steps and must be monitored.
• Operation of cooling devices: Maintaining a low temperature of products so as not to interrupt the production chain due to failure of cooling devices in cold stores from the moment of cooking the product, through packaging and sending it to the warehouse. Cooling machines must also ensure a constant specified temperature, because too high as well as too low temperature affect the quality of the product. Therefore, irregularities related to uncontrolled temperature change can lead to the loss of the product.
• Communication and mobility: As manufacturing plants expand and the number of positions, employees, and machines increases, communication of failures and the flow of current information about the condition of devices becomes an increasing challenge. Using traditional tools, such as spreadsheets, may not be sufficient to manage the growing number of reports and repairs. The lack of mobile tools for logging problems, tracking task completion, and monitoring work may be a significant obstacle to the effective implementation of maintenance department tasks.

Solution for UR departments in a food production plant

The maintenance department in a food processing plant often seeks solutions to numerous problems related to failure management and information flow. The company’s development requires improved cooperation between departments and streamlined workflow management. Therefore, a decision is often made to conduct a trial period and then implement the QRmaint CMMS system.

This system solves a number of problems, supporting both the maintenance and production departments. Here are the key benefits of implementing QRmaint:

Accelerate failure repairs and fault removal

The implementation of the system enables a significant reduction in the response time to failure reports, which translates into minimizing downtime and increasing production efficiency.

More efficient communication

QRmaint improves the flow of information between departments, providing quick access to data and better organization of tasks. Thanks to the system, different departments, including maintenance technicians and machine operators, can effectively exchange information using a mobile application.

Mobility

The use of the CMMS system on mobile devices eliminates the need to constantly return to the office to check the status of requests. Employees can manage tasks directly on the production floor, which has shortened the time of task completion and increased work efficiency.

Task monitoring

The system enables detailed tracking of task completion, parts consumption and repair history. This improves the analysis of failures, especially recurring ones. QRmaint eliminates and replaces previous ticket registration tools, offering access to real-time reports and analyses.

Expanding possibilities

QRmaint effectively complements the functionalities of previously used production management systems, such as MES , which did not meet the needs of the maintenance department.

Maintaining high standards of cleanliness

The system allows monitoring of the washing and maintenance process of machines after each technical intervention, which contributes to maintaining the highest hygiene standards in the food processing plant.

Thanks to the implementation of QRmaint, 99% of failures and faults are monitored and effectively removed. Many companies are able to collect relative data and quickly assess that within 30 days the number of tasks recorded in the system was really significant. And what follows is that most of the machine maintenance operations (administration of activities) were transferred to the CMMS system. Sometimes, the number of tasks recorded in the system can be as much as 500 to 1000 (within just 30 days of implementation), including not only repairs, but also preventive tasks and inspections. Compared to previous management methods, it is often possible to increase the number of recorded tasks by 30-40%. This will allow for better control over the time and scope of the maintenance department’s work.

Summary

After implementing a CMMS system, food companies move to a new level of maintenance management. Mobility, advanced problem-solving functions, task execution and the ability to generate detailed reports allow for the optimization of many processes. The ability to use a mobile application increases the efficiency and integrity of individual departments in the company.

Food industry plants are a good example of how the system can improve operations. QRmaint CMMS is currently being implemented in many companies in this industry. In addition, many of our customers plan to integrate the system with other solutions used in their companies, such as ERP, SCADA , MES systems.

Want to increase control over your warehouse and repair processes? Contact us and discover how our CMMS solution can streamline your business.