CMMS/Asset Management Software

Implementing a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is one of the most impactful steps an organization can take to improve asset reliability, reduce downtime, and align maintenance with production. But without a thoughtful approach, CMMS implementations often fall short of their potential—or fail altogether.

Here are some common mistakes I have made and seen made, and how to avoid them:

1. Lack of Clear Goals

One of the biggest oversights is launching a CMMS without defining what success looks like. Are you aiming to reduce downtime, improve PM compliance, or track maintenance costs? Without clear KPIs, it’s difficult to measure ROI or sustain engagement.  My recommendation is to agree as a team on just one, choose the biggest driver of organizational success and routinely review it.

2. Bad Data In, Bad Results Out

Poor data migration—whether from spreadsheets or legacy systems—can doom a CMMS from day one. Inaccurate asset lists, incomplete PM inspections, poor parts data can create confusion, slow down transactional processing and erode trust in the system.  Spend the time upfront and collect solid data.

3. Not Fully Investing in User Training

Assuming your team will “figure it out” is a recipe for frustration. A successful CMMS isn’t just about software—it’s about people using it effectively. Hands-on training, SOPs, and ongoing support are essential.  Ensure your trainers are intimately familiar with the software and its configuration because having an expert in the room will help build your team’s confidence in the CMMS.

4. Ignoring Frontline Input

A top-down implementation that excludes technicians or production staff often misses the mark. Involve end users early and often. Their insight ensures the system reflects real workflows and allowing them to weigh will increase their buy-in.

5. Overcomplicating the Launch

Trying to configure every feature right away can bog down implementation. Start simple. Build core functionality first—then expand as your team gains confidence and the organization matures.  Think of your rollout in terms of crawl, walk, learn.  Implement the 

most value-add areas first and overtime increase their scope to match larger organizational goals.

6. Poor Change Management

Even the best system will struggle if users aren’t aligned with the “why.” Communicate clearly, address resistance, and treat the implementation as a cultural shift—not just a software install.  If not done properly, users will just assume it is a flavor of the month which will hurt adoption.

7. No Preventive Maintenance Strategy

If your CMMS is only used for reactive work orders, you’re just organizing the chaos. Build out preventive and predictive maintenance plans to get long-term value from the system.

8. Forgetting Continuous Improvement

Implementation isn’t the finish line. Regularly review your data, gather feedback, and optimize workflows. A CMMS should evolve as your business does.

Final Thoughts

A CMMS can transform how maintenance and production work together. A CMMS is a tool that can help your team achieve your goals, but it is only a tool.  Be intentional throughout your implementation. Avoiding these common mistakes can mean the difference between a tool that collects dust and one that drives operational excellence.

Article written by

Colin Whitney

Maintenance Reliability Consultant

www.accenture.com

• Global enterprise asset management (EAM) company aims to grow indirect sales four-fold by 2030
• Traction for controlling costs, uptime and resilience in industrial businesses has already led to a 46 percent increase in certified partner consultants since 2023
• A growing EAM market, and Ultimo’s innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and clear roadmap for Cloud and SaaS technology is appealing to channel players from big brand vendors

IFS Ultimo, the leading enterprise asset management (EAM) software provider, is making major strides in expanding its channel partner ecosystem in key regions such as the Americas, the DACH countries, Central Eastern Europe (CEE), Asia Pacific (APAC), and the United Kingdom & Ireland (UKI). As part of its long-term vision, the company aims to grow its indirect sales four-fold by 2030 and is simplifying its partner application process while strengthening the partnership model to broaden value and support for its rapidly growing network.

Expanding budgets for digital transformation initiatives coupled with continued pressure to reduce costs and unplanned downtime, is driving spend on EAM software in industrial businesses. The EAM market reached $4.5 billion in 2024 and will grow at a nine percent CAGR to reach $6.4 billion in 2028, according to Verdantix¹. Having already seen a 46 percent growth in its partner ecosystem since 2023, IFS Ultimo is gaining strong traction with EAM-focused partners in verticals such as manufacturing, logistics, energy, and healthcare.

