CMMS/Asset Management Software

All of us are likely to be accused sometimes of having our “head in the clouds”. But with the tremendous advances in Cloud computing and mobile communications, perhaps the advice should be “get ahead in the Cloud!”

Imagine a scenario where a condition based maintenance (CBM) team is responsible for a number of remote sites. This could be where a central ‘control’ site has a number of remote ‘satellite’ locations that have equipment that needs to be monitored. The measurements could be done by personnel based at the remote site, or the sites could be visited from time to time by CBM engineers. Another similar scenario is where a service company has multiple customers that are visited by a ‘fleet’ of CBM engineers.

In each of these scenarios, the central facility will most likely be running computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) software that is being used to monitor, trend and report on the equipment as part of the CBM strategy. The whole process can be greatly facilitated by the ability to remotely download lists of the measurements (Routes) that are required at the remote locations, and automatically upload the subsequent readings into the CMMS software.

For example, supervisors can send out Routes that can be remotely downloaded via the Cloud onto mobile devices (e.g. smart phones or tablets). Using a mobile App, users can then locally transfer the Routes to measurement devices, such as vibration meters, via Bluetooth. The readings then go in the opposite direction, via Bluetooth from vibration meter to mobile device, and via the Cloud from mobile device to the CMMS software.

Test Products International (TPI) has now made this process very easy with the release of the TPI Cloud-Bridge App. This FREE, subscription FREE, mobile App works in conjunction with the subscription FREE, C-Trend II PC Software, to easily allow multiple routes to be sent to multiple, remote users, anywhere in the world and receive the readings back for detailed analysis.

The versatility of the TPI Cloud-Bridge App also allows it to be used with virtually ANY version of CMMS software.

TPI manufactures a complete range of low-cost, high-performance vibration analysers from the £575, one-button-to-press TPI 9070 Smart Vibration Meter, to devices that include advanced diagnostics and machine balancing.

The TPI 9080 Smart Trend Meter from £1,100 comes complete with PC based trending and reporting software that includes automatic report generation and email notification of alarms, to implement a full CBM solution. The TPI 9080 features colour coded alarm levels and zoomable on-screen vibration frequency plots together with on-meter analysis for the detection of machine faults such as unbalance, misalignment, looseness and bearing wear.

The TPI 9080 can store Routes of up to 1000 machines, each with up to 10 measurement points, all with full vibration waveform and frequency spectrum (FFT) capture. Routes and readings can easily be transferred to/from the TPI 9080 in a variety of different ways.  Locally, via the included USB docking cradle or wirelessly via Bluetooth, or remotely, via a Bluetooth link with a smart phone or tablet running the TPI Cloud-Bridge App. This allows service personnel to receive and return routes and readings, wherever they may be.  

The Ex certified TPI 9080Ex is IECEx/ATEX certified for Zone 1 and has North American approval for Class 1, Zone 1 and hence is certified for use in hazardous locations anywhere in the world. In-line with TPI’s philosophy of being the value leader, the TPI 9080Ex is available at a list price of £3,500.

For more information please contact TPI Europe’s head office on +44 1293 530196 or take a look on the website at www.tpieurope.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IFS Ultimo EAM and SAP S/4HANA also have a certified integration in 2023/2024. This certified integration allows users of "best-of-breed" EAM system IFS Ultimo to seamlessly exchange data with this ERP system. A great opportunity to further increase efficiency within your maintenance and purchasing organization.

Maintenance and asset information is recorded in IFS Ultimo, and all related order requests can be submitted through SAP. The certification covers 25 scenarios, starting incrementally with importing and synchronizing various master data, such as suppliers and articles, and then focusing on purchasing processes, including purchase requisitions, purchase orders, receipts and invoicing.

