UpKeep Overview
Manage maintenance requests, assign work orders, and keep track of your assets
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See how UpKeep helps maintenance teams achieve results
Work Orders
Supercharge productivity with mobile work orders
Work Requests
Reduce interruptions and manage requests with a single portal
Parts & Inventory Management
Reduce parts costs with an accurate inventory count
Preventive Maintenance
Stay on top of maintenance schedules for every asset
Maintenance Checklists
Standardize your maintenance with itemized tasks
Workflow Automation
Automatically generate work orders and assign to technicians.
Purchase Orders & Invoices
Generate purchase orders and automatically update your inventory.
Floor Plans
See your entire space at a glance and optimize maintenance planning.
Warranty Tracking
Save money on early replacement costs and flag expiring warranties.
Meter-Based Maintenance
Trigger maintenance tasks based on equipment use.
Asset Management
Effortlessly track every detail about your asset histories
Easily schedule and automate preventive maintenance
Facility Management
Schedule and respond to anything that needs repair or replacement
Property Management
Effortlessly manage every maintenance request from start to finish
Inventory Management
Manufacturing & Plants
Reduce equipment downtime and improve reliability
Equipment
Track all maintenance histories on assets
Government & Public Works
Prevent costly breakdowns and keep your operations running
Schools and Higher Education
Create a safe learning environment with digital maintenance checklists.
Gym & Fitness
Regularly adjust exercise equipment and ensure exceptional workout experiences
Fleet Management
Ensure your fleet runs smoothly and keep safety costs in check
Restaurants
Streamline your maintenance needs to optimize your customer experience
Hospitality
Keep track of daily maintenance tasks to provide an seamless guest experience
Buildings
Fix small issues before they add up
Farming & Agriculture
Meet production goals by minimizing unplanned downtime
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Search here to get answers to your questions
The food manufacturing industry has many unique challenges that necessitate a solid reliability plan. Maintenance is necessary for food safety and more.
You can jumpstart your career in Aerospace, Civil, Industrial, Biomedical, Reliability, and Maintenance Engineering through a strong education foundation.
Different types of mechanical testing include testing mechanical properties, tensile testing, impact of strength, hardness.
The consumer products goods (CPG) industry is changing quickly. For manufacturers, this means understanding and meeting customers as they evolve.
Takt time is the available production time divided by customer demand. However, it's more than a measurement of time, production and progress
The theory of constraints is a management strategy that identifies and resolves a barrier in the way of manufacturing teams.
The industry forecast projects an average of 2.8% growth - 3.9% growth in 2019, the rate tapers to 2.4% in 2020 and 1.9% in 2021.
The NSC lists the following injuries, by nature of injury, to be most commonly experienced by workers in the manufacturing industry in the year 2017.
While Generation Z has shown more interest in manufacturing jobs than previous generations, millennials have shown little interest in manufacturing jobs.
Lights-out manufacturing is a manufacturing model that does not rely on human labor. Facilities with lights-out manufacturing are known as “dark factories.”
For manufacturers who are savvy or agile enough to switch to other sources, there will likely be little impact. Read more here!
The most common use cases for sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) technology in manufacturing are in asset and facility monitoring.
Learn what the top five blogs to read are if you're in (or at all curious about) the manufacturing industry. Read more here!
Start your own consumer packaging goods (CPG) business by having passion, understanding your customers, and monitoring business performance.
The most common types of packaging materials used commercially include plastic, glass, steel, aluminum, paper, paperboard, and wood.
Order fulfillment can present numerous challenges to businesses, but the most common are inventory management and the precision of a business’s processes.
Industrial automation is used by a wide variety of industries to create more efficient processes through the application of various tech
A few alternatives to plastic straws include glass, paper, bamboo, straw, metal, as well as going without a straw at all.
Materials science is the study of the components and the creation of different materials. Chemistry is the predominant component of the field.
Here are the eight ways to avoid the most common kitchen toxins that plague restaurants, both large and small. Simple step can have huge benefits.
Some of the most recent and exciting innovations in plastic manufacturing include recycling technology, polymer technology, and more.
The top reliability engineering certifications are CMRP, certified reliability engineer, certified reliability leader, and asset reliability practitioner
7 types of plastic are made using natural materials and different catalysts, and although some can be biodegradable, others are not.
An engineering change order is a document that begins the process of making adaptations or corrections during a product’s lifecycle.
The different types of pumping systems in hydraulics include gear, piston, vane, clutch, and dump pumps. They all differ in parts replacement.
Some of the most effective methods include attending trade shows, performing online searches, and receiving recommendations from industry professionals.
An engineering change request (ECR) is a suggestion submitted to management to solve a problem or make an improvement to a product in manufacturing.
5S involves everyone in eliminating unneeded materials, putting everything in its proper place, and standardizing workplace practices.
Here is a breakdown of what kind of packaging materials are available today, and their relation to this global pandemic that we're all facing.
SCADA is a computer control system used to monitor and control plant processes. It uses data communications and more to monitor systems.
SQF documentation is insufficient without a systematic approach to achieving consistent, self-improving food safety behaviors in the plant.
To get a better idea of what the ROI for predictive maintenance could be in your facility, let’s take a look at a few real-world examples.
With the food and beverage industry becoming more data-driven, it’s important to know which KPIs and benchmarks are most worth tracking.
A food safety program is critical for helping food manufacturers monitor and eliminate the activities that can cause contamination issues.
Getting a regulatory letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means that you're in trouble. This article will show you how to respond.