Johan Made, CEO at IFS Ultimo commented, “Our platform is developed collaboratively with customers, and the company is differentiated by acting in unison with organizations as they advance along our EAM maturity model. As Ultimo does not require extensive professional services to realize its full value, customers such as BP Castrol and Bosch are turning to us for our proven track record of cost transparency. Partners like AVEVA, Siemens Healthineers and MaxGrip work with us for our proven ability to derive customer value at an industry-leading pace, enabling them to stay ahead of market demands and serve clients with agility, and vision.”

James Mansfield, Global Channel Sales Director at IFS Ultimo, added, “With the increasing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technology in asset management, IFS Ultimo is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of EAM. The growing demand for EAM solutions, particularly in the manufacturing, logistics, energy and healthcare sectors, is reshaping the channel landscape.”

Updates to the IFS Ultimo partner programs came into effect earlier this year and include expanded margins, increased lead allocation, an enhanced sales certification system, investment in dedicated sales team resources, business planning structures and differentiated partner status awards. Designed to increase partner profitability, IFS Ultimo is incentivizing partners to invest back into their successful SaaS practice.

IFS Ultimo’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) annual recurring revenue (ARR) model facilitates predictable, stable, and recurring income streams for its partner ecosystem.

In October 2025, IFS Ultimo Nexus will bring the company’s global partner community together in Vienna, Austria for learning, business inspiration and networking. Visitifsultimonexus.comfor further information.

The multi-channel retailer/mail order company is using enterprise asset management software for its highly automated logistics center in Polling, Austria. Centrally managing its asset information, efficiently plan maintenance tasks, and improving work order and spare parts management. The interface and mobile features help Personalshop organize maintenance and repair tasks more effectively and minimize downtime.

**

Optimized asset management: Personalshop increases planning reliability with IFS Ultimo

• Personalshop relies on Ultimo for the centralized management and efficient maintenance of its highly automated intralogistics
• Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software enables the mail-order company to optimize its asset and spare parts management
• With the 3-month implementation, Personalshop benefits from increased operational efficiency and improved planning accuracy

The mail-order company Personalshop has chosen Ultimo EAM software for its highly automated logistics center at its headquarters in Polling, Austria. The successfully implemented solution enables the multi-channel retailer to centrally manage its asset information, efficiently plan maintenance tasks, and improve work order and spare parts management. The user-friendly interface and mobile features help Personalshop organize maintenance and repair tasks more effectively and minimize downtime. By implementing Ultimo, the mail-order company has achieved a significant increase in operational efficiency and planning reliability.

Personalshop's logistics center in Polling is a state-of-the-art facility, featuring a fully automated high-bay warehouse with 10,500 storage locations, approximately 1,200 belt and roller conveyors, a shuttle block warehouse with 100 transport robots, as well as storage and retrieval machines, packaging machines, and return stations. The center is designed to handle over 60,000 items per day and ship them throughout the DACH region.

"The scale and complexity of our logistics facility in Polling require precise and reliable management of the resources to ensure smooth operations," explains Hannes Egger, Head of Logistics at Personalshop. "We also need to ensure that all critical components are always available in our spare parts warehouse, which holds over 7,000 active SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), and that maintenance tasks can be systematically planned and executed."

Key criterion: Easy to Learn and Use

When selecting the appropriate software, Personalshop prioritized ease of use alongside functionality. "We wanted to ensure that our technical team adopts and fully utilizes the software. Only then can we truly leverage the benefits of an EAM system," says Emre Yalcin, Head of Maintenance and Repair.

The Austrian team selected the ready-to-use Premium edition of the software, which requires no configuration. And, after an efficient three-month implementation phase, Personalshop was able to handle a variety of tasks with Ultimo, including managing the asset structure, planning maintenance and repair work, and analyzing disruptions.

Value-added data analytics, mobile working and e-learning included

The software enables the technical team to create and manage maintenance schedules, efficiently handle work orders and reliably manage spare parts. With Ultimo, Personalshop can ensure that maintenance tasks are proactively planned and carried out, reducing the likelihood of failures and extending the lifespan of the equipment. Additionally, Ultimo offers comprehensive reporting and analysis tools that allow monitoring of maintenance activities and utilizing performance metrics for informed decision-making.