Read more:

https://www.ultimo.com/en-uk/blog/recertification-ifs-ultimo-eam-sap-s-4hana-cloud/

The Bristol Port Company approached IFS Ultimo in 2021 with the goal of increasing safety, reducing complexity, and enabling standardization across the port. As a key national asset and a major economic driver for the South-West region of the United Kingdom, Bristol Port along with the businesses on the Port Estate, reach a contribution of more than £1 billion to UK GDP. Each year, Bristol Port handles over 3 million tons of dry bulk goods, 550,000 motor vehicles, 27% of all UK aviation fuel imports, and 25% of all animal feed imports. Aiming to coordinate and simplify all its processes, Bristol Port started the implementation of IFS Ultimo’s Enterprise Management (EAM) solution. This involved replacing its existing maintenance management system as well as over 50 databases and spreadsheets.

Implementation with the support of DNASTREAM and IFS Ultimo

The implementation of IFS Ultimo was done by subcontractor and support partner DNASTREAM. The important Permit to Work (PTW) implementation, handling permits leading to better visibility of hazardous and non-hazardous jobs, was done by IFS Ultimo, while DNASTREAM took care of all other customizations and configurations requested by Bristol Port. “After the implementation, IFS Ultimo EAM was easy to use and made our whole asset management approach much simpler than before,” states Richard Ashley-Smith, Asset Manager at The Bristol Port Company.

One system to work for everyone

Bristol Port now uses a wide range of IFS Ultimo EAM modules like Asset Management, Stock Management, several HSE modules, Work Order Management, Periodical Maintenance, Project Management, and Reports. In addition to this, IFS Ultimo is fully integrated with Microsoft Power BI. This unified solution enables Bristol Port to currently use 150 full licenses for operations, maintenance, and business roles and over 200 self-service licenses for other staff functions and contractors working for Bristol Port.

Making the best business decisions based on better data, now and in the future

The implementation of IFS Ultimo has also evolved the Port’s business processes, granting the management team complete control over the collected data. With the ability to capture improved data, The Bristol Port Company can make well-informed business decisions based on accurate and reliable information. “We are very content with the overall performance of IFS Ultimo’s EAM solution as well as the system’s usability and the futureproofing it offers us going forward,” said Richard Ashley-Smith.

Peacock Engineering, a class-leading specialist in managed cloud enterprise asset management (EAM) and field service management solutions (FSM), has announced the appointments of two highly skilled additions to its technical team. The latest round of hires also includes further growth in its sales division, as Lee Turnbull joins as Business Development Manager.

The announcement comes as Peacock Engineering continues a period of impressive growth which has seen its team grow 20% in the last year. Over the last few months, the firm has won a series of new high-profile customers and also opened a second technical facility in Pune, India.

Expanding on its technical capabilities and to support the recent expansion, Tom Johnson joins the firm as a Solution Architect. Tom brings with him ten years of practical experience with IBM Maximo, both as a lead consultant and Solution architect. Tom has worked in a variety of industries ranging from Oil and Gas, to the Automotive industry.

Joining Tom is Principal Consultant, David Shaw. David also has over a decade of experience in the digital solutions space, is a highly skilled IBM Maximo developer and has expertise in the plant and engineering industry sector. 

Tom Johnson said: “I’m delighted to join Peacock Engineering. The company is renowned in the industry for both its technical IT capabilities and engineering knowledge. I am looking forwarded to adding my expertise to its diverse mix, helping to expand the teams' technical capabilities further and support our clients with best in industry digital EAM and FSM innovations and solutions.”

Lee Turnbull has also joined Peacock Engineering as Business Development Manager. Lee has nearly ten years’ experience working in the EAM sector, specialising in helping organisations develop effective strategies for improving operational day-to-day efficiencies, achieve health & safety compliance and optimise scheduling processes. Lee has experience across a broad range of sectors, including energy and utilities, life sciences, manufacturing, oil and gas, and transport.

A Gold Partner of both IBM and IFS business solutions, Peacock Engineering provides digital enterprise asset management and field service management solutions to some of the UK’s leading utility, manufacturing, oil and gas, and logistics organisations. Customers include the energy giant SSE, LPG supplier Flogas, and global leader in logistics, DHL.  

