Asset Maintenance Best Practices

Learn about the best practices for optimal asset maintenance performance and how to track your assets to ensure that everything is in working condition.

Asset maintenance refers to everything that goes into keeping your manufacturing assets in tip-top shape. With machinery, for example, asset maintenance means conducting frequent inspections and repairs. With office space, this term involves maintaining a clean, safe, and productive workplace. With products, it includes checking finished goods for any deficiencies or errors.

In a nutshell, asset maintenance helps prolong the performance and lifespan of equipment, machinery, goods, and more. Performing this strategy ensures that your essential business resources continue functioning smoothly and properly.

Learn the best practices for increasing asset maintenance performance:

Best practices for optimal asset maintenance performance

Implementing key best practices can improve asset maintenance in manufacturing. We’ve put together five crucial strategies to ensure your manufacturing firm is performing at its best while minimizing costs:

1. Gather as much info as possible

Gathering data on assets can help management make better informed production decisions. Asset tracking is a great technique to accomplish this.

2. Create a preventive maintenance schedule

The data that’s been collected will make it easier to create a preventive maintenance schedule. To create one, start by organizing asset data and analyzing the info you’ve amassed (e.g., how often each item must be checked and maintained). Lastly, prioritize your most important assets and allocate funds to maintain them.

schedule and audit asset maintenance work

3. Train workers

Investing in your employees pays off. Procedural documentation and training will help ensure that all maintenance work is thoroughly performed and recorded. Skills management software can help with ongoing management and tracking of employee skills and training requirements.

4. Apply an inventory tracking system

There is nothing worse than beginning a project only to find out that you don’t have all the moving parts to complete it. An inventory system helps reduce the chances of missing crucial product information and enables you to better track company assets.

5. Track asset maintenance key performance indicators (KPIs)

KPIs such as mean time between failures (MTBF), overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and work order resolution time can give a performance review on how well your assets are doing. They’re also great at pinpointing which areas could benefit from predictive maintenance, the process of checking for deficiencies to avoid future machine breakdowns.

Pro Tip

Asset management software like Augmentir’s Connected Worker Solution helps you simplify the operations and maintenance of your facility. Manage work and maintenance procedures, skill requirements, training, KPIs, and preventive maintenance schedules all through a visual interface. Connected worker solutions help integrate your CMMS with your shop floor operations.

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Advantages of asset maintenance

The maintenance of assets in manufacturing consists of regularly inspecting, repairing, and replacing equipment and other assets to confirm that everything is in workable condition.

Advantages of asset maintenance:

  • Enhanced workplace safety
  • Greater equipment reliability
  • Longer machine lifespan
  • Lower maintenance costs
  • Improved productivity
  • Better regulatory compliance

Asset maintenance tools and how Augmentir can help

Manufacturers are encouraged to manage and track assets to limit product flaws, prevent machine failure, and improve overall productivity. However, in today’s digital age, especially with more mobile devices, complex cloud-based technologies, and software updates, handling assets has become much more complicated.

This is where Augmentir’s AI-powered connected worker solution, or asset management software, comes in. Our solution allows manufacturing facilities to better monitor their assets and manage them effectively with easy-to-use customizable dashboards and real-time insights.

Asset maintenance with Augmentir

Ours is the world’s only connected worker suite that provides an overarching view of an asset’s life cycle. Accurate digital asset records can help manufacturers with resource planning. In addition, our tool helps with asset record keeping so that you don’t have to worry about not meeting regulatory compliance requirements.

Though a manufacturing firm could use a spreadsheet to track its assets, our digital solution gives workers the ability to evaluate asset-specific data and make better decisions about how to manage each one.

Transform how your company runs its maintenance operations. Request a live demo today!

 

 

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Dust Away One-Size-Fits-All Work Instructions

AI-powered technology may be the missing puzzle piece for today’s workforce crisis.

Are you still printing work instructions and operating manuals? If so, we need to have a serious chat! Maybe you invested in “going digital” a while back and think your work is done. You’re not alone. It was considered “groundbreaking” when PDF files made their way to the factory floor. 

The first generation of digital work instructions were birthed after learning 46 percent of field technicians claimed paperwork and administrative tasks were the worst part of their day-to-day job. No argument here. Completing and filing paperwork is time-consuming and there is potential for lost information. There was an obvious upside to going digital, except for no longer being able to tell your supervisor that your dog ate your worker performance report. 