With integrated mobile applications, the technical team can access important information from any location, ensuring flexible and responsive maintenance. Personalshop opted for a ‘train the trainer’ approach, where two technicians utilized the e-learning resources then trained the rest of the team.

"Since the introduction of Ultimo, everything has been running smoothly in our logistics center. We are very satisfied with the support and our team is fully committed," summarizes Hannes Egger, Head of Logistics. "The added value we particularly appreciate is the increased planning reliability that Ultimo provides. This gives us the confidence that our logistics processes will continue to run efficiently and smoothly in the future - a prerequisite for high customer satisfaction, which is our top priority."

About IFS Ultimo
IFS Ultimo, an IFS company, enhances the financial resilience, regulatory compliance and operational excellence for manufacturing, logistics, energy and healthcare through its innovative software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions. Since 1988, Ultimo has focused on maintenance, uptime, safety, cost control and efficiency. Known for rapid deployment, ease of use and an unparalleled time to value, Ultimo is proud to support over 100,000 technicians who manage more than 15 million assets for 2,400+ customers worldwide. For further information see ultimo.com.

About Personalshop

For over 30 years, Personalshop has been offering its customers national and international top brands as well as its own products at the best prices. Customers can find out about the exclusive offers through various channels - from sales catalogs to online shopping and Personalshop stores. With 3 million loyal customers in the DACH region, over 400 employees and an annual turnover of around 300 million euros, Personalshop is one of Austria's most successful mail-order companies. For more information about Personalshop, visit www.personalshop.net.

In the evolving world of maintenance management, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) have already brought about a significant leap in how organisations schedule, track, and manage their maintenance operations. Now, with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), CMMS platforms are undergoing a second transformation — one that’s smarter, more predictive, and driven by data.

From Reactive to Predictive Maintenance

Traditional CMMS systems are excellent at centralising maintenance data and managing work orders. However, most of their functionality relies on scheduled input and reactive response. AI changes that paradigm. By analysing historical maintenance records, equipment usage patterns, and sensor data from IoT-connected devices, AI can identify trends and forecast potential failures before they happen.

This predictive capability allows organisations to shift from time-based to condition-based maintenance — reducing downtime, extending asset life, and cutting unnecessary servicing costs.

Smarter Workflows and Automated Decision-Making

AI-powered CMMS platforms are not just about prediction; they also enhance decision-making. Algorithms can automatically prioritise maintenance requests based on urgency, asset criticality, and historical data. AI can even recommend the best course of action or assign jobs to technicians with the most relevant skills and availability.

As a result, maintenance teams become more efficient and responsive, while managers gain valuable insights to support strategic planning.

Enhanced Asset Management

Through AI, CMMS platforms can create dynamic asset hierarchies and continuously optimise them based on equipment performance data. This enables more accurate asset tagging, better inventory management, and clearer cost tracking.

AI can also identify underperforming assets or recurring issues across a facility — providing a deeper layer of asset intelligence that informs repair-or-replace decisions.

Natural Language Processing and Voice Integration

Many modern CMMS platforms are integrating AI-driven features like natural language processing (NLP). This allows users to interact with the system via simple voice commands or text input — making it easier to log issues, search for asset histories, or retrieve documentation hands-free.

This functionality is especially useful in field environments, where speed and accessibility are crucial.

Continuous Learning and Adaptability

Unlike static software, AI-enhanced CMMS platforms improve over time. As they process more data, the algorithms become more accurate in detecting anomalies, recommending fixes, and optimising schedules. This self-learning capability means the system adapts to your facility’s unique needs — providing increasing value as it evolves.

Final Thoughts

AI is rapidly shifting CMMS platforms from digital logbooks to intelligent maintenance ecosystems. Organisations that embrace this technology are not only improving asset reliability and technician productivity but are also laying the groundwork for fully autonomous maintenance operations in the near future.

The future of maintenance isn’t just digital — it’s intelligent.

