• 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.

1. IFS Ultimo earns coveted “LEADER” recognition for second consecutive Verdantix Green Quadrant®: EAM Software report
2. Industrial software company is acknowledged for strong capabilities in business intelligence, robust integrations, flexible pricing and slick user interface
3. Achieves top position for both market momentum and product capabilities

Today, IFS Ultimo announced it has been recognized as “a Leader” in the 2024 Verdantix Green Quadrant®: Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Software report.

In the report, IFS Ultimo is acknowledged for strong capabilities in business intelligence, robust integrations, its slick user interface and flexible pricing. This marks the second consecutive report where Ultimo has achieved Leader status; a consistent standing since 2022.

This Verdantix Green Quadrant® analysis benchmarks the most prominent EAM software vendors in the market and surveys decision makers on operational excellence initiatives. The report indicates several trends influencing growth in the EAM space, including mobile functionality, rapid implementations and analytics for predictive maintenance strategies.

Based on the Green Quadrant analysis, Ultimo earned a top position for both market momentum and product capabilities in the Leaders’ Quadrant.

This leader standing is a testament to the investments Ultimo is making in its growth. In the last year, the company has increased investment in research and development, expanded marketing to drive awareness, and has grown its network of certified partners by almost 50 percent - all while maintaining its outstanding 98 percent customer retention rate.

In addition, Ultimo is committed to equipping customers with functionality that can play an important role in the execution of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. These capabilities aid customers in maintaining compliant work environments, support reliability and reproducibility of information, map energy consumption and more.

Johan Made, CEO, IFS Ultimo, said, "Receiving recognition from a highly respected research firm like Verdantix underscores the strong momentum behind our growth and success. Since joining IFS Ultimo in January 2024, I’ve been continually impressed by the excellence of our product and the unwavering dedication of our team. Together, we consistently deliver measurable business value to our customers, ensuring their success, as well as offering capabilities that support them on their sustainable asset management journey.”

“IFS Ultimo offers standardized integrations with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SAP, as well as custom integrations with Oracle and Infor,” explains Hugo Fuller, Senior Analyst, Verdantix. “The firm also has several integrations with connected worker solutions, including those offered by XMReality, Microsoft HoloLens, and POKA, which was also acquired by IFS, in 2023. IFS Ultimo has also built an extensive partnership network with implementation and technology partners. Partners include APM solution provider AVEVA, GIS technology provider Esri, and SAP.”

To learn more about the 2024 Verdantix Green Quadrant®: EAM Software report, visit www.verdantix.com, or www.ultimo.com/verdantix.

Independent research firm, recognizes eMaint as a leader in the market citing strengths in inventory management, inspections, work order management, and analytic capabilities.

Fluke Reliability, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortive Corporation [NYSE: FTV], which empowers reliability and maintenance teams with the hardware, software, and services they need to optimize asset performance, today announced that its EAM solution, has been positioned as a Leader in the 2024 Green Quadrant EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) Verdantix report.

The Verdantix Green Quadrant for EAM, positions eMaint as a Leader in the Enterprise Asset Management Category, recognizing its market-leading inventory management capabilities, strong inspections, and work order management capabilities.

Ranked highly for inventory management capabilities, eMaint’s Parts and Materials Management module was called out as key contributor for both the analysts and customers interviewed. The module includes a full suite of requisitioning, purchasing, and receiving capabilities with robust stock management, transaction records, and reporting functionality.

Recognising the functionality Fluke Reliability has added through acquisitions and strategic partnerships this year, the report highlighted how the acquisition of Azima DLI added predictive maintenance capabilities and how partnerships with Verusen and Augmentir added AI-based spare parts optimization and connected worker functionality for broader personas respectively.

Verdantix also highlights eMaint’s inspection capabilities and work order management as core strengths, offering manufacturers powerful configuration options that can be customized to suit the plant and workers within. Coupled with eMaint’s flexible scheduling and out-of-the-box low-code and customizable templates, the software demonstrates its ability to meet diverse operational needs.

Another key differentiator is eMaint’s open, REST-based API architecture, which enables seamless integration with a wide range of enterprise systems and IoT platforms, including ERPs (enterprise resource platforms) and Fluke Reliability’s Azima DLI Watchman 360 vibration analytics platform. This integration enhances customers' ability to monitor and analyse asset health with greater precision and efficiency.