But even now that technology is ready for the archives. An estimated $1.3 trillion (and counting!) has been spent on digital transformation initiatives as the online connected workplace and market continue to move at a rapid pace. 

We are no fortune tellers, but studies show that 25 to 31 percent of 3.3. million business service jobs will be automated in the next decade. This doesn’t mean everyone is being replaced by robots. On the contrary. It means technology is improving to help workers do their jobs even better. Manufacturing companies need to be prepared to hop on this next-generation train if they aren’t already.

Move over one-size-fits-all training and work instructions 

The individualized, real-time, connected worker platform is here. Let us emphasize individualized. Connected worker platforms are being implemented in myriad industries, from automotive to food processing. Any industry which is adapting daily to the constant shifts and pressures of the global economy. Regardless of the industry, standard digital work instructions are no longer effective. They do not reflect the real-time changes happening in the operation, such as order fulfilment and materials inventory, or equipment maintenance needs and the capabilities of the workers operating the machines. Imagine working on the manufacturing floor for five years and handed with the same standardized work instructions as the new hire.

Does this make sense? Not anymore. Not when AI-based technology is changing what’s possible. And what’s different about this latest wave of technology that makes it so special? It’s built around optimizing the performance of people (Gasp.)

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. – John C. Maxwell

A marriage made in heaven–the next generation of workers is ready for a digitally connected workplace

Recruiting and retaining talented workers is one of the greatest challenges facing operations today. We get it. But there’s good news. As one generation of workers readies for retirement, another is stepping up to fill the gap. Gen Z is overflowing with talented innovators in the tech world having grown up surrounded by non-stop advancements and devices. Need one of them to look somebody up in the phone book? Forget it. But need assistance when your home computer suddenly “dies”? These are your people. 

It’s more than video games. Their education has been largely based on a digital foundation. Nearly every function of their daily lives has an element of connectivity to the broader online world. You could say this generation is hardwired to respond best to customized digital learning platforms. It’s their love language. And so the potential to drastically improve productivity is real.

The beauty of the digitally connected worker–could they be “the One”?

The digitally connected worker has all the right stuff for a long-lasting relationship with your operation. The digital training and work instruction platform holds their unique inventory of skills, goals, and performance history, and works with them to become a better version of themselves on the floor. Workers whose individual needs are supported are better, more engaged employees. They have the self-confidence – as well as the tools and specific instructions – to address problems head on when they arise. An investment in AI-powered technology is an investment in a stable, adaptable, and reliable workforce.

Are you and your workforce ready to take this next step in digitization? Contact Augmentir to start the conversation. Together let’s step into the full potential that this generation has to offer to improve your operational efficiency.

Another Successful FDA Audit in the Books

Recently, Augmentir completed a rigorous qualification audit as part of a Tier 1 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing company’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and we are pleased to announce that our product successfully passed the audit.

Recently, Augmentir completed a rigorous vendor qualification audit as part of a Tier 1 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing company’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and we are pleased to announce that our product successfully passed the audit.

According to the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, GMP regulations require that pharmaceutical manufacturers adequately control manufacturing operations, and establish a quality approach to manufacturing, enabling companies to minimize or eliminate instances of contamination, mixups, and errors. The use of Augmentir’s connected worker software is a critical component for manufacturing within the pharmaceutical and life sciences environment as it helps to reduce errors and ensures compliance with these regulations.

This qualification audit, performed by our client’s Lead Auditor and the Senior QA Validation Specialist, assessed the adequacy and effectiveness for adherence and compliance to regulatory requirements. The quality and effectiveness and compliance to the site’s Quality Management System (QMS), policies, and procedures were also assessed and ultimately, Augmentir was approved to be an Enterprise IT System/Infrastructure Provider. 

Audits like these are challenging for any company and can present even greater challenges for small companies like Augmentir. Yet, it is extremely important as GMP regulations ensure a quality approach to manufacturing, helping companies minimize errors, mistakes, and instances of contamination.  

At Augmentir, we have successfully completed multiple audits to date and are excited to add this Pharmaceutical GMP Audit to that list as we continue in the steps of our legacy products. These audits aren’t new to our team, and this recent milestone is a continuation of our history in bringing innovative, high-quality software into the manufacturing sector, having delivered on more than an estimated 100,000 audited processes throughout the history of software products our team has been involved in.

As we kick off 2022, this Pharmaceutical GMP Audit completion stands as a testament to Augmentir, our team, and our commitment to maintaining the highest global quality standards and validates our success in the pharmaceutical industry. 