🌟 Discover the Future of Maintenance Management! 🌟

Verdantix’s latest Global Corporate Survey shows companies worldwide are rapidly adopting #CMMS (Computerised #Maintenance #Management Systems) to drive cost reduction and enhance long-term asset performance. 🚀

Join Donal Bourke (PEMAC | An Elecosoft Company) & Josh Graessele (Verdantix) on Wednesday, April 16th for an exclusive webinar:
🎥 From Insight to Action - What the Latest Research Says About #Maintenance Trends

🔍 What You’ll Learn:
✅ The latest trends in digital maintenance and the rising adoption of #CMMS
✅ How leading companies are reducing downtime & enhancing asset performance
✅ The role of IoT, AI, and mobile solutions in maintenance
✅ Strategies for bridging workforce skills gaps & ensuring compliance
✅ A real-world case study on digital transformation in asset and maintenance management

💡 This interactive session invites you to share your thoughts on the latest research and discuss your organization's challenges. Don’t miss your chance to gain valuable insights and stay ahead in 2025!

📌 Register now to secure your place: https://lnkd.in/eAvCyN7P

#Maintenance #AssetManagement #DigitalTransformation #IoT #AI #Webinar #PEMAC #Verdantix

I speak with hundreds of manufacturing decision-makers and industry experts at industry events about the major trends impacting the global manufacturing industry.

With output set to rise by three percent in 2025, it is clear that the future of the industry is bright. Judging by the conversations I have with people at the manufacturing frontline, this positive development is to a large degree driven by the increasing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and practices among businesses around the world.

As the industry grows smarter, here are my four key takeaways from my conversations with leading manufacturers. These major trends and innovations are highly likely to shape global manufacturing in 2025 and beyond.

1. Advancing Digitalization

In the world of manufacturing, digitalization is often synonymous with automation. This is something that manufacturers have always excelled at. Simultaneously, sensors and endpoints are widespread and their numbers growing, a noticeable upsurge from Gartner's 21 billion estimate back in 2020. What this means is that clearly, businesses can capture data like never before.

I expect that we will see accelerated efforts to augment automation with data to drive even smarter factories and equip decision-makers with unprecedented insights, especially when it comes to enterprise asset management (EAM). We should also expect digital twins—an area predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30 percent from 2023 to 2027—to play an integral role in this development as businesses look for intelligent ways to transform vast fields of unstructured data into a centralized model that helps visualize complex assets and improve collaboration between departments and functions.

As digitalization picks up even more momentum over the coming years, so will the associated risks. By digitizing processes and value chains, companies are exposing themselves to the threat of data security challenges, including malware incidents, loss of data, or Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks that have the potential to cripple businesses. Given the magnitude of the risks involved, I believe that we will see increased focus among manufacturing businesses to invest in effective cybersecurity measures. This will, in turn, lead to an industry-wide strengthening of supply chain integrity.

Advancing digitalization and automation will naturally influence the workforce. However, rather than replacing those roles filled by humans, technology will instead be used as a tool to help improve the efficiency of personnel to make workdays more productive and flexible. In other words, when digitalization has automated those tasks that do not benefit from human intervention, workers are free to turn their attention to more complex tasks where value can be added.

2. AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance

As the above-mentioned figures from Gartner indicate, the industry is connecting assets at a furious pace. This increase in available data is the driving force behind an advancement in predictive maintenance initiatives, which I believe will help shape the manufacturing sector in the years to come. The most crucial component of any effort in this area is the EAM solution and how it connects to the company’s installed base of assets. After all, the more interconnected the EAM solution and your assets become, the more imperative it is to predict and project on asset failure. With the help of data-driven insights, predicting when a machine will fail will allow businesses to take measures to prevent this from happening.

The growing interest in predictive maintenance is hardly surprising given the financial incentives. For example, predictive maintenance can save up to 40 percent in costs compared to reactive maintenance and 8–12 percent when compared to preventive maintenance. Predictive maintenance can also extend asset lifespans by 20–40 percent. No wonder the market for these solutions is projected to grow to USD 47.8 billion in 2029 (CAGR 35.1 percent).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key differentiator that will drive all major advancements in predictive maintenance for years to come. Making sense of and operationalizing sensory data, AI models will retain their looming presence in enterprise asset management as companies explore new ways of harnessing machine learning to enhance error detection and prevention, while also increasing energy efficiency.  