Whereas sensors monitor conditions of equipment, actuators drive events within equipment. They ensure systems are functioning effectively.
Today, predictive maintenance relies on sensors in three major areas: early fault detection, failure detection, and CMMS integration.
Amongst the tools in the predictive maintenance (PdM) toolkit, vibration analysis sees tons of use because of its extremely wide variety of applications.
Failure prediction machine learning is the application of artificial intelligence within the maintenance arena. This allows you to monitor your assets.
Vibration sensors can be used to give maintenance teams insight into conditions within assets that might lead to equipment failure.
We talk a lot about planning in implementing maintenance strategies, and predictive maintenance (PdM) programs are no different.
Internet of Things technology is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout homes and businesses alike in numerous applications.
Industrial IoT sensors are widely used in different industries to monitor equipment, assets, systems, and overall performance.
Voltage sensors are wireless tools that can be attached to any number of assets, machinery or equipment for monitoring purposes.
You should start a predictive maintenance (PdM) program if you already have a preventive maintenance program in place and want to further improve uptime.
A programmable logic controller (PLC) works to control a computer system in an industrial organization. Here's everything you wanted to know about them.
We'll look at how to optimize and manage the total cost of your MRO storeroom while enabling it to provide the right parts and materials at the right time.
We've reached out to industry experts to gather their advice and came up with seven costly mistakes in procurement and the ways you can avoid them.
The best ways to organize your warehouse involve wise layout design, management software, and labeling systems.
Poorly optimized inventory management can cause higher carrying costs, losses from overbuying, and missing items and stockouts.
In some facilities, inventory management tends to become a collection of practices that one generation hands down to the next.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software helps companies store, access, and use data to help them run their processes more efficiently
Supply chain management is the process that directs how goods, services, information, and money move from initial order of a profuct to its final delivery.
The best way to organize your warehouse will depend on your business, inventory, growth projectile, time and budget limitations, and many other factors.
Warehouse racking is the system of shelves, configuration, and location of the physical structure required to hold your inventory items.
Assets should be tagged by a unique identification number or barcode and categorized by a method that’s compatible with your accounting system.
LDAR refers to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to help reduce volatile organic compounds
The top supply chain management degrees are usually majors, concentrations, or degrees in supply chain management, operations, or logistics.
A 2D barcode is a set of small geometric shapes organized within a square or rectangle to store information.
Inventory management makes much of our world today progress in an orderly fashion. Here are some of the most interesting facts about inventory management.
Logistics management plays a key role in any company that orders materials or ships products, impacting a company’s bottom line.
The term 3pl refers to third-party logistics, which means that an outside company takes over the receiving, storing, picking, and shipping of your products.
A piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) is a picture of the piping, instruments and controls for equipment in the process industry.
Supply chain logistics is the management of all the companies, transportation, warehouses, and distributors needed to deliver a final product.
Barcode types can be categorized into three main groups: numeric, alpha-numeric, and two-dimensional.
Asset tracking - using asset tags or barcodes - is the means by which businesses keep tabs on their critical equipment as well as their inventory.
An asset tag is an identification label that is connected to a company’s physical equipment or property. Assets come in various forms,
The main differences between QR codes and UPC labels are the how much information they can hold, how they appear, and the type of equipment required.
Barcoding is an identification method used by a wide variety of companies to track, identify, and manage items in places such as grocery or retail stores.
How to Implement a Barcoding Inventory System in the time it takes your average person to manually type a couple letters or numbers.
Choose a barcode scanner by thinking about what you will use it for, how often you’ll need it, and what kind of technology must be integrated with it.
Top quartile facilities typically calculate their MRO inventory value as a percent of RAV. They aim to keep this number at to 1.5 percent or lower.
We define and answer the question “What is inventory control” Inventory control refers to managing items from ordering and throughout storage
Warehouse automation includes all the software, people, and processes that are required to automate warehouse tasks to improve efficiency and accuracy.
Warehouse logistics involve all the people, processes, and programs required to keep your items moving in around and through your warehouse.
UID stands for unique identification and is a required asset identification program established by the United States Department of Defense.
An inventory management system keeps track of items that an organization purchases to manufacture or deliver its final product or service to its customers.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are an advanced barcoding system used by facilities to track assets.
Inventory management systems include complete and detailed records of materials and items so that they can be tracked and used efficiently.
Facilities typically use one of three kinds of inventory systems to improve efficiency and accuracy: manual, periodic, and perpetual.
Purchase Order Tracking is the step-by-step process of tracking a purchase order from conception to the final delivery alsmdlkasmdlaslkmjjjj
If a business could get a part cheaper and faster, why wouldn’t they? Learn why so many people have taken the leap to sourcing and selling parts on eBay.
This article discusses the asset life cycle and the impact of design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and O&M phases on total life cycle costs.
Overall, the main mistakes I’ve seen with lubricating bearings have to do with either too much lubrication or too little.
Straight Line Depreciation is an accounting method, and accounting is not the first thing you might associate with maintenance.
Our goal is to dig deeper and understand why good people make bad decisions. Moreover, we have to regard RCA as a system and not just a task.
World-class manufacturing facilities successfully stay ahead of breakdowns, achieve higher asset utilization, reduce maintenance costs, and increase safety.
Asset management is generally defined as a system of activities that an organization performs to gain value from assets, including design and maintenance.
To answer that, we should first understand exactly what causes rotating equipment to fail. The majority of failures come down to unbalance and misalignment.
Reliability engineering is a complex process with lots of room for potential errors, lost time, and wasted money. Stay forward thinking and proactive.