Here’s to our next successful audit!

 

How Manufacturers are Solving the Growing Skills Gap

The growing skills gap in the manufacturing industry, combined with a tight labor market, is creating increased challenges for manufacturing companies of all sizes. In fact, in 2019 more than 25% manufacturers had to turn down new business opportunities due to a lack of workers, according to a report from the National Association of Manufacturers […]

The growing skills gap in the manufacturing industry, combined with a tight labor market, is creating increased challenges for manufacturing companies of all sizes. In fact, in 2019 more than 25% manufacturers had to turn down new business opportunities due to a lack of workers, according to a report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

What’s behind this growing skills gap problem?

One key factor is the extraordinary number of retiring workers who are walking out the door with vast amounts of experience and skills. Unfortunately, for most manufacturers the knowledge possessed by this senior workforce has yet to be captured in any digital or electronic format. At the same time, a younger, more tech-savvy generation of unskilled workers is coming into the market. They may have the attitude and aptitude, but lack the skills required to effectively participate in day-to-day operations.

This lack of a skilled frontline workforce is creating an increased focus for manufacturing companies on training and up-skilling their workers. A recent article highlighted some staggering statistics on what lies ahead. According to the Manufacturing Institute: “Manufacturers are set to spend $26.2 billion on internal and external training initiatives for new and existing employees in 2020 to combat the shortage of available workers. Nearly 70% of manufacturers said they are creating or expanding training programs for their workforce. Three-quarters of respondents said upskilling workers helped to improve productivity, promotion opportunities and morale.”

Using Artificial Intelligence to Close the Skills Gap

Fortunately, manufacturers are turning to emerging digital technologies to equip and train their workforces with the tools and knowledge needed to be productive. Technologies such as mobile and wearable devices, augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR), and artificial intelligence (AI) are helping to connect a new generation of workers, and are allowing organizations to proactively deliver the right level of support and guidance.

One of the most notable examples of technology adoption is using artificial intelligence to augment human activity in manufacturing.

Artificial Intelligence has been branded as a threat to replace the human workforce, but some leading manufacturing companies are turning to AI as a way to help onboard and train new workers.

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used to augment, not replace, the human workforce. AI is uniquely able to address the fundamental macrotrends of growing skills gaps and the loss of tribal knowledge.

Supported by an increased level of connected-ness of today’s frontline workers, AI systems are capable of taking in large amounts of data and finding correlations and patterns that can be used to help improve productivity, enhance skills, and provide more cost-effective, targeted training. With an ecosystem of content authors, frontline workers, subject matter experts, operations managers, continuous improvement engineers, and quality specialists, there are dozens of opportunities to address the skills gap, improve quality, and improve performance.

Using AI to Reduce Training Time

In one example, Bio-Chem Fluidics, a manufacturer of high performance pumps and valves for clinical diagnostics and analytical chemistry applications, is using AI combined with digital work instructions to improve the onboarding and training process for their new technicians and operators. One of the most significant impacts were achieved with training and onboarding new operators.

According to Bio-Chem, the company’s training time for temp workers has been reduced by over 80%.

“Augmentir has made our complex procedures very repeatable for operators of all skill levels. As a result, our training time for new operators has been reduced by over 80%. The flexibility and ease-of-use of the Augmentir platform have made it painless to implement across our company.”

Linsey Holden-Downes, Vice President of Operations at Bio-Chem

The company uses Augmentir’s AI-powered connected worker platform to digitize and standardize their work instruction library, and leverages Augmentir’s AI to deliver insights that are helping them optimize their training efforts.

After adopting Augmentir, it now takes their team lead roughly two weeks to fully train a new hire whereas prior to Augmentir, it would have taken three months of supervision. Additionally, the time spent monitoring new hires is dramatically reduced from an estimated 50% of a team lead’s time to just 10%.

Using AI to Augment Digital Work Instructions

Like Bio-Chem, many manufacturing companies rely on knowledge that is either recorded on paper or trapped in the heads of their senior workforce. With the increase in skilled technicians that are retiring, this is creating an urgency for companies to act.

STRONGARM, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer, recently dealt with these issues. STRONGARM designs and builds ergonomic and environmentally protected workstations for companies in a wide range of markets, including food, pharmaceutical, CPG, packaging, and transportation. In recent years, the company faced growing challenges within its operation – an aging and retiring workforce, talent shortage, and increased competition – which increased pressures to produce high quality products at lower costs.