3. Purposeful Production

At the same rate the global population is growing, so is our demand for goods and services. To meet this demand, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 50 percent over the last three decades. In 2023, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the manufacturing and raw materials industries accounted for approximately 23 percent of emissions, while manufacturing consumed some 33 percent of the world’s energy.

As a result of these rather sobering figures, I see a clear shift among manufacturers toward a more purposeful production wherein goods are made in a way that minimizes the environmental footprint, conserves resource and considers both the social and economic aspects of its impact.

What we are seeing now and in the coming years is a global shift to a circular economy that lets us reduce waste and use resources more efficiently. As these new imperatives are becoming reality, manufacturers will need to adopt technology to help implement lean processes, ensure increased productivity, minimize energy consumption, ensure supply chain traceability, enhance workplace safety and much more.

For the manufacturing sector, this is a sea change that imposes increasingly stringent demands on operations - not only in terms of supply chain visibility and raw material sourcing, but also when it comes to the emissions and energy consumption of their factories. For this reason, many businesses will need to overhaul production methods, maintenance practices, and reporting capabilities.

4. The Changing Workforce, and Skills Shortages

There’s a clear shift in the way maintenance departments operate that will reach a critical inflection point in 2025. As internal processes become increasingly digitized, maintenance workers must become more adept at using different technologies, tools and platforms. New skill sets are required around the collection, analysis and interpretation of data that will assure manufacturers are fit for the future.

The lack of skilled personnel is acute. A third (31 percent) of companies outsource operations because skilled individuals are hard to find, and over half (58 percent) of manufacturing employees have worked in the industry for more than 20 years. 

While manufacturers have been dealing with an aging workforce for some time, they would be wise to start hiring on skill sets that better match the technological requirements and advancements of tomorrow, versus talent that will follow directly in the footsteps of today’s engineers.

Looking further to the future, immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR) are set to redefine how all industries function. In the manufacturing sector, metaverse-based tools will unlock new vistas of opportunity. For example, VR technology can help staff to develop their skills without leaving the room. MR and AR can likewise empower workers to solve problems in the field by tapping into a central knowledge repository or by drawing on the skills of remote coworkers. Besides savings in time, cost and effort, reports suggest monumental increases in productivity of up to 20 percent. The business case for immersive technology is compelling.

Immersive technology holds the potential to revolutionize the way manufacturing operates, and the growing reliance on predictive analytics, AR, VR, and other advanced technologies will demand a workforce proficient not just in basic digital skills, but also in using these sophisticated tools in their daily work.

With a third of the manufacturing workforce at age 55 or older, businesses will be forced to make changes in order to attract younger generations of workers. Over the next few years, I believe that a vanguard of manufacturing businesses will start deploying immersive and other emerging technology to appeal to generation-now workers whose digital nativeness and low threshold for adoption will unlock new efficiencies and ways of working.

The Future is Bright

Despite some of the challenges outlined above, I see a bright future for the manufacturing industry. Speaking with customers, partners, and industry experts, it is clear to me that there has never been a more opportune moment to improve, streamline and innovate. Combining the potential of cutting-edge technology with the responsible and sustainable ethos of purposeful production, I am convinced that the manufacturing industry is ready to face the future.

www.ultimo.com

• New alliance combines expertise at MC Global Solutions with Ultimo’s industry-leading¹ EAM platform across Australia, New Zealand and the UK
• MC Global Solutions’ clients to benefit from Ultimo’s holistic enterprise asset management (EAM) platform
• Facilities management (FM) and EAM expertise of MC Global Solutions to further simplify industrial asset management

More businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the UK are set to benefit from Ultimo’s Cloud-based enterprise asset management (EAM) platform thanks to a new partnership with EAM consultancy, MC Global Solutions. The company specializes in third-party software integration to automate processes, enhance efficiency and reduce costs. Working for customers such as News Corp Australia and Devro, MC Global Solutions provides an integrated set of software applications backed with superior expertise, to make business systems more efficient and effective.