Matt Deadman, COO of Peacock Engineering, said: “With our client base rapidly expanding and the demand for EAM and FSM solutions growing, I’m thrilled to welcome David, Tom and Lee to the team at an exciting time for Peacock Engineering.”

“Increasing both our functional and technical capabilities to keep up with the growing EAM and FSM demands our clients are faced with is a priority for us. Our new appointments will allow the business to continue to evolve and provide the best possible service and solutions that help our customers save time, reduce costs and improve data reporting accuracy and compliance.”

AMS Device Manager adds Data Server technology to improve digital transformation outcomes, expand intelligent field device data accessibility and integration for analytics
 

Emerson, a global software and engineering leader, is helping process manufacturers improve performance and sustainability by breaking down the data silos that make it difficult to digitally transform their reliability and maintenance strategies. AMS Device Manager Data Server securely extends intelligent field device data to outside systems to make it easier for reliability and maintenance teams to further capitalise on modern advanced analytics software, providing a step change in operational efficiency and smart manufacturing.
 
For decades, process manufacturers have relied on asset management software to carefully deploy and monitor plant production assets – like measurement and analytical instrumentation, digital valve controllers, wireless gateways, and others – both within a single plant and across the enterprise. As plants have evolved, they have grown their technology stack to adopt a wide range of analytics, historians, machine learning and advanced modelling to exploit and benefit from historically under-used or inaccessible datasets from around the plant. AMS Device Manager Data Server publishes intelligent field device data nearly instantaneously to industrial software analytics solutions already in use by customers, eliminating the need for complex custom data integration and manual workarounds that often cause delayed results and siloed data. This data is relayed via secure industry protocols.
 
"To accelerate sustainability and profitability, today’s manufacturers are transforming via analytics – seeking to aggregate disparate, under-used data, and further exploit it for positive business impact around the organisation,” said Erik Lindhjem, vice president of Emerson’s reliability solutions business. “AMS Device Manager Data Server makes intelligent field device information such as configuration parameters, alerts, calibration data and others available, in near real-time, for advanced use in other software and applications our customers already use.”

AMS Device Manager Data Server makes it easy to import critical instrument and valve data into common dashboarding tools and applications like Microsoft PowerBI, Emerson software tools such as the Plantweb™ Optics platform, Plantweb Insight, Aspen MTell® and AspenTech Inmation™, plant historians and others.

visit Emerson.com.
 

Funds will support multi-product roadmap to capitalize on growing demand for modern CMMS

 – Limble, the leading provider of modern computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), announced today a $58M Series B funding round led by the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs), bringing the company’s valuation to $450M. The funding will be used to expand Limble’s product portfolio, further develop its powerful and intuitive user interface for asset monitoring and maintenance and accelerate its go-to-market strategy.

The investment from Goldman Sachs comes from its recently launched $5.2B growth equity fund, dedicated to investing in high-growth businesses with strong market positioning and durable business models.

The company also announced John Connolly, senior advisor to the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management and a five-time CEO, will join Limble’s Board of Directors to advise on the company’s next stage of growth. He will join Lars Letonoff, former CRO of KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform; and Jeremiah Daly, founder and general partner of Elephant. Brendon Hardin from Goldman Sachs’ Growth Equity business will also be joining the board in conjunction with this investment.

“The success of Limble can truly be credited to a deep understanding of the specific challenges that face maintenance and facility managers, and the design of a powerful yet streamlined system to solve those problems,” said Bryan Christiansen, CEO and founder, Limble. “We set out to empower the maintenance professionals – the unsung heroes – who keep the world turning and have delivered on that promise with cost savings in the hundreds of millions from reduced reactive maintenance, increased productivity, reduced downtime, and reduced part spend. With this injection of growth capital from Goldman Sachs, we are poised to add new capabilities and extend the reach of our game-changing CMMS solution to companies worldwide.”

