How can you set up a modern maintenance department?

The efficient operation of today’s maintenance departments relies on reliable data and continuous improvement in daily operations. This requires a significant shift in approach – a seamless transition from reactive response to the use of advanced predictive models .

What does this transformation look like in the market reality? Research conducted by TeSeM Observatory on a representative sample of 300 industrial companies (of which 34% are SMEs and 66% are large enterprises) clearly shows that the industry still faces a chasm between theory and daily practice. This discrepancy primarily concerns information management. Ideally, systems should seamlessly analyze machine condition, but in many plants, the process of transforming raw technical data into useful engineering knowledge is still incomplete. This leads to unnecessary losses during daily maintenance. This, in turn, prevents companies from achieving their goals, and real OEE growth is effectively hampered.

What level of maturity is the process organization at today?

When we examine the daily realities of manufacturing plants, we quickly notice that the organization of technicians’ work requires fundamental changes. The statistics speak for themselves – nearly 50% of the surveyed companies are stuck in the early stages of the Global Manufacturing Maturity Index (GMI), which means they have little control over their tasks.

Effective management relies on continuous improvement and planning well in advance. Early diagnosis of hidden sources of problems and implementation of precise preventative measures long before the machine finally fails are crucial.

Diagnostics and monitoring in everyday practice

Modern departments must absolutely integrate equipment with decision-support systems, including advanced diagnostics and prognostics ( Condition-Based Maintenance ). Only 30% of companies across all surveyed sectors use such connected tools. Only 12% to 18% of surveyed companies have built-in (on-board) machine monitoring systems. Meanwhile, only 10% to 17% of companies , depending on the industry, opt for remote monitoring of equipment operation .

How to effectively analyze data and minimize failure rates?

Managing a modern machinery park requires advanced analytics, yet the process of transforming data into knowledge is currently limited. Most decisions are based solely on the results of the last inspection. The lack of in-depth system analysis and data archiving demonstrates:

• 70% of food companies,
• 73% of chemical and pharmaceutical companies,
• 77% of mechanical companies.

A modern organization should invest in analytics and qualified staff to minimize losses and effectively increase overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Optimize daily communication with CMMS software

As the DB Cargo implementation demonstrates, the foundation of modern maintenance is a transparent CMMS system . Implementing the right application optimizes the daily work of the team, in this case 25 technicians and 200 fault reporters. Replacing old methods with a digital system brings key benefits:

• solves problems with communication, prioritization and task delegation between shifts,
• significantly speeds up the response time to failures,
• provides advanced analytics, identifying areas that generate the biggest problems and recurring faults.

Cost reduction through intelligent warehouse management

Before implementing the CMMS system, Valvex’s maintenance department struggled with a lack of digital records and communication chaos resulting from telephone task assignments. The introduction of the application streamlined these processes. Digitalization has brought the company the following benefits:

• integration with the warehouse prevented the generation of unnecessary costs and duplication of orders thanks to precise cataloging of parts ,
• the remote notification system and availability on mobile devices enabled a much faster response to failures,
• After just ten months, significant financial and time savings were recorded.

Moreover, standardized work has made maintaining ISO standards no longer a challenge.

What are the long-term benefits of a complete transition to a digital management model?

Transitioning from analog management to fully digital systems is the ultimate goal of modern maintenance. A prime example of this transformation is the implementation of CMMS software at Landbäckerei Stinges & Söhne. The versatility of this solution allowed for the effective integration of key areas:

• registration and ongoing monitoring of faults ,
• management of tasks and preventive actions,
• comprehensive machine service and warehouse management optimization .

A future based on informed decisions

The evolution of technical structures should lead to the creation of an environment in which every step is based on sound analysis, not guesswork. A modern organization draws meaningful conclusions from historical events and plans well in advance.

When structured, digital processes are combined with dedicated technicians, the need for constant time pressure and sudden breakdowns disappears. This stability allows specialists to focus on truly improving the machinery, ultimately resulting in safe, predictable, and highly efficient production.