STRONGARM’s initial focus was on the assembly and final quality control processes for the company’s most complex workstation and industrial display unit. Augmentir’s rapid authoring environment allowed STRONGARM to quickly migrate their existing paper-based instructions to digital, augmented instructions that incorporated rich media, checklists, verifications, and several other features that were central to their assembly and QC processes.

According to Steve Thorne, General Manager at STRONGARM, “Augmentir’s AI-based ‘True Opportunity’ system enables us to gain insight into how our technicians are performing, and autonomously identifies our largest capturable opportunities across our entire operation.”

“When one of our senior and most experienced technicians retired recently, we were able to onboard a new technician and trust Augmentir’s AI engine to guide him during the learning curve to get product out the door at 100% quality so that we didn’t miss shipments. Once Augmentir’s AI engine determined that the worker had become proficient, it recommended that the instructions should be adjusted to enable him to complete the job faster while still meeting quality and safety goals.  This has resulted in a 20% reduction in average build time in our most complex workstations.”

Steve Thorne, General Manager, STRONGARM

The level of personalization that an AI-based system can deliver to work procedures and instructions allows companies to not only address initial skill gaps but also deliver continual improvements over time.

Intelligently supporting workers in real-time with remote experts and AI-bots

The benefits that AI can bring to industrial companies are not limited simply to standard operating procedures, work instructions, or training. Companies are also turning to AI as a way to intelligently guide and support frontline workers with real-time decision support. Connected workers are increasingly relying on “Remote Expert” capabilities to leverage the expertise of senior colleagues for on-the-job troubleshooting and problem solving. As we look ahead, AI-bots will be able to capture tribal knowledge of these subject matter experts during remote expert sessions, and intelligently guide workers that are experiencing the same situations.

Addressing the Skills Gap with Augmentir

At Augmentir, our AI identifies patterns and generates insights based on analyzing data from connected workers. These insights improve worker performance as well as provide positive impact on training, operational workflows, and quality.

Digital Work Instructions help guide connected workers with visual aids and augmented with AI-driven insights and contextual information enable workers to perform at their best.

Integrated Remote Expert assistance helps workers resolve issues faster using insights from Augmentir’s AI and information from the guided procedure.

Augmentir’s AI uses granular data  to identify the largest opportunities in improving the skills of the frontline workforce, and helps to drive continuous improvement throughout the organization.

The Top 100 Entrepreneurs of 2022

Recently, Augmentir completed a rigorous qualification audit as part of a Tier 1 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing company’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and we are pleased to announce that our product successfully passed the audit.

Alumni Spotlight recently announced The Top 100 Entrepreneurs of 2022, which recognizes innovative and devoted entrepreneurs dedicated to driving economic growth across the country, stimulating new employment opportunities in nearly every industry. In addition, those selected have shown dedication to further developing technologies that bring progress, economic growth, community development, and income generation for a brighter future. We are excited to announce that Augmentir’s CEO and Co-Founder, Russ Fadel, was named as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of 2022! 

Russ graduated from Duke University with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating, he went on to found four successful manufacturing software companies prior to Augmentir including Wonderware Software in 1987, Lighthammer (acquired by SAP) in 1997, and in 2008 ThingWorx (acquired by PTC). In 2017, Russ recognized that the most important asset, the human workers, were under-served. He co-founded Augmentir, the world’s only AI-powered Connected Worker platform, designed to increase the productivity and quality of processes involving frontline workers.

Since 2017, Augmentir has helped close the rapidly expanding skills gap in the industrial frontline workforce through the use of Artificial Intelligence, providing personalized guidance and support to manufacturing and service workers, enabling them to perform complex operational and maintenance tasks at their personal best. The suite of AI-powered connected worker tools helps industrial companies to deliver effective skills management, training, collaboration, and point of work support for today’s more dynamic industrial workforce. Augmentir’s software platform is already being used worldwide by leading industrial companies and organizations, including Colgate-Palmolive, Cisco, Baker Hughes, the U.S. Air Force, and Hunter Industries to digitize and optimize frontline work and deliver significant growth and continuous improvement in the areas of manufacturing, maintenance, service, and quality. Thanks to Russ’s leadership and guidance, Augmentir entered 2022 with triple revenue growth and is expanding its next generation Connected Worker offering globally.

 

To learn more about how AI is being used to digitize and modernize manufacturing operations, contact us for a personalized demo.