Keeping a plant running at peak performance requires concerted efforts of many teams, managers, and individuals. Various work cycles and schedules must synchronize so that departments aren’t stepping over each other’s priorities, hindering productivity. Today, as outsourcing and use of contractor teams gains in acceptance, visibility into the full spectrum of plant operations and asset management becomes increasingly critical. Contractors and other third-parties, an important part of the extended value chain, need a secure window into real-time status and a way to communicate and engage with plant personnel, assets, and data. Modern software can help enterprises step up to the challenge, giving the broad team the visibility and functionality it needs.
A Closer Look at the Challenges
Shortage of skills. The current shortage of skilled workers, including asset maintenance technicians, places a strain on many plants. Some resort to third party companies to supplement their internal teams. These outside vendors can focus on a specialized project, like performing a one-time risk assessment, or they can be contracted for ongoing services, like quarterly calibration of assets that must produce precise temperature readings. Highly specialized Major Rebuilds and Overhauls (MRO) projects, like re-bricking a steel blast furnace, may call for an outside crew with extensive experience in this specialization. Hiring technicians with niche areas of expertise has become difficult, especially in some geographic areas. Outsourcing solves some of these problems—but causes others.
Secure, easy access to data. Contactors, whether operating on-site or in a separate location, often need to access data about inventory of spare parts, as-serviced history for assets, asset CAD drawings, warranty or service agreement status, and risk assessments for assets. Is there a back-up or replacement components on hand? Such information helps the contractor make smart decisions and perform in the company’s best interest. How to provide such access to information, without compromising security is the challenge.
Sharing resources. If the third party is operating on site, sharing of tools, keys and other resources–like cranes or lifts needed to reach high locations, can become problematic, too. Visibility into needs and the ability to reserve equipment or tools helps the two entities work together, managing priorities.
Disconnects. Finding a common language for sharing information is also an issue. Bolted together point solutions from separate providers are prone to compatibility issues. They tend to generate multiple perspectives and bring into question the reliability of data. For example, if two different systems are both interacting with the inventory database, the two systems may have different definitions or different procedures for receiving partial orders, reserving inventory, or resolving inventory returned to stock. Slight variations in definitions and workflow protocols can escalate into big discrepancies. Managers can begin to doubt accuracy, but be unsure where the troublesome data may originate and why. Tracking down and correcting such anomalies can be time-consuming.
When a third party is involved, the situation becomes more complex with greater opportunities for disconnects and data that doesn’t quite align. Relationships can be become tense as both sides try to troubleshoot underlying causes and reach a consensus.
How to Overcome this Obstacle
Advanced Enterprise Asset Maintenance (EAM) solutions. Modern EAM solutions provide contractor tools which can be used by third parties. These highly flexible and secure portals expand the footprint of the EAM solution, allowing other partners to also take advantage of its functionality—but in a controlled environment, with select permissions. The solution may offer licensing options especially designed for the contractor or “casual use” situations where limited access is suitable. Full contractor licenses can expand permissions. No matter the level of access, the solution should be easy-to-use so there is a short ramp-up and the contractor can navigate to the necessary information without needing extensive training. Simplicity is a must.
Here are some additional tools which can be leveraged:
Case Management. This feature allows users to create specific maintenance projects and log accidents, emissions, operator notes, shift notes, and other records without requiring a work order. This establishes an audit log of the case or incident, allowing the user to create workflow tasks or follow up work orders related to the existing case. This capability makes it easier than ever to track and audit a one-time event, ensuring that all associated documentation is readily accessible.
Asset Reservations. This functionality is designed to allow users to request and reserve virtually any asset that has capacity over time, such as vehicles, cranes, conference rooms, and equipment of all varieties. This enhancement also allows users to reserve contract equipment as well. Contractor working onsite can use this feature to make asset reservations, linking the reservation to their work orders and projects, making them easy to track and monitor costs.
Contractor Service Portal. This module allows users to establish a secure access point for contractors, allowing them to send and receive updates on activities and work orders. Contractors can then provide estimates, notes, and other details as required as well as update costs and status. This improves efficiency and reduces overall time need to complete the job. Such functionality cans also be used to assign work orders automatically to contractors, based on geography or type of work.
Consolidated Call Center. Advanced call center capabilities allows companies to use a Service Delivery Matrix which can immediately issue work orders to specific contractors upon identification of location and type of request. This feature reduces time to completion by eliminating phone calls and reducing paperwork.
Final Take-Aways
Plant managers and maintenance teams may find themselves needing to turn to third parties to complete some tactics. Contractor portals can make this secure sharing of information easier, helping the two organizations achieve common goals, without discrepancies or worries.
About Author
Ranga Pothula is the Managing Director for Infor’s India Business Unit. At Infor, his responsibility is scaling IBU operations by sharpening focus on global delivery, servicing offerings, technology developments, and strengthening customer and partner relations. Ranga has been at Infor for over two decades. Having been at the helm of both R&D and CoE services across multiple products, under his charge, he has been leading the growing global delivery services operations in India, the Philippines, Egypt and Poland over the past four years.