"In recent years, the Enterprise Asset Management market has experienced significant transformation driven by the challenges faced by organizations as they adjust to evolving market demands,” commented Hugo Fuller, Senior Analyst, Verdantix. “Within this landscape, the Verdantix research finds that eMaint possesses strengths to address the needs of manufacturers seeking Enterprise Asset Management solutions.”

Jason Waxman, President of Fluke Corporation and Fluke Reliability, said, “After focusing on building the most industry-centric and configurable EAM solution on the market, it feels great to be recognized as a Leader in Enterprise Asset Management by Verdantix. This acknowledgment underscores our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that strengthen our customer's operational resilience as they embark on their journey to connected reliability.”

Commenting on the recognition, Aaron Merkin, Chief Technology Officer of Fluke Reliability, said, “There is a heightened demand for advanced predictive maintenance technologies, and mobile-first intelligent asset management software that empowers businesses to anticipate issues, optimise performance, and extend asset lifecycles. eMaint's position as a leader in enterprise asset management attests to its capacity to deliver value and ensure return on investment for our customers in a volatile landscape.”

To read the full Verdantix report, visit https://www.verdantix.com/research-portal.

IFS Cloud specialist Arcwide and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) platform provider IFS Ultimo have signed an implementation partnership. By adding IFS Ultimo as a best-of-breed EAM platform to its portfolio as part of this partnership, Arcwide empowers customers to get more value out of its IFS Cloud platform solution. Arcwide will be managing the partnership on a global scale, following the formation of its EAM center of expertise in Benelux.

Olivier Baudry, Director, Arcwide comments, “We are thrilled to announce our joined efforts through our newly founded EAM center of expertise in which IFS Ultimo will play a key role. With IFS Ultimo, we will enable our industrial customers to improve their asset management operations, with an emphasis on maintenance and safety.”

Pierre Robino, Director, Arcwide adds, “Through this partnership, Arcwide is reinforcing its commitment to the IFS best-of-breed solutions. The partnership between IFS Ultimo and Arcwide will support customers in managing their assets, adding further value to their businesses.”

Maarten Meijer, Manager Channel Services, IFS Ultimo says, “We strengthen each other on our joint growth opportunities in this partnership, including our mutual growth ambitions in the USA and Europe. Arcwide is well-known in the industry with years of experience in the IFS ecosystem. Its core business is IFS Cloud ERP implementations, which often also include EAM services. Now, Arcwide can expand its portfolio by offering its customers the best of both worlds: A best-of-breed EAM solution like IFS Ultimo and an integrated best-of-suite solution, such as IFS Cloud.”

www.ultimo.com

www.arcwide.com

IFS Ultimo and global professional services provider ALLIANT RIGSERV have signed an agreement that offers customers access to IFS Ultimo’s Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Software as a Service (SaaS) solution. ALLIANT RIGSERV’s subject matter experts (SMEs) have deep knowledge of best industry practices for asset management in the healthcare and oil and gas industries. Through this partnership, they can offer an even more comprehensive and streamlined approach, professionalizing asset management, enhancing maintenance, and increasing safety.            

Located in Houston, Texas, ALLIANT RIGSERV is strategically positioned to connect with businesses from the same key sectors wherein IFS Ultimo is a proven leader of EAM services. Therefore, companies in the medical, manufacturing, and energy sectors will now be able to benefit from IFS Ultimo’s flexible, easy to implement EAM solution to optimize maintenance and improve safety. This partnership further equips end users with built-in integrations to established Enterprise Research Planning (ERP) systems.

Josh Leachman, VP Sales, ALLIANT RIGSERV comments: “IFS Ultimo's established presence in diverse markets opens doors for ALLIANT RIGSERV, allowing us to reach new customer segments. This enables us to cater to a wider range of customers’ asset-specific needs with shorter implementations and faster time to value. Our customers will benefit from IFS Ultimo’s robust reporting tools and real-time actionable insights into their assets.”

Freddy Vos, VP International Sales & Channel, IFS Ultimo, adds: “Through this partnership, asset-intensive companies in the USA will benefit from our solution. Adding ALLIANT RIGSERV’s knowledge and network to our community enables us to profit from its local expertise. We are confident that we strengthen each other and look forward to a new exciting chapter in our international growth strategy.”

www.ultimo.com

SPIE Nederland, the Dutch subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Software leader, IFS Ultimo, have joined forces to enhance asset management and maintenance for customers. As of now, SPIE Nederland’s Business Unit Maintenance Solutions will act as an implementation partner for IFS Ultimo in the Netherlands.