Steve Martin, Managing Director of MC Global Solutions, emphasizes the importance of EAM as a strategic goal for companies aiming to optimize their maintenance and operational workflows, “Our collaboration with IFS Ultimo enhances the accessibility of asset decision-making within the EAM industry, empowering organizations to manage operations more efficiently, minimize equipment downtime, and ultimately drive improved performance.”

James Mansfield, Channel Sales Director at IFS Ultimo adds, “This partnership is about leveraging the strengths of both companies to bring a truly innovative solution to the markets of MC Global. By combining MC Global Solutions’ expertise in EAM and FM software consultancy with our cutting-edge platform, we are creating a solution that transforms asset management from a cumbersome process into an efficient operation.”

With 90 percent of industrial companies acknowledging that improved EAM software is pivotal to their future maintenance strategies, and only 60 percent having adopted it, the collaboration between IFS Ultimo and MC Global Solutions is an important step towards providing the tools they need.

The partnership is expected to drive significant efficiency, cost, and safety improvements for organizations navigating the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

• Facilities management use cases suggest that enhanced building maintenance efficiency, with task resolution rates increasing by 40 percent can be achieved
• For manufacturers, decreased unplanned downtime, can lead to improved machinery uptime. In some cases, the solution has sped up quality checks on more than 1,500 assets, achieving time savings of 60-70 percent
• Healthcare organizations can expect accelerated diagnostics for medical equipment.

To find out more about the joint offering, or to see the industry use cases, contact the companies here.

About MC Global Solutions
MC Global Solutions specializes in EAM and FM software consultancy, helping organizations streamline business processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs with cloud-based solutions. Learn more at MC Global Solutions.

About IFS Ultimo

IFS Ultimo, an IFS company, energizes the financial resilience, regulatory compliance and operational excellence for healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics businesses through its innovative software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions. Focused on maintenance, uptime, safety, cost control, and efficiency, the Company is known for rapid deployment, ease of use and an unparalleled time to value. Ultimo supports over 100,000 technicians who manage more than 15 million assets for 2400+ customers worldwide. For further information see ultimo.com.

1. https://www.ultimo.com/blog/ifs-ultimo-named-an-industry-leader-in-enterprise-asset-management-eam-software-by-independent-analyst-firm/

Europe's leading manufacturer of sweet biscuits implements preventive maintenance with Ultimo / Cross-site introduction planned

More than 100,000 tons of sweet biscuits per year, delivered to over 80 countries worldwide: Bahlsen is the leading biscuit manufacturer in Germany and one of the leading suppliers in Europe. The company uses IFS Ultimo for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) to optimize maintenance management for its systems, achieve maximum uptime with preventive maintenance and standardize processes in four plants. 

In February 2023, Bahlsen introduced the cloud-based software solution at its production site in Berlin. A blueprint for desired maintenance processes was developed and tested here. Initially, 24 users used the Standard Asset Management. An important part of this is the integration of production, whose employees can report failures directly in the system or resolve reported failures straight away. The aim of the pilot project was to define the requirements for the system solution and establish common KPIs, which are then measured at group level. Ultimo was then transferred to the company's other plants using the experience gained in Berlin. Ultimo is also to be implemented at the logistics site. As a result, Ultimo is used to implement, centrally monitor and optimize standardized maintenance processes across the company. 

"Bahlsen produces bakery products in a total of five plants. With IFS Ultimo, we achieve the greatest possible transparency across all sites regarding the condition of our equipment and improved reporting and monitoring of maintenance activities. This data enables us to move from reactive to preventive maintenance and thus reduce downtimes due to unplanned maintenance to a minimum", says project manager Aimal Khan, Digital Manager at Bahlsen regarding the introduction of Ultimo.

Necessary downtimes can be efficiently planned and managed with Ultimo. Operators, maintenance staff and management access the same centrally managed data. In the long run, Bahlsen also intends to use the integrated Long Term Asset Planning module (LTAP). This enables maintenance staff to draw up long-term budget plans for their equipment based on the condition of the assets and the costs of maintenance, renovation and replacement. 

This allows informed decisions on maintenance measures and the implementation of preventive maintenance with maximum cost efficiency.