Finding causes of problems can be tricky, and convincing maintenance technicians to accept new practices can be even trickier. Here are some ideas to help:
The most common ISO standards to follow for manufacturing facilities are ISO 55000, 55001, and 55002. All require an asset management system.
A bathtub curve is a visual of a product's failure rate over time that maps out three periods that an asset experiences within its lifetime.
When it comes to equipment failure, there are a few interesting trends that we see. We can see some of the challenges effective reliability planning.
In maintenance, a turnaround is an event where one or more assets are temporarily removed from service so that maintenance tasks can be performed.
Maintenance management is the process of maintaining a company’s resources. It ensures efficient production and effective use of resources.
You should budget approximately 2% to 5% of your total RAV. This metric, known as %RAV, is calculated as a proportion of your facility's value and spending.
A fixed asset is one of two major categories of physical property for a company and includes those items that remain in one location during business operation.
Purchase orders (POs) are created to start a purchasing relationship with an outside vendor. POs include quantity, delivery schedule, and payment terms.
Some of the most common root cause analysis mistakes involve poor definitions, focusing on the wrong thing, or ignoring root causes entirely.
For root cause analysis to be effective, you need to dig deep, have the right resources, and ask “Why?” until you get to a root cause.
To measure performance in inventory management, one of the most common metrics to use is “number of inventory turns" and target a value greater than 1.0.
The collection of equipment failure data over time determines the reliability of your facility and enables proper asset management and life-cycle analysis.
A function describes the intention of a piece of equipment, while functional failures detail conditions that would prevent equipment from peak operation.
In order to decide if it is time to repair or replace an asset, you must compare the current value of the asset with the cost of repair.
Equipment depreciation is a measure of how much a piece of equipment drops in value each year. Using depreciation, you can make wiser maintenance decisions.
An asset life cycle refers to the stages involved in the management of an asset. The life cycle of an asset starts with the planning stages.
Availability measures equipment's ability to operate, while reliability measures the ability of equipment to perform without failure.
Idle time is the time in which an asset is either waiting to run or isn’t scheduled to run and downtime is when the asset is incapable of running.
Criticality is a measure of how important an asset is to your process. The more critical the asset, the more of an impact it will have if fails.
Assistive devices help individuals with disabilities live a more independent life by using technology and increasing everyday accessibility.
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), the most common metricperformance of a plant, is expressed as a percentage of the total production time.
Indicators are classified according to whether they predict future performance or describe past performance –- referred to as leading or lagging indicators.
There are numerous ways to improve your equipment uptime, each of which has to do with streamlining your maintenance processes.
Downtime and uptime are the heartbeats of a manufacturer - when the facility has too much downtime, the health of the organization suffers.
Maintenance tasks for indoor cycling bikes include daily, weekly and monthly cleaning, inspection, and adjustments to ensure strong durability.
Breakdown time is downtime that results from the equipment breaking down. Equipment downtime is any time a piece of equipment is offline.
The maintenance unit cost is a snapshot of the total maintenance cost required to manufacture a standard unit of production during a set period of time.
When implementing total productive maintenance (TPM), I think it’s best to gradually phase it in. It will enable an organization-wide adjustment over time.
Use failure codes systematically: start with analyzing the reasons for failures, code this information in a consistent way, and make it accessible.
The SMRP identified five pillars of maintenance and reliability to help facility managers create a framework for their businesses.
One such goal is to strive for spending 3 percent or less of your replacement asset value (RAV) annually on maintenance costs. Here are the details.
Both bar codes and RFID tags can help you track your assets and equipment; and each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
IRS Publication 946, Appendix B, lists useful life estimates by industry and application. These estimates can be used as a baseline.
Either you replace old equipment, or you keep it around. The route you choose depends on your facility’s current demands.
The primary difference between a PLC (or Programmable Logic Controller) and SCADA is the fact that a PLC is hardware and SCADA is generally software
When MTBF is presented you cannot instantly ascertain whether the metric is being influenced more by the uptime duration or by the number of breakdowns.
The short answer to the question is generally “no”. However, asking the question sets into motion the bigger issue of how to evaluate any metric in facilities management.
Implementing a good electric motor testing (EMT) program can be a massive positive investment in the reliability of a facility's equipment.
A common metric is taking the total maintenance cost (MC) as a percentage of the estimated plant replacement value (PRV).
If you want to take proactive steps towards maintenance and you have enough data to analyze, you can benefit from hiring a reliability engineer.
Implementing a stellar asset life cycle management program requires alignment with your business strategy, data-driven decisions, and the right culture.
All continuous improvement programs and computerized maintenance systems strive for the common goal of reducing this waste as much as possible.
An asset is any item that has potential or actual value to the company. Asset management is an approach to achieve the most asset value.
More people on maintenance staff doesn't necessarily reduce problems. In fact, it creates another kind of problem in terms of ineffective resource use
To get the very most out of your MRO (maintenance, reliability, and operations) inventory, you need to track data that reflects costs, turnover, etc.
Infrared analysis is actually super useful for checking temperatures, especially when you're comparing the temperature of an asset to another asset.
While RCM seems simple on its face, there are a huge number of moving parts within any solid reliability-centered maintenance plan that could go wrong.
Begin by checking the OEM manual. This will typically provide you with preventive maintenance guidelines. dffdadfdsfasdfasdfasdf
In order to track asset depreciation, you'll use its annual depreciation. The formula is (Initial Cost - Salvage Value) ÷ Useful Life = Annual Depreciation.