The mission of SPIE’s Business Unit Maintenance Solutions is to help customers improve their key maintenance performance. SPIE adds true value for its customers by supporting them in developing, coordinating, and executing maintenance in line with asset management. EAM plays a key role in supporting maintenance processes nowadays. Using an EAM system ensures the best outcomes in relation to a company’s targets and objectives. It supports companies in their sustainable development approach, helping to reduce resources needed for maintenance, as well as energy consumption by improving the performance of assets. IFS Ultimo makes it easy to set up and track asset performance and facilitates organizations in maintaining their assets in an efficient and effective way. The user-friendly interface can be made fit for purpose by SPIE engineers and is compatible with many partner ERP systems and Industry 4.0 tooling.

SPIE has used IFS Ultimo’s EAM software to manage the assets of maintenance contracts of several customers, including some large Dutch governmental organizations, for many years. SPIE’s Business Unit Maintenance Solutions, in particular, uses the software on a daily basis since a large percentage of its customers use it to manage and optimize their maintenance activities. By partnering with IFS Ultimo, SPIE will be able to provide and implement the EAM software across the Netherlands.

Lesley Fraats, Business Development Manager, SPIE Nederland comments: “By partnering with IFS Ultimo, we build an even broader portfolio of expertise around EAM software. We combine our strengths so that our customers benefit from the best of both worlds: IFS Ultimo’s EAM tool, which adapts to the needs and requirements of their business, implemented by SPIE’s consultants, who have the best understanding of the environment in which the software will be deployed and used.

Maarten Meijer, Manager Channel Services, IFS Ultimo adds: “We see companies struggle with both opportunities and challenges that arise due to the fast-changing business landscape and digitalization. IFS Ultimo and SPIE customers will benefit from this partnership by experiencing the joint expertise of both companies from both a maintenance perspective on the work floor and a digitalization perspective. Our EAM software fits extremely well in this landscape and the specialists at SPIE will ensure that the IFS Ultimo software is implemented, used, and adopted in the most effective way.”

About SPIE Nederland

SPIE Nederland is a subsidiary of the SPIE group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications. SPIE Nederland provides advice and technical solutions in design, installation and maintenance of network systems and energy, infrastructure, industrial and building installations. 

Employing almost 6,000 people at 41 locations, SPIE Nederland holds the number one position as technical service provider in the Netherlands. 

With around 48,000 employees and a strong local presence, SPIE achieved in 2022 consolidated revenues of €8.09 billion and consolidated EBITA of €511 million.

About IFS Ultimo  

IFS Ultimo is a SaaS EAM / CMMS solution from IFS, focused on maintenance & safety and well known for a rapid deployment, ease of use and an unparalleled time to value. IFS Ultimo is part of IFS.

IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. Within our single platform, our industry specific products are innately connected to a single data model and use embedded digital innovation so that our customers can be their best when it really matters to their customers—at the Moment of Service™️. The industry expertise of our people and of our growing ecosystem, together with a commitment to deliver value at every single step, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in our sector. Our team of 5,000 employees every day live our values of agility, trustworthiness and collaboration in how we support our 10,000+ customers.

www.ultimo.com

Faced with an ever-evolving technology landscape, maintenance professionals are faced with a dizzying array of Computerised Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) choices. The challenge is not finding a CMMS, but finding one that truly meets the unique needs of your operation. The key? Start with a solid strategy.

Plan your CMMS journey: Essential first steps

Before diving into the sea of CMMS options, it's important for maintenance managers to lay the groundwork. This means taking a step back to assess your team's specific needs, workflows and long-term goals. What pain points do you want to address? What processes can be streamlined? How can a CMMS align with your company's growth trajectory? Answering these questions will provide a clear direction and avoid the common pitfall of being swayed by flashy features that don't necessarily solve your core problems.

 The MaintMaster advantage: Simplicity, flexibility and expertise

Once you have defined your selection criteria, MaintMaster offers remarkable qualities such as ease of use and the ability to adapt to changing requirements. It excels in areas often overlooked by others. The ease of reporting jobs via QR codes and mobile phones is not just a feature - it is the gateway to ensuring accuracy and comprehensive data collection, and importantly, promoting HSE compliance. By making incident and near-miss reporting accessible on the shop floor, hazards can be addressed promptly, driving continuous improvement in your safety culture.

