The Challenge
In 2002, maintenance at Sonoco Flexible Packaging in the Morristown, TN plant was primarily reactive; repairs were made when problems developed. Very little proactive maintenance was performed, and improvements in availability and efficiency were difficult to achieve.
“The plant did not have an organized inventory system,” according to Maintenance Manager, Mickey Reaves. “No one knew which parts were in inventory or their value.” Incoming parts shipments were charged directly against the maintenance budget, which often created hardships for the department budget. This disorganization also reduced efficiency.
Later that year, Morristown began using iMaint Online, a Web-hosted enterprise asset management system (EAM) from DPSI. This system enabled Sonoco employees to access their maintenance management system from any computer with a Web browser and Internet access. The system and database are hosted and maintained by DPSI.
Reaves understood that a step-by-step approach was needed to reap the benefits of the system. “The first phase of implementation involved our plant becoming more proactive,” he said. The ability to track detailed maintenance records, readings and many other types of data collected from plant assets was another important step.
The maintenance team then turned their attention to developing an inventory system using iMaint Online’s inventory module. There were concerns, though, that a full-time inventory clerk would be needed and manual data entry could lead to errors. One `manual activity, typing data from completed work orders into iMaint Online, was already consuming numerous man-hours each month. That’s when Reaves was introduced to iMaint Mobile.
Going Paperless
In 2004, a team from the plant was evaluating DPSI’s iMaint Mobile software for PDAs, an add-on for iMaint. They were primarily interested in using PDAs equipped with barcode scanners to organize and control inventory. When they saw the software’s work order features, however, they decided to first use iMaint Mobile to streamline their work order processes.
They purchased Pocket PC wireless-compatible PDAs with integrated barcode scanners and each technician was assigned a PDA. All PDAs were then connected to Sonoco’s iMaint Online system through a plant-wide wireless network.
Because Sonoco chose to go wireless instead of using traditional PC synchronization, the plant utilized realtime communication between each PDA and its iMaint Online maintenance management system. This has enabled the plant to implement truly paperless processes for work orders and inventory control, which are already yielding significant benefits.
Wireless Work Orders
“We’re much more efficient in our work order processes since using iMaint Mobile,” Reaves said. Prior to using PDAs, technicians entered information on printed work orders, which had to be typed into Sonoco’s iMaint Online maintenance system.
“Now all that is done directly on our PDAs at the work location, and work orders in iMaint are instantly updated. We save several man-hours a week just from streamlining closing of work orders,” according to Reaves. That translates into an annual savings of thousands of dollars from eliminating just one paperbased process.
Decreasing Downtime
Using PDAs where work is being done has increased productivity and reduced downtime. “Each PDA has a detailed list of current PMs and work orders. It’s easy to generate new work orders or PMs on location, or even combine repairs with preventive procedures when the scheduled PM is about to come due,” Reaves said. “We also get more data and better readings for each work order, which helps us identify repetitive causes through Failure Mode Analysis.”
Plant availability is now significantly higher. The goal for the maintenance department, according to Reaves, is to maintain an availability rating of at least 98%.
Inventory Makeover
While PDAs and iMaint Mobile were streamlining work order processes, the staff was also implementing an inventory control system. Parts were counted, organized and entered into the iMaint Online system. Each location and parts bin was then marked with a barcode.
When a technician needs a part for a work order, they swipe the parts bin barcode with their PDA. “A big advantage of iMaint Mobile for inventory is that when a tech scans a part out, inventory levels in iMaint are immediately updated. This eliminates the need for an inventory clerk,” commented Reaves.
No more than three of any part is kept in stock. To maintain inventory, plant personnel generate a parts usage report each week that shows which parts need to be reordered.
Accounting is Impressed
The new inventory control system has even attracted the attention of the accounting department.
“In the past, we had to expense parts as soon as they were purchased. Now accounting has gained enough confidence in the iMaint system to charge items to inventory; they only charge them to our account when a technician scans them for use on a work order,” Reaves said.
These inventory control improvements are increasing the efficiency and productivity of the Maintenance Department, and making it possible to move closer to “just-in-time” parts inventory.
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