Selecting machines for preventive maintenance is a matter of finding which ones would benefit most from PM while keeping maintenance costs down.
A CMMS is a great way to organize user manuals and warranties by asset. Upload them and they’re ready to view by anyone with access.
The exact answer depends on your experience level, industry, and certifications. But the average wage for a reliability engineer is about $35 per hour.
We've compiled every type of food and beverage processing equipment out there in a list with everything you need to know.
A standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a document that lays out the steps to do something in a clear and concise way.
Implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) may be a challenge. In this article, we’ll discuss various aspects of how to tackle this challenge.
Without effective maintenance process mapping, an organization will never achieve stable maintenance processes. Learn what you need to know here.
Root cause analysis (RCA) is key to a successful maintenance program. But to conduct one effectively, it’s critical to understand the components required.
Common Preventive Maintenance Checklist for trucks and fleets must be customized to fit the individual vehicle and its usage pattern.
There are several methods that can help overcome the negative perception many people have of the trucking profession today, such as professional training.
Companies with large fleets of vehicles have found several uses for IoT and sensors, including: driver and fuel monitoring, loss prevention, and more.
Most people don’t think much about the trucking industry, but these statistics and facts will make you think differently about fleet.
The new IATF (International Automotive Task Force) compliance challenges can be solved by using a CMMS to track, observe, replace, and repair equipment
Semi, box, and other working truck tires can be made to last longer when they are properly maintained and cared for by their users.
Fleet management oversees the running and maximizes efficiency of commercial vehicles, whether they be cars, trucks, or vans.
The success of the supply chain process relies on a strong and continuous network of vehicles following safety, efficiency, and compliance KPIs.
The most common reason for airplane failures is human error- including structural flaws, oversight, flight crew errors, and faulty or misplaced maintenance.
Semi-trucks will probably move toward at least some electrically powered vehicles, however, a variety of factors will impact how quickly this happens.
Four key ways to avoid extra charges or demurrages on carrier containers are negotiations, coordination, alternative plans, and organization of paperwork.
Rideshare companies increase global access to transportation, influence purpose-built vehicles, inspire a new wave of autonomous vehicles, and more.
The ticketing methods for trains are evolving from in-person to include mobile ticketing, barcode scanning, and other technology-based ticketing options.
Although the most common net payment term for freight companies is net 30 days, this is lengthening in some industries due to various factors
Many different types of propulsion options are available for boats including diesel, wind, gas and solar, and each requires its own unique maintenance plan
Technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry through telemedicine, remote monitoring, advanced treatments, 3D printing, and record-keeping.
El Camino Hospital, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Hospital are among the most technologically advanced hospitals in the world.
Using interconnected technology allows us to network cameras and sensors easily with existing computer systems, creating automatic maintenance events.
Here is what some experts had to say on preventive maintenance schedules and their recommendations for fleshing out your strategy.
Ultimately, the uncertainty in mobile equipment operations can make it hard to schedule inspections. This is where active inspections come in.
Most equipment don’t fare too well when temperatures get too high or too low, so even using a simple thermometer can be useful for detecting issues.
Reliability engineers are responsible for identifying and managing asset reliability risks and then working to reduce those risks.
Costs link directly to how reliable your equipment is, making it rather difficult to find ways to cut costs while maintaining the health of your assets
The signs seem to show that deferred maintenance will probably decrease in the future due to organizations recognizing the need for proper maintenance.
With predictive maintenance (PdM), it's understanding an asset's most probable failure modes and monitoring those conditions.
The primary benefits of preventive maintenance come down to reliability. As you keep each asset in good repair, it’s less to break down.
Common preventive maintenance for air compressors revolve around detecting and fixing leaks and maintaining proper pressure.
When working in tandem within a given system, actuators receive signals from sensors and perform some kind of task based on that input.
Common preventive maintenance for fans includes cleaning blades, lubricating parts, checking vibration, and inspecting bearings.
Common preventive maintenance for pumps includes regular inspection for stability, scheduled lubrication, and potential problems.
Common preventive maintenance for fire alarms and smoke detectors is minimal and revolves around regular testing to ensure proper function.
Common preventive maintenance for cooling towers ensure circulating water is clean and mechanical function of fans and motors are maintained.
Common preventive maintenance for chillers typically involves cleaning, monitoring temperature and pressure, and general system testing.
Boilers are heavy-duty equipment that generate hot water or steam by burning fuel. Boilers generally operate under high temperatures and pressures.
Forest fires can be reduced by protecting areas around young forests and good sanitation practices in mature forests. Read more here.
Preventive maintenance checklists for steam traps include items about temperature, pressure, condensation and equipment functioning.
Equipment failures are a major setback for plant operations. During breakdowns, restoring plant operations lies in the hands of the maintenance team.
Any industry that uses or maintains equipment can make use of IIoT sensors. A few of them include agriculture, manufacturing, and retail.
Predictive maintenance (PdM) typically uses data from sensors that monitor various conditions on equipment. Algorithms analyze data to predict maintenance.
Usage-based maintenance is a type of meter-based preventative maintenance. The trigger is when usage on a system or machine passes a threshold.
Common preventive maintenance for building controls work to provide the maximum amount of comfort with minimal energy usage.
Risk-based maintenance addresses risk-sensitive systems and machinery. RBM determines the most economical way to distribute resources to repair a system.
Manufacturers might see up to 800 hours of downtime per year. In 2016, the average cost of downtime per hour across all businesses came out to $260,000.