Theis ease of use extends to all aspects of the system, making it accessible to all team members. As your needs evolve, the flexibility of the system ensures it evolves with you, providing a sustainable, long-term solution. Plus, with zero-coding customisation, you can easily adapt MaintMaster to your unique workflows and processes without relying on expensive developers or IT resources. This is in line with the PAS 55 guidelines on asset management, which emphasise the importance of tailoring tools to optimise organisational performance.

So, features are cool, but remember what we said before: they're not the whole story, right? Well, let us tell you that MaintMaster has even more to offer. It's not just a system, it's a partnership with experienced experts who have a deep understanding of maintenance workflows. This expertise is invaluable in ensuring that MaintMaster not only manages maintenance tasks efficiently, but also improves them through best practice and industry knowledge. As your operational needs change, MaintMaster's scalability means that your CMMS is dynamically, ready to support your growth and adapt to new challenges to ensure a sustainable and future-proof maintenance strategy.

Discover MaintMaster: Your partner for maintenance excellence

Your journey to the perfect CMMS starts with understanding your needs and ends with a system that meets them. When you're ready to explore how MaintMaster can fit into your well-researched plan and improve your maintenance operations, get in touch. Let your search for the ideal CMMS end with a solution that not only meets, but exceeds your expectations.

https://maintmaster.com/

Contact:

MaintMaster Systems Ltd

Plexal, 14 East Bay Lane

Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,

E15 2GW London, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 749 332 8466   E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, has published its most recent EAM Trend Report. The report gives a detailed overview of EAM trends based on quantitative and qualitative market research. It can be downloaded here.

As one of the most comprehensive surveys of asset management and maintenance professionals, this study gathers data from 430 asset managers across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation, construction, and aerospace, and from various business sizes, including those from SMEs to large businesses. Additionally, the report includes specialist interviews with prominent industry experts, including AVEVA, Reliabilityweb.com, IFS, and IFS Ultimo.

The key findings of the IFS EAM Trend Report reflect an urgent need to enhance productivity, optimize plant conditions, and reduce downtime while aligning with sustainability objectives. At the same time, competitive market conditions necessitate strict cost controls while adhering to health, safety, and environmental protection (HSE) regulations.

Here are some of the key highlights of the report:

• There is a substantial growth opportunity for EAM solutions in the market. As 63% of respondents use an EAM solution, a significant number of 37% reported that they presently do not use any EAM solutions, indicating the rise of EAM solutions in the future.
• Most organizations aim to mature their EAM process further. Most of them state they are currently in the first three stages of the EAM Maturity Model, however, there is a strong trend to move to Stages 4 (“Smart”) and 5 (“Ultimate”) by implementing Predictive Analytics (56%) and Long-Term Asset Planning and Asset Investment Planning (50%).
• Asset Performance Management (APM) is on the rise. 57% of asset managers expressed a strong interest in exploring the potential of APM technologies to enhance the health and performance of their vital assets, leading to improved efficiency and decision-making.
• Emerging technologies will positively impact maintenance and business practices. The top 3 emerging technologies to gain competitive advantage are Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, predictive modeling, and artificial intelligence (AI) while key obstacles are a need for more experience and costs.
• 3 topics that shape the future of EAM are prioritizing better use of reporting and analytics (61%), increasing digitalization (44%), and investing in retaining or attracting suitable maintenance personnel (38%).

Ewout Noordermeer, CMO, IFS Ultimo said “For us, this study provides valuable insights for the further development of our products. Most of all, we hope it will inspire professionals in maintenance and asset management.

“The outcomes of the study show that different use cases ask for different solutions. Since the acquisition of IFS Ultimo in 2022, IFS is the only vendor in the world that offers both “best-of-suite” EAM (IFS Cloud EAM) and “best-of-breed” EAM (IFS Ultimo). IFS Cloud EAM is the perfect match if you are looking for a composable solution that goes beyond EAM, including service management, APM, and ERP capabilities. IFS Ultimo is ideal if you want a pure-play EAM SaaS solution with a fast time to value,” Noordermeer concluded.

The IFS Trend Report can be downloaded via this link:

IFS launches EAM Trend Report - IFS Ultimo