Over the past 12 months, Limble has achieved 130% growth and has increased its headcount by 240%. With its modern, innovative approach to CMMS, its customers have achieved significant cost savings. In 2022 alone, Limble customers saved a total of $134M in downtime costs, $68M in parts spend and $442M in reduced labor costs.

“CMMS is essential to managing maintenance operations, but the market has historically been filled with overly complicated, cumbersome tools,” said Brendon Hardin. “Limble has disrupted this market with an intuitive, user-friendly, and modern CMMS that streamlines even the largest operations, and fast implementation means customers see ROI within weeks. The product has proven its value with thousands of customers worldwide, and we are confident Limble’s market penetration has the potential to grow exponentially in the coming months and years.”

Resources:

• CMMS: To learn more about CMMS and its benefits, read The Essential Guide to CMMS.
• Why Limble: For more information about Limble’s unique and innovative approach, visit Limble CMMS.
• Employment Opportunities: To learn more about employment opportunities at Limble, please visit the company’s careers page.

About Limble:

Limble delivers software designed by maintenance professionals, for maintenance professionals. Founded in 2015, the company created a modern CMMS that empowers maintenance professionals to implement preventive maintenance, easily manage assets, gain control of inventory, streamline workflows, report KPIs, organize work orders and realize millions of dollars in cost savings from reduced downtime, parts spend, labor and improved productivity. Thousands of customers worldwide trust Limble including McDonald’s, Nike, Pepsi, DHL Global Forwarding and more.

About Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Bringing together traditional and alternative investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides clients around the world with a dedicated partnership and focus on long-term performance. As the primary investing area within Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), we deliver investment and advisory services for the world’s leading institutions, financial advisors and individuals, drawing from our deeply connected global network and tailored expert insights, across every region and market—overseeing more than $2.6 trillion in assets under supervision worldwide as of March 31, 2023. Driven by a passion for our clients’ performance, we seek to build long-term relationships based on conviction, sustainable outcomes, and shared success over time. Follow us on LinkedIn.

MiB is a product/service that builds in diagnostic support for multiple assets via machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Where it would be difficult for non-experts to diagnose complex data or where there are multiple assets with multiple data feeds, human decision making can be limited and error prone.. 

Conventional AI systems base advice upon the identification and verification of outliers. They do not then normally offer a diagnosis of cause, but instead point the user to carry out further investigations and analysis and then update the system with the outcomes, such that if similar events are witnessed then the system can then respond with suggested outcomes. The problem with this is that the system is born naive and requires many learning events to become truly useful.

MiB incorporates the diagnostic knowledge of expert diagnosticians in the conventions of mature condition monitoring techniques and aligns this with AI functionality to identify true outliers and then offer meaningful diagnostic advice.

As more assets are managed remotely and fewer onsite personnel are sufficiently experienced to deal with all scenarios, it is becoming clear that a marriage of technology and experience is needed to balance the equation.

MiB have this as our objective, this is why we exist. 

We have the tools to deliver it in a simple software platform that we can place within your existing workflow for maintenance planners in any industry, world-wide.

Be sure to come visit us at the Autonomous Ship Expo, we will be at stand number AS252.

The conference program is available here:
https://www.autonomousshipexpo.com/conference-program.php

IFS Ultimo and InfoConsulting, one of the fastest growing consulting companies specialized in digital transformation have signed a reseller agreement designed to support customers in the implementation of the IFS Ultimo Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) platform. In the first stage, sales will be developed in Europe and Australia where InfoConsulting has a well developed customer maintenance and sales network.

Global growth strategy

This partnership allows InfoConsulting to add the IFS Ultimo EAM solution to its portfolio, and offer customers a better solution for the evolving needs of their business  through rapidly improving cross-team collaboration, boosting productivity, maximising asset availability, controlling costs and securing health and safety requirements.

InfoConsulting serves its customers globally in industrial and asset-intensive verticals like manufacturing, construction and mining but also in many others. IFS Ultimo provides a SaaS EAM solution, focused on maintenance & safety with an unparalleled time to value.