A planned maintenance system, or PMS, helps maintenance teams track recurring maintenance tasks. They make sure each task occurs based on set intervals.
Design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA) is a process tool that helps companies locate and repair design failures.
PFMEA means Process Failure Modes & Effects Analysis. It is an analytical process used by businesses to locate and identify possible failures
The connectivity that allows IIoT to deliver amazing amounts of data also gives potential access of data and control of critical devices to hackers.
Criticality analysis is a measurement used to prioritize assets in maintenance planning, combining the seriousness and frequency of a potential failure.
Since Operations often focuses on production uptime while maintenance focuses on improving reliability and minimizing costs, the two are often at odds.
A floating schedule helps add a great deal of flexibility to your equipment management program, allowing requests to be scheduled at a treshold.
Lean maintenance is a proactive maintenance philosophy/ and strategy that aims to support reliability in the most efficient way possible.
The most exciting IIoT projects on the horizon are for maintenance and training tasks and improving energy management with AR.
Acoustic analysis has fewer applications than PdM-tool vibration analysis, but what it lacks in breadth of application it makes up for in effectiveness.
Staying on top of maintenance issues for CNC machines requires careful scheduling, observant technicians, available parts, and comprehensive documentation.
The best Industrial IIoT projects to start with are small ones that meet a specific business need. Once successful, you can increase the size and scope.
Maintainability refers to the ease with which maintenance activity can be performed on an asset or equipment. Learn more about maintainability.
Industry experts say that deploying an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will cost a minimum of $50,000 or roughly 10 percent of your information technology budget over three years.
IoT holds an especially significant place in manufacturing, with value estimates reaching up to $3.7 trillion in factories alone by 2025.
Temperature sensors are devices on machinery that track ambient temperatures, assess readings, and measure the impact of heat conditions
Early implementers of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have reported better protection of assets, and raised levels of reliability and performance.
The key to improving schedule compliance for your preventive maintenance is to analyze your data. This starts with tracking your PM work orders.
The top five barriers to IIoT adoption are cybersecurity issues, a lack of standardization, an installed legacy system, high upfront investment, and a lack of skilled workers
A pressure sensor is a device that senses and measures pressure. Pressure in this case, is defined as the amount of force exerted over an area.
To track your schedule compliance, simply find out how many PMs you complete before their due date and compare those to the total scheduled.
Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is a maintenance strategy that involves using the most optimal methods to keep equipment running.
Prescriptive maintenance, is a maintenance concept that analyzes an equipment’s condition to create specialized recommendations to reduce operational risks.
Start with your most critical piece of equipment, track information related to failures, and set up alerts to generate work orders to prevent breakdowns.
The way I’d advise documenting preventive maintenance is with a CMMS or other form of work order management software, but the exact way may depend.
Each of these challenges can be alleviated through proper application of IIoT technology, so let’s run through each one starting from helping managing cost.
If it does happen, it will probably take a long while, mainly because it would involve uprooting one well-established system in favor of installing another.
When heavy equipment starts wearing out, it can get dangerous. To understand the impact PM has on workplace safety, it might help to look at a few examples.
Machine learning allows for more intelligent ways of processing data to predict when an asset will require maintenance.
Almost by definition, predictive maintenance uses sensors, but the core principle of PdM doesn’t necessarily depend on them.
If your business maintains a fleet of vehicles, you’ll want to use mileage sensors to trigger regular inspections, fluid changes, and replacements.
Insufficient infrastructure maintenance practices contributed to the overall devastation in the 2019 California wildfires.
One use case is power failure detection which can create significant downtime losses, and immediate notification can help minimize larger problems.
A few quick wins for your reliability program include improving lubrication, optimizing preventive maintenance, and tightening STO.
Creating a sustainable reliability program requires the right people, processes, and technology from companies that commit to change in corporate culture.
The first type of PM people often overlook is checking fluids in equipment. Hydraulic fluid in machinery, for instance, needs to be routinely monitored.
Choosing assets for predictive maintenance is a matter of priority, especially starting out. A few of the factors you’ll want to look at include:
Dozens of sensors are already available to monitor, track, and report on critical aspects of your operations with more under development each day.
Vibration often signals a potential problem within production facilities that can result in future breakdowns or shorter equipment lifespans.
Pressure sensors alert maintenance teams when the pressure in a certain tank or piece of equipment falls outside of a specified level,
If you want a successful preventive maintenance program, you have to start with the technicians. If they don’t buy into it, failure is imminent
Given the specific demands of industrial settings, IIoT needs to be more robust and flexible than most IoT devices. Characteristics that set them include:
John Day, Jr. proposed the 6:1 rule. This rule asserts that for every 6 PM tasks you perform, you should be finding one corrective maintenance task.
The problem with PM is it’s based on the assumption that equipment failures occur on a schedule. The reality is that only 18% of assets fail based on age.
If you’re not focused on continuous improvement each and every day, it won’t be long before you’ll be wasting a significant amount of time and money.
You might have heard of the 6:1 rule. The gist of this rule is that for every six preventive maintenance tasks you do, you should find one corrective task.
FRACAS is a three-step process that stands for Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System. We explain the entire FRACAS process here.
Single-minute exchange of die (SMED) is a strategic process that allows teams to reduce the amount of time required to complete equipment changeovers.
There's a ton of different mistakes you can make when setting up and running a preventive maintenance schedule including planning scheduling and rollout.
In property maintenance, issues that build and build can end up being massively expensive, difficult to fix, and potentially dangerous for the tenants.
You'll actually find some divisive information out there. In short, it is entirely possible to do too much preventive maintenance.
