Maintenance Requests, also referred to as Work Requests, play a vital role in strategic asset management and tactical maintenance management. Similar to scheduling appointments for a malfunctioning car, ailing body, or cracked mobile screen, maintenance requests are essential to keep the maintenance management process running smoothly. Without these requests, there would be a lack of action and ineffective communication on the shop floor.

What is a Maintenance Request?

A formal maintenance request is a method of reporting faults within an organization, which can originate from various departments such as Operations, Finance, Security, Engineering, Logistics, Building Services, and others. In the past, maintenance requests were documented on paper or displayed on a whiteboard. However, in today's era of Industrial IoT, computers, cloud-connected mobile devices, and online solutions are utilized for this purpose. Maintenance requests are uncomplicated, straightforward, and crucial for initiating the work management process in industries, especially those with high-value assets. Work Management serves as a vital process within all industries. When your organization effectively manages work, significant enhancements can be anticipated in wrench time, maintenance efficiencies, and asset availability. Maintenance requests serve as the primary input for work identification, with requests often originating from operations or other internal stakeholders resulting in reactive or corrective work. Once approved, these requests are meticulously planned, scheduled, executed, and finalized. It is important to note that this process is not solely driven by the maintenance organization.

Collaborative Efforts between Operations and Maintenance Teams Yield Benefits

In an organization, maintenance requests can come from various departments, but the Operations team is the primary driver of reactive work requests in industrial settings. This team is closest to the assets that are crucial for delivering products to customers. The relationship between Operations and Maintenance is essential, with Maintenance providing a service to Operations to ensure asset capability and product quality. Operations, especially management, face significant pressure to meet targets and keep assets running smoothly. Unplanned downtime can negatively impact asset availability and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) scores, which are key performance indicators. As the saying goes, time is money, and maintaining asset performance is crucial for financial success.

Due to this, the Maintenance team faces significant pressure to uphold the functionality of assets and reduce downtime. When machines break down, technicians are under immense pressure to swiftly fix them - a situation that may not always lead to lasting repairs and dependability. Therefore, Operations and Maintenance should strive to collaborate rather than work in opposition. One effective approach is for Operations to actively engage with and utilize maintenance requests. This strategy is particularly advantageous in businesses that adhere to an Operator Asset Care philosophy, where operators play a crucial role in identifying potential failures. By submitting a reactive maintenance request on a cloud-connected device, the Maintenance team can be promptly notified. Automated emails can be set up to alert key responders, resulting in faster response times and improved availability.

Seek Proactive Action

For routine maintenance requests, Operations has the opportunity to proactively request work when they notice component degradation. The maintenance planner will review the request, and if approved, it will be converted into a work order that is assigned to a technician with the necessary skills and prioritized accordingly. Cloud-connected, real-time work management allows the requester (or anyone with access) to easily check if a problem has already been reported, preventing wasted time and duplicate efforts. Effective communication is emphasized through the ability for requesters to monitor the status of their work or request in real-time, including whether it is in the planning phase, approved, in progress, awaiting spare parts, scheduled, or completed. Furthermore, advanced systems enable requesters to receive email notifications whenever there is a change in the status of their maintenance request. Operations managers have the capability to view a comprehensive list of all requests submitted by Operations personnel.

Accelerate Maintenance Management Strategy with Nirmalya Enterprise Platform

Nirmalya Enterprise Asset Management platform comes equipped with an Omni Channel ticket management system available on both web and mobile applications. This enables users to easily and quickly report any faults, errors, or issues detected within a production environment, building, facility, or any other area of concern. The primary users of this system include office employees, shop floor workers, machine operators, and other individuals who rely on equipment and assets serviced by the maintenance team. The ticket management system operates on a rule-based system, allowing users to set rules that automatically route tickets to the appropriate individual based on business processes and workload. Additionally, users have the ability to define workflows for ticket processing and escalation, utilizing prescriptive analytics to monitor and manage tickets from inception to resolution.

Transform your asset management strategies with Nirmalya's cutting-edge Enterprise Asset Management platform. Featuring an intuitive interface and robust functionalities, our software simplifies the management of your enterprise assets. Maximize asset utilization, reduce downtime, and boost operational efficiency with features like preventive maintenance scheduling, real-time asset tracking, and work order management. Leverage advanced reporting and analytics capabilities to gain valuable insights into asset performance and make informed decisions. Enterprise Asset Management is crucial for organizations to effectively monitor, evaluate, manage, and improve the quality and reliability of their assets. By implementing optimal methodologies, EAM empowers maintenance teams to gain better control over complex operational environments.

If you are seeking to explore the powerful capabilities of Nirmalya EAM and enhance your maintenance operations with a more streamlined framework, we encourage you to contact us promptly.