Heike Roth, Team Lead Inside Sales, IFS Ultimo, adds: "With IFS Ultimo’s cloud-based EAM software, Bahlsen benefits from shared maintenance KPIs that are defined, measured and monitored at group level. Together with the wide range of asset management functions, this maximizes productivity and efficiency. This strategic approach underlines the company's high standards of quality and innovative strength."

In addition to the flexible and powerful modules for planning, optimizing, executing and monitoring maintenance activities, the integration of Ultimo into intelligent Asset Performance Management (APM) platforms was also a reason for the decision to use IFS Ultimo for Enterprise Asset Management. The two companies work closely together in a strategic partnership to enable customers to make fast, accurate and data-driven decisions and to help the industry improve its operational performance and sustainability.

Ultimo is a cloud-based Enterprise Asset Management software with numerous modules for managing assets, work orders, projects, maintenance, and health, safety and environmental (HSE) issues. It helps to map and manage processes transparently and to simplify their execution. All data is centrally available to users in Ultimo and can also be used on the move thanks to the cloud-based solution - whether on a PC or laptop or the operator's or maintenance manager's mobile device directly at the equipment. For this purpose, dedicated Android and iOS apps are available.

www.ultimo.com

• Enterprise asset management (EAM) system manages and maintains manufacturing assets
• Improved operational efficiency with mobile-enabled engineers, better resource allocation, and predictive maintenance
• Powering ACC to increase production volume and support the automotive sector’s energy transition

Vehicle battery manufacturer, Automotive Cells Company (ACC), has implemented enterprise asset management (EAM) software from IFS Ultimo to drive the development and industrialization of the first French battery for the automotive industry. By managing and maintaining more than 20,000 manufacturing assets with the EAM system, the Mercedes and Stellantis-owned company has improved operational efficiency and enabled both corrective and preventative maintenance.

Powering the energy transition through sustainable, affordable, high-capacity, and longer-life batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), ACC expects to manufacture batteries for 150,000 Stellantis vehicles by the end of 2025, with the first block currently in ramp-up. With its machines running for longer periods, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) EAM system allows ACC to repair assets quickly, saving time and money, and ultimately increasing production volumes.

François Carrot, Information System Director at ACC, explains, “Price competition is the first challenge for ACC. To win this battle and become a key player in the European energy transition, ACC focuses on scrap reduction and increasing overall equipment effectiveness. Our team understands the importance of adopting a modern and efficient EAM to manage and maintain the industrial assets that are critical to our strategic ambition. Better resource allocation and responsiveness underscore the operational efficiency at ACC, which is pivotal to the commercial performance of manufacturing businesses.”

Delivered by integrator Inoteam, the system setup includes plans and photographs for each ACC machine. Using mobile applications on tablets, engineers simply scan a QR code to access documentation associated with each of the 20,000+ assets. This includes information on periodical maintenance, the history of all operations performed, along with comments from the people who have worked on it. Being mobile-enabled allows ACC engineers to conduct maintenance rounds and record various values ‘on-the-go’. The centralized EAM also manages stock to ensure the availability of parts during repairs.

Johan Made, CEO at IFS Ultimo adds, “It is our mission to be easy to do business with. That requires us to deliver solutions that are easy to use and fast to deploy. With ACC, we saw a young company poised for growth that needed to catalogue all the machines in its facilities, including tracking all corrective and preventative maintenance to avoid breakdowns. They needed an EAM to provide a reference system. And they needed it fast. Rolled out to users in just six months, the engineers find it intuitive and rich in data.”

ACC’s digital transformation journey with IFS Ultimo will progressively continue, with the addition of functionality for purchasing, as well as health, safety, and environment (HSE) with permits.

About ACC

Automotive Cells Company (ACC) is poised to become the European leader in automotive batteries. Backed by TotalEnergies-Saft, Stellantis, and Mercedes AG, with robust support from European authorities, particularly in France, Germany, and Italy, we are committed to developing and industrializing the next generation of cleaner energy sources for transport through sustainable, affordable, high-capacity, and longer-life batteries.