In general, preventive equipment maintenance is a good idea for buildings and facilities - catching issues quickly helps avoid any unnecessary damage.
Although predictive maintenance is similar to preventive maintenance, this activity requires particular preset conditions.
A good preventive maintenance program is critical because a working HVAC system impacts the business’ ability to keep its service lines up and running.
Without getting too technical, level of repair analysis, or LORA, is a process used to determine when and where an asset should be repaired.
Supervisors are often largely focused on the day-to-day aspects of maintenance work, not the long-term goals of maintenance planning.
Ideally, you should try implementing a preventive maintenance program as soon as possible. You’ll want to start small though.
A PM program not only keeps your boiler up and running reliably but also lengthens the life of your equipment and improves safety for employees.
The preventive maintenance scheduling process includes creating the PM, scheduling the PM, and assigning, completing, and logging the work.
It's a little like your car - you want to maintain your vehicle before the issues occur so you're not stranded on the side of the road.
Well, like a lot of the English language, there's not a technically "correct" word to say because both Preventive or preventative are correct
There are many ways to figure out how your maintenance team is performing. We've made it simple in this short quiz to find out the best metric for you!
The high upfront costs of implementing new maintenance methodologies can be difficult, but predictive maintenance can actually help.
We cover the ways you can use IIoT to optimize soil cultivation, crop growth, livestock raising, and their related processes.
Although both preventive maintenance and reliability-centered maintenance have the same end goals, they approach assigning maintenance tasks differently.
Preventing the main problems with a conveyor starts with knowing what you’re dealing with. Here are a few high-level steps you could do to avoid setbacks.
A programmable logic controller (PLC) monitors a specified set of inputs on a piece of industrial equipment and then makes output-related decisions.
Given that PLCs (programmable logic controllers) are integral to many industrial operations, it’s important to keep an eye on PLC maintenance.
For industrial applications, computers commonly come in the form of what's known as a programmable logic controller (PLC).
While PLCs have been around for a long time, there are still some significant PLC risks that must be considered before implementation.
Establishing a regular PLC maintenance checklist can minimize or eliminate downtime by discovering potential issues before they cause problems.
Most high-performing organizations ensure a committed adherence to best practices by using a thermographic inspection standard operating procedure (SOP).
If you want to calculate the hours spent on only preventive maintenance efforts, your CMMS most likely has a solution already baked in to help you do this.
Here are some cool trends that are already being adopted by the leaders in the facility mangement industry - Virtual Reality, Robotics, Internet Of Things.
In the worst cases the maintenance efforts can be jeopardized as there can be a lot of differences in regard to "proper" maintenance practices
The primary difference between hard and soft Facilities Management services in faciities is that hard services are non-negotiable.
Most of the big trends we see in facility management center around advances in technology. These trends include the following:
There are a few paths you could take to get a job as a facility manager. Management positions require familiarity with the industry.
Although measuring costs may be challenging, it’s important to understand the different categories so you have a good starting point.
Once you start thinking about all the equipment, machinery, and systems in every nook and cranny of your facility, it can be hard to know where to begin.
Many factors affect the ideal manager-to-technician ratio. Here are some questions you can think about when making this decision for your organization.
When it comes to finding new customers, a facilities management company must approach the challenge like most other service providers.
ISO 41001:2018 covers facility management standards, and compliance with it can help your organization become more efficient and reliable.
The top five tips for maintaining your forklifts and overall safety include inspecting your forklifts on a daily basis, checking the tires, and more.
If you want to increase your facility management knowledge or skill base, the best blogs for you to read are these top five!
Before a maintenance plan is even implemented, it's critical to understand metrics: How much emergency/reactive maintenance, schedule compliance, etc
If there are obstacles in the way of your technicians actually working with their tools and completing tasks, tracking wrench time can help you find them.
Create a disaster recovery maintenance plan with forethought, duplication of power sources, and preventive maintenance testing.
Cemetery maintenance is a very specific subset of the wider maintenance industry. It involves the general upkeep of cemeteries.
Facilities management can help health care facilities track data that affects the organization’s emergency preparedness, infection control, and more.
MRO stands for Maintenance, Repairs, and Operations. It refers to any equipment or process used to keep a facility running and avoid unplanned equipment downtime.
A remote monitoring system gives you multiple sets of eyes throughout your facility - improving productivity, reducing costs, higher quality data, etc.
ome of the top trends in healthcare today are mergers, micro-hospitals, rising costs, and infection concerns. All of these have implications for facilities maintenance departments.
The best way to build a network as a maintenance professional is to join a professional organization such as IFMA or APPA.
Achieving world-class PMP requires reducing your need for reactive maintenance and improving your team’s ability to prevent equipment breakdowns.
The best facilities managers are proactive, seek automation, study data regularly, work efficiently with outside vendors, and prioritize their workloads.
Like many other parts of the predictive maintenance (PdM) toolkit, infrared analysis can be applied to any assets or pieces of equipment that give off heat.
Career paths in facilities management can be divided by discipline and by industry. Opportunities span across business, nonprofit, and government sectors.
GASB 34 is a set of standards for state and local government financial reports. It was established by a private, non-profit organization.
Production efficiency is a useful guideline for facility managers to ensure that costs are optimized, without sacrificing the quality of products.
ADA building regulations are a set of US standards for all areas of public life that prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
If you want to maximize the use of your critical equipment, you have to be able to identify the areas with the most inefficiency.
With the broad range of devices depending on electricity, electrical maintenance needs to be a mandatory part of your maintenance strategy.
