Posts

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.

A

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!

 

 

See Augmentir in Action
Get in Touch for a Personalized Demo
Book A Demo

The Real Benefits of Digital Work Instructions in Manufacturing

The benefits of digital work instructions go far beyond simply standardizing work. The real benefit is in personalized guidance and support for today’s workers.

Digital work instructions are step-by-step directions on the best way to complete any task, from basic maintenance to fixing equipment. These digitized instructions are electronic versions of work procedures that are kept in a centralized system so workers can easily access them to work on tasks or to make timely decisions on projects. While the benefits of digital work instructions are numerous, the real benefit in manufacturing comes when digital work instructions can be personalized to the unique needs and skills of each worker.

So say goodbye to static documentation and hello to a new era of personalized digitization. If you’re interested in learning the real benefits of digital work instructions, read on about the following:

How digital work instructions are transforming manufacturing processes

Traditional instructions on paper can slow down a manufacturing operation. They can be lengthy, become quickly outdated, and are often full of mistakes. With paper-based reporting, for example, workers may forget to note the condition of equipment or update a faulty procedure.

Fortunately, digital instructions are an ideal solution. They offer visual demonstrations, how-to videos, and other resources for completing tasks. Most importantly, when digital work instructions are managed and delivered through a connected worker solution, they can be kept up-to-date to ensure compliance and product quality. According to Quality Magazine, not only do digital work instructions support overall enterprise productivity, but they also provide workers with an improved level of control over their work through enterprise data and automated insights.

benefits of digital work instructions

When you digitize your procedures, they can be accessed and kept up to date from wherever employees work. They can be enhanced with visual aids, contextual information, and augmented reality experiences to guide workers through complex jobs. Best of all, workers are less likely to make mistakes or miss steps when they can easily refer to clear and visually engaging information.

Digital work instructions are maintained via a connected worker solution, and delivered through mobile or wearable devices on the shop floor. These solutions can be coupled with AI-powered software to further help companies digitize production procedures.

This leads to greater worker productivity and output.

The real benefits of digital work instructions

Digital work instructions provide countless advantages when implemented throughout your entire organization, including improved production processes, decreased downtime, greater operational competence and safety, as well as support for a centralized database of knowledge. On their own, they deliver standard work guidelines but fail to consider the unique skills of each worker, which is increasingly important in today’s evolving and labor-constrained workforce.  The typical one-size-fits-all approach to managing, guiding, and supporting employees won’t cut it in today’s market.

Businesses need a solution that helps them improve manufacturing processes and meet their workers where they are.

This is where AI-based solutions come in.

Using AI-based connected worker solutions, organizations can digitize and easily manage skills tracking and training programs and connect them with frontline operations. Embedded AI can dynamically optimize work processes to deliver training in the flow of work, tailored support, and more. Solutions that combine skills tracking capabilities with connected worker technology and on-the-job digital guidance can deliver significant additional value. Data from actual work performance can inform workforce development initiatives allowing you to target your training, reskilling, and upskilling efforts where they have the largest impact.

It can generate an abundance of valuable data to provide tailored training support and skills endorsements and identify workforce opportunities. These benefits extend beyond simply standardizing work to include:

1. A more motivated, more engaged workforce

An organization’s commitment to cultivating its team’s skills can influence their attitudes toward the job. A worker is likelier to perform better when valued and appreciated. Digitized skills tracking also ensures that workers are qualified to perform their job.

2. Mitigate risk and ensure safety

Solutions that include personalized work instructions that incorporate worker skills allow organizations to validate at the time of work assignment who has the skill level to safely perform a specific task. This helps to mitigate risk and ensure safety.

3. Intelligently assigning work

Ensure the right person is assigned to the right job. Manage work assignments based on skill level, endorsements, and actual job performance.

skills taxonomy

4. Closes the skills gap

Tracking skills is a great way to identify gaps between the skills employees already have and the skills they need. With this information, the company can arrange for additional training or other ways to invest in their employees. Keep in mind that as your manufacturing organization evolves and grows, so should your employee skillset.

6. Identify upskilling or reskilling opportunities

Use data from actual work performance, combined with an employee’s current skills and endorsements to inform your reskilling and upskilling decisions. Knowing where improvements need to be made can close any learning gaps and boost the overall success of a company. Optimizing your workforce can help improve productivity in every department, giving your company a competitive edge in today’s market.

 

Connected worker solutions that combine skills management with digital work instructions, collaboration, and knowledge management are uniquely suited to optimize today’s variable workforce. AI-generated insights are pulled from patterns identified across all work activity in real-time. These insights identify where new and experienced workers may benefit from either reskilling or upskilling.

This combination of smart digital technology can also leverage your training resources, such as instructional videos, written instructions, or access to remote experts, to deliver personalized guidance for the worker to perform their best. These tools intelligently work together to help you assign workers to procedures based on required skill levels.

FAQs about digital work instructions

What is the purpose of digital work instructions?

Digitized work instructions provide clear, step-by-step directions on how each manufacturing task should be performed. They are kept in a centralized database for real-time view of procedures, how-to videos, training opportunities, and more. Companies implement them in order to improve workers’ procedural knowledge, ensure standard work compliance, reduce mistakes, and raise production quality overall.

How can digital work instructions help manufacturers?

Digital work instructions help manufacturers create a more productive workforce that values detail, quality, and learning. Work instructions can be updated to fit best practices, reduce human error, and provide learning opportunities with visual cues like videos, pictures, augmented reality experiences, and more.

Which work instruction software is right for me?

Although there are different software programs out there, Augmentir is the world’s leading connected worker solution, and the only solution that uses AI to personalize instructions based on individual worker proficiency and skill levels.

How Augmentir’s digital solutions can help

Digitizing work instructions is a great start to address manufacturing issues, however, alone, it won’t help completely solve some of the biggest workforce challenges. It’s not enough to simply move from paper-based to digital work instructions.

We must go a step further, for example, Augmentir’s platform provides complete digital workflow authoring tools that allow you to not only quickly convert your paper-based processes to digital work instructions, but also use AI to dynamically personalize them to the needs of your individual workers.

  • Digital work instructions, augmented with visual aids, contextual information, and industrial collaboration tools, help intelligently guide workers through complex jobs
  • Complete workflows allow you to digitize complex business processes
  • Embedded AI dynamically optimizes work procedures and workflows to deliver in-situ training and support

 

See Augmentir in Action
Get in Touch for a Personalized Demo
Book A Demo

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.

Webinar: Delivering Effective Performance Support through Workflow Learning

Today’s industrial workforce is changing in real-time – who shows up, what their skills are, what jobs they need to do, is a constantly moving target. The traditional “one size fits all” approach to training, guidance, and performance support is fundamentally incapable of enabling today’s workers to function at their individual peak of safety, quality […]

Today’s industrial workforce is changing in real-time – who shows up, what their skills are, what jobs they need to do, is a constantly moving target. The traditional “one size fits all” approach to training, guidance, and performance support is fundamentally incapable of enabling today’s workers to function at their individual peak of safety, quality and productivity.

Watch the recording of our recent virtual roundtable of industry leaders as they discussed proven approaches to delivering performance support and modern training approaches for today’s industrial workforce.