Pro Tip: Make a list of “must haves” before beginning the search for maintenance software.

Picking the right maintenance software has never been so important or so challenging. Not only must you consider the needs of the maintenance team, but you should also make sure it will support sanitation too. Consider how work will flow between each of these departments as well as production.

Good recordkeeping is an absolute must these days. The right system will track and record all interactions between departments. This is a critical component to passing today’s modern food safety audits such as SQF or BRC certification.

Having the right software will streamline work orders, improve communication between departments, retain asset and part history, and increase efficiency and effectiveness. But what other information do you need before you go shopping?

First and most importantly, sit down with each department and make a list of “must haves” before you start researching software. The right enterprise software will allow any user to create requisitions, then view and track their progress alongside having the final sign-off by the originator or requester of the work order, once the job is flagged as complete. This allows for accountability within each department and instills a “trust but verify” mindset.

Making the front end extremely user-friendly is one of the simplest ways to ensure a successful program. If working within the system or entering data isn’t easy for your associates, I guarantee it won’t be used as effectively.

Requisitions should be easy to submit with limited clicks or QR code scans. Also, your software should be intuitive: selecting an asset or using a QR code should open to any current work order or preventive maintenance (PM) schedule.

In addition to your software, each plant should have its own system server (redundant drives, uninterruptible power supplies, etc.) to speed up bandwidth. This allows plants to access and enter data faster and operate if internet connectivity is spotty or down completely.

I highly suggest adding QR codes over barcodes for both parts and assets. They can be scanned at greater distances and with a standard phone or tablet camera.

Best-in-class (BIC) software would track first-in-first-out date codes and prompt you to take the older part as part of a warranty tracker.

BIC software would also include a robust training tracker as part of on-boarding and refresher training and scheduling.

Finally, BIC software allows for attachments to task lists (pictures, PDFs, short videos, DWG files, etc.), will interface with your ERP and track total cost of ownership, and it includes multilingual translation that should be a requirement to support diversity, inclusion and good hiring practices.

As a bonus, BIC software can use artificial intelligence to look for opportunities to adjust PM and maintenance, repair and overhaul, PM frequencies and balance resources.

A holistic system approach that sees entire plant and all departments as not just pieces but cogs that must work together is the first step toward getting a program that will meet your business’ needs.

Rowdy Brixey is founder and president of Brixey Engineering Inc.

You can connect with him at LinkedIn.