Some of the best practices your maintenance planners should use include basing decisions on data, prioritizing tasks with reliability in mind, and more.
Through a combination of record keeping, accountability, and workflow management, facilities managers can transform organizations with lean reliability.
If you’re looking for a way to advance in your career at your own pace, consider signing up for one of these online facility management courses.
Of the numerous RCA methods used, the one you choose depends on the depth and nature of the problem, as well as the number of contributing causes.
Justifying maintenance costs may be difficult, but it's doable if we can make stakeholders understand the end value of maintenance work.
If you’re not sure whether your technicians have enough to do, you’ll want to look at your schedule compliance, wrench time, and planner productivity.
The best way to approach deferred maintenance is through rigorous planning. Deferred maintenance includes repairs and inspections that are backlogged.
There are two ways to calculate OEE: a simple way and a more involved way. OEE is a measure of how much a facility makes during its planned productive time.
Several technical schools around the country offer certificates and degree programs for facility management. Here are the top ten.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations are a set of standards that, when followed, create a safe and healthy workplace for all.
Siloed knowledge is the knowledge that is passed around a facility by word of mouth alone.This can be fixed by implementing better documentation practices.
An effective maintenance planner has clear communication skills, a sound knowledge of maintenance and workflow processes, and strong technology skills.
To reduce the amount of reworked maintenance you’re redoing, you’d first have to look at what’s causing it such as skills gaps or poor practices.
Maintenance managers must organize facility storerooms using the 5S methodology or a similar system that allows parts to be found quickly and efficiently.
For the employer, effective safety management can be seen as an investment to increase productivity and reduce accidents and injuries.
Justifying the cost of purchasing a new CMMS system can be done by comparing the value that the CMMS adds to the company, to the total cost of the CMMS system.
When a work request is submitted, management determines whether to approve them. Some of the considerations that may come up when approving include:
Prioritize based on: [1] Criticality, or how important it is to your process [2] Risks of delaying work, such as safety hazards [3] Available resources
A standing work order is a “work order opened for a specific period of time for work that is not associated with a specific piece of equipment.”
In most cases, poor productivity is the result of subpar planning practices. Start by improving your maintenance planning.
Weekly maintenance meetings must have clear goals and an agenda going in, and assigned, measurable action items coming out. They should be short!
There are a few different ways to estimate maintenance budgeting - replacement value of the facility and the maintenance cost.
On-demand facilities management is focused on delivering facilities management support and services in temporary and unusual circumstances
If you’re looking for a world-class benchmark, you can shoot for 4 percent of your total labor costs, which can be dedicated to training.
The top four construction companies that prioritize preventive maintenance are EMCOR Group, Inc., Bechtel Corporation, Jacobs Engineering Group, and Skanska
The answer to this question is a resounding, “YES!” The facility management field is changing rapidly, creating amazing opportunities for young people
You’ll want to find individuals who have a combination of technical skills, a desire to learn and grow, and the ability to work on a team.
Keeping a talented team of maintenance technicians requires a positive work environment and a culture focused on meaningful training and development.
Have some standing agenda items such as progress toward KPIs or goals, career development progress, issues and problems, and so forth.
As the government implements a growing number of environmentally focused policies and regulations, facility managers must stand up and take notice.
The five different procurement methods in construction are contracting, design, construction management, joint venture, and private financing
With the multiple KPIs and measures that can be measured, check that you have some in place to address the performance of the maintenance team.
The questions you ask maintenance technicians during hiring interviews should cover these skill sets: Technical knowledge of mechanical principles
Reduce facility operating costs by looking at seemingly mundane things like lighting, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more.
Approaching scheduling from a holistic point of view, where you consider all aspects of the technician and task, is vital to balancing maintenance workload.
Training is a huge part of how technicians perform their work, and without sufficient skills training, a facility can be stuck in permanent reactive mode
Management of change (MOC) is a policy companies use to manage health, safety or risks when facilities, employees, or operations are changed.
Here are my top choices for comprehensive and well-researched books on maintenance, reliability, and facility management.
The type of business you’re in will determine how heavily you need to staff that night shift on a regular basis. Here are some examples:
Although contract or file management software systems are available on the market today, they might not be the best solution.
Management typically means organizing, or coordinating something from a top level. Maintenance involves the caring for and upkeep of a property, or equipment.
Asking the right questions during the interview process can also help you determine fit. Here are some types of questions to consider:
In our corner of the world, several stand-out individuals have made significant strides in reliability-centered maintenance.
Maintenance costs for an apartment complex will be much different than maintenance requirements for a high-production manufacturing facility.
A facility manager should have the ability to listen and communicate well, to challenge the status quo and foster continuous improvement.
If you’re in the retail industry, facilities management will be focused on keeping customer-facing areas up to par.
If you’re creating your initial staff for a new apartment, I suggest starting with one technician per 150 to 200 units in addition to your manager.
Here are some tips to help you strike the right balance between onsite maintenance staff and outside contractors for your own organization.
A day in the life of a facility maintenance manager include meetings, planning, and problem solving. Learn more in this Q&A.
Facilities maintenance technicians help keep a building, plant, or complex up and running smoothly. Learn more in this Q&A.
Facilities employ a median of one full time maintenance worker per 50,000 square feet. Learn more in this Q&A. Learn more here!
The three biggest mistakes facility managers make are related to being overfocused on budget, not listening to employees, and inventory maitenance.
Codes and policies can dramatically improve a broken run-to-failure approach, to the point where equipment reliability can become a reality.