InfoConsulting had noticed an increased demand for EAM solutions, advancements in technology and changes in the business landscape, alongside the need to meet customer requirements, such as reducing costs and improving efficiency. This partnership provides them with a comprehensive EAM solution and addresses the evolving needs of businesses. IFS Ultimo’s EAM portfolio enables customers to have the tools needed to harness real value and achieve business goals faster and with more efficiency.

Integrated solutions

Mirosław Kamiński, Head of InfoConsulting commented: “We are enthusiastic about the Introduction of IFS Ultimo to our offerings, as it is a complementary solution to the IFS ERP System. Above all, we see a number of benefits for our customers. By improving maintenance, safety and cross-team collaboration, they can increase their efficiency. One of the benefits of the product is also the rate and speed at which customers obtain value and an ROI.

Freddy Vos, Vice President International Sales & Channel at IFS Ultimo said: “With the years of experience that InfoConsulting has in industrial markets, this is a perfect partnership for us to explore the European and Australian markets. I’m convinced that we can offer value for the customers of InfoConsulting, supporting them with their maintenance and safety challenges. InfoConsulting’s experience in solutions that are connected to EAM, like ERP, also offers an opportunity for us to provide solutions in a more integrated way together.”

www.ultimo.com

This article can also be found in the issue below.

Recent developments to IFS Ultimo’s EAM software spotlight improving collaboration. IFS Ultimo's ambition is to deliver the world's highest customer-rated EAM solution, empowering maintenance, operations, and safety teams to perform their jobs confidently and proactively. Alongside this, IFS Ultimo has recently launched a comprehensive Operations Suite and is working on further enhancements to simplify mobile inspections. Visitors to Maintec 2023 can visit the IFS Ultimo booth (A58) at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK on 7th and 8th June 2023 to discover more about these latest updates through in-person demonstrations.

Better collaboration through the Operations Suite
In the development towards becoming an optimally profitable organisation, it is crucial that departments work cooperatively from a single source of truth. Companies can bridge the gap between production and maintenance with the IFS Ultimo Operations Suite. Through the Operations Suite, users of the EAM software can use the available capacity more effectively, increase the involvement of various employees and respond quickly to information needs with accessible input from first-hand sources. The Operations Suite features sections on shift handover, autonomous maintenance, and downtime analysis.

Autonomous Maintenance by Operators
The autonomous maintenance section has an accessible solution available for asset operators to perform first-line maintenance.

Kris Sage, Sales Director UK at IFS Ultimo commented: “Often actions, such as cleaning, inspections, lubricants or simple repairs, are carried out in practice by operators, but are not registered on IFS Ultimo’s EAM software. Actions that can easily be shifted from mechanics to operators are also often not registered. Through the autonomous maintenance section of the Operations Suite, knowledgeable operators can now complete tasks without lead times and the scarce capacity of technicians can be deployed primarily on preventive and improving maintenance.”

The functionality is designed so that through accessible checklists and visual elements (for example photos) operators can work quickly, using IFS Ultimo’s EAM software, on a tablet or smartphone.

Easily accessible mobile inspection
In further developments of the functionality for mobile inspections, accessibility, and user-friendliness are key. It needs to be easy for operators to do inspections quickly and intuitively. In the latest developments, IFS Ultimo is focused on further developing an intuitive mobile experience on the Ultimo Go app, where data can be entered with minimal actions. The app recognises when data has previously been entered, helping to prevent repetition. Updates to the app are also improving the follow-up of findings and measurements.

Visit IFS Ultimo at Maintec
As in recent years, IFS Ultimo will be exhibiting at Maintec (Manufacturing + Engineering Week) at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK on 7th and 8th June 2023. Visit the IFS Ultimo booth (A58) to experience demonstrations which will showcase how the latest developments of the EAM software can help users to work more efficiently on the shop floor, allowing for better shape collaboration. This results in lower costs and better information to make the right decisions.

www.Ultimo.com