As a competitive high-tech company, we are investing billions in the early stages of our development. Our R&D Excellence Center is operational in Bruges (Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), alongside our state-of-the-art pilot plant in Nersac, France (Angoulème, Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Our first gigafactory in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, Hauts-de-France, the first of its kind in France, was inaugurated in May 2023 and is ramping up large-scale production. Over the next few years, we will further enhance our innovation and production capacities with a second block starting in 2026 in Billy-Berclau Douvrin. We have already established a global network of R&D associates, industrial partners, and suppliers.

About IFS Ultimo

IFS Ultimo, an IFS company, energizes the financial resilience, regulatory compliance and operational excellence for healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics businesses through its innovative software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions. Focused on maintenance, uptime, safety, cost control, and efficiency, the Company is known for rapid deployment, ease of use and an unparalleled time to value. Ultimo supports over 100,000 technicians who manage more than 15 million assets for 2400+ customers worldwide. For further information see ultimo.com.

AI boosted Enterprise Asset Management software will significantly improve employee productivity and maximize asset performance

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software provider IFS Ultimo has integrated AI functionality into its next-generation EAM platform to enhance troubleshooting, and enable organizations to reduce the mean time to repair (MTTR) of their assets. By leveraging AI, EAM toolsets will be more intuitive, accessible and predictive, therefore driving unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness in asset management practices. The new AI features will be unveiled on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at IFS Unleashed, Orlando, Florida, USA.

“AI will take EAM to the next level. Our vision for AI is to focus on real world use cases. When considering what AI to integrate into our platform, we are only embedding features which will add significant value for our customers and improve their user experience”, says Chris van den Belt, Head of Product Management, IFS Ultimo. “Infusing our EAM platform with AI functionalities will radically improve employee productivity and maximize asset availability.”

Many AI technologies are geared towards predicting and preventing failures and incidents. However, for the majority of organizations, these technologies are more of a long-term goal than a short-term reality. Reactive maintenance will continue to feature prominently in most organization's maintenance strategies. With this in mind, IFS Ultimo has made the conscious decision to harness the powers of AI to significantly reduce time spent on reactive maintenance. Realizing these short-term benefits starting today puts long-term objectives within arm's reach.

Use of AI minimizes downtime and boosts productivity 

It is estimated that 80 percent of time in MTTR is spent on diagnosing a problem. The biggest chunk of time wasted is due to a lack of communication and detail in failure reports. With Ultimo's built-in AI capabilities, organizations can realize tremendous value with each percentage point reduction in MTTR. This is not chump change: the average cost of downtime in manufacturing often exceeds $100K per hour. Beyond the clear financial stakes, the productivity impact is also profound, especially in an industry where skilled labor is already hard to come by. Furthermore, the immense increase in overall data quality unlocks a wide array of new and exciting possibilities for achieving operational excellence.

The newly integrated AI functionality provides better quality of failure reporting. Having to spend less time on diagnosing a problem means skilled employees will benefit from increased wrench time, increased asset availability, reduced admin time, improved collaboration and improved employee satisfaction.

More accurate failure reports accelerate troubleshooting

Front line workers spend the majority of their working day close to the assets they know so well. Any changes to the way these assets look, sound, smell or feel will not pass them by. Using a large language model (LLM), Ultimo detects the asset in question and provides a series of tailored suggestions that the reporter can easily add to the failure report without having to type. In doing so, all of the sensory observations are captured on the report accurately, providing maintenance teams with complete and accurate information to quickly solve the issue and increase asset availability and reliability.

This same approach will be used elsewhere in Ultimo to empower the faster resolution of diagnosed issues and enhance the accuracy of completed work activities registered in the system. The overall benefits include a substantial reduction of time spent on administration, severe improvements to data quality and a boost to employee satisfaction. Furthermore, Ultimo is working on integrated AI features that will greatly improve user experience, such as photo-based meter readings, auto-generated image and document captions and auto-translated multi-lingual data.

Chris concludes: “We are dedicated to developing our products to help users do their jobs more easily with our best-of-breed EAM software. AI has the capability to enhance EAM in future-ready and efficient ways - empowering employees, improving asset performance, and reducing costs. We are very excited to bring these new AI functionalities to our customers while making sure all relevant data protection is in place.”

For more information visit www.ultimo.com/ai.