Fever screening with infrared thermography isn’t new, and it’s an effective method. With so many options available, it's important to know the ins and outs.
Some of the most common oil analysis tests include viscosity tests, particle counting, Karl Fischer water titration, and Spectroscopy.
Best practices for pipeline maintenance revolve around trenchless repair technologies and flexible gasket connections. Read more here!
Among all the large and small oil and gas industry blogs, we’ve narrowed it down to the five most worth your time and investment of reading their content!
The ongoing trade war between the United States and China is keeping oil prices volatile as reported conversations continue.
Common uses for sensors and IoT technology in the oil and gas industry are related to remote monitoring and safety. Learn more here!
Some of the most common myths about oil and gas include: the world is running out of oil very soon and Americans use the most oil. Are these true?
Preventive maintenance ensures that equipment is in good working order. This may help prevent both small and large offshore spills in the future.
Lubricant oxidation is a gradual breakdown of an oil, which leads to ineffective lubrication of equipment and machines, which can cause gradual issues.
Mining practices vary depending on the country and the level of local technology available. In many regions, artisanal mining is a significant business.
The 10W30 designation on engine oil means that the viscosity of the oil is rated at 10W when an engine is cold and 30 when the engine is hot.
Positive behavior reinforcement can drive improvement in the safety of your organization. It guides people to work correctly rather than take shortcuts.
This article contains helpful advice for those who would like to establish a maintenance apprenticeship program in their own organization.
While a maintenance technician might have more training, a mechanic will be able to deal with a wider variety of situations in a shorter period of time.
Maintenance technicians who understand how to achieve results, balance risks and costs, and identify and solve problems will be valued.
There’s no doubt about it. Technicians have an excellent foundation to build on, and technology will provide opportunities to develop professionally.
Maintenance planning is the process of determining what maintenance work should be done and how it should be carried out.
Two levels of certifications are available from SDT Ultrasound Solutions and UE Systems, both providers of ultrasound technology solutions
Among the many things to be grateful for this season are your maintenance workers, who work diligently to keep your facilities running.
Safety should be the primary concern for maintenance technicians - they are the employees who place themselves in dangerous situations
Being a certified maintenance technician increases the likelihood that you receive a promotion while improving your ability to perform.
The five habits of great reliability engineers are identifying priorities, finding root causes, exploring solutions, using data, and implementation.
The main differences between a maintenance worker, maintenance technician, and maintenance engineers are their titles and their day-to-day tasks.
A work order letter is a formal document requesting work to be completed in a given period of time. Work order letters, or work requests.
What are some concrete things you can do as a maintenance supervisor to improve your performance? We answer this question and more.
Work orders help supervisors manage the incoming requests with outgoing activity and provide analytic data for businesses.
Maintenance work differs greatly from day-to-day operations—every task is unique, and there is typically little room for automation.
The answer to this question for most companies today is a multi-craft workforce. The workforce must have the flexibility and agility to change along with business requirements.
Some of the typical causes of human error are poor training, poor management, poorly written operating or maintenance procedures, and improper work tools.
If you are new to the maintenance industry, you can quickly learn industry terms with these top ten most commonly used acronyms and their definitions.
By improving maintenance programs, companies can save tons of money. Focusing on HVAC systems, older equipment, and more can translate into huge savings.
Fireworks are made using different chemical combinations that are set on a timer. Technicians stay safe with technology, timing, practice, and common sense.
You can improve your facility maintenance resume by highlighting specialized projects, showing off your soft skills, and customizing what you include.
Both maintenance certification and industry experience have their merits. Experience can boost certifications, and certifications can get you started.
The best certifications for maintenance supervisors focus on both technical and managerial aspects of the job. Among these are the CMRP, CPM, and CPMM.
Pencil whipping means to approve any form or document without proper review or knowledge that the task should be approved.
To become an aircraft maintenance technician, you’ll need quite a bit more technical training than you would for other maintenance positions.
A CMMS is a substantial investment that can have equally substantial returns if utilized effectively. The key is training staff as CMMS superusers.
The way we manage our wastewater impacts our health, our productivity, and our economy. Wastewater management Is essential.
The return on investment (ROI) of maintenance training is taken by calculating the benefits that the organization and comparing it with the total training costs.
MRO—or maintenance, repair, and operations—encompasses anything a company does or uses to keep its facilities and processes running properly
Fault tree analysis is a systematic approach of identifying the main cause of an event, with the use of a fault tree diagram.
If you show that you can reduce downtime and optimize maintenance tasks, you’ll show that you are capable of results that track towards business outcomes.
Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Union Pacific, and other companies provide the best employee mental health services for maintenance workers.
The job outlook for industrial maintenance personnel is projected to grow by about 7% on average over the next decade or so.
These skills represent a mix of hard skills and soft skills, all of which help maintenance managers fulfill their various duties.
To become a hydraulics technician, you’ll need education and practical training. In addition, you’ll want to keep up with current trends in the industry.
Study the material, quiz yourself until you feel confident, and you should succeed on the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam.
Autonomous maintenance focuses on empowering machine operators to make necessary maintenance decisions, without aid of a specialized maintenance technician.
PM optimization (or PMO) is the process of making sure preventive maintenance is handled as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Employee engagement involves employees' understanding of the company’s vision, business investment, and connection to their roles in the organization.
Operations consists of the activities that you perform to reach business objectives such as running the equipment, performing quality control, and so on.
Workplace wellness programs can not only help improve the overall health of employees but also the company's bottom line.