There was a lot to unpack across the 58-minute webinar about one of the biggest issues in maintenance, so we put together 19 initial thoughts on the discussion, along with more ways to explore the topic of digital transformation.<\/p>\n
Connecting the dots on digital transformation in maintenance<\/h2>\n1. It\u2019s time for a different mindset toward maintenance<\/h2>\n
The title of the webinar, \u201c4 ways maintenance will be a game changer for modern operations,\u201d is very important. As Permenter says, \u201cCompanies are beginning to realize that maintenance is playing an increasingly more critical role when it comes to the user experience for the ultimate customer.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not talking about how maintenance itself is going to change because maintenance has already changed. We have to start talking about how that shift can impact organizations at a higher level. Instead of seeing maintenance as a pebble creating ripples, it should be seen as a boulder causing a tsunami of positive change.<\/p>\n
2. The future of maintenance, by the numbers<\/h2>\n
Permenter mentions the report created by IDC that explores the state of CMMS software<\/a> and how maintenance is changing. If you haven\u2019t had a chance to see the report, you can check it out here<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot of great information about growing trends in maintenance technology, the forces behind them, and how to take the first step into digital transformation.<\/p>\n Webinar attendees took a poll about which digital transformation initiatives they\u2019ve undertaken. It\u2019s interesting that mobile computing and smart devices were the most popular answers. The majority of maintenance operations are still trying to make the jump to Industry 3.0, despite the buzz around Industry 4.0<\/a>, IIoT, and AI. This is right where they should be. Learning to walk before you run makes it easier to avoid the growing pains of digital transformation.<\/p>\n Here are the full results for that poll question:<\/p>\n Another interesting thing to note from these results \u2014 almost half of the respondents haven\u2019t started any digital transformation initiatives. If you\u2019re wondering if you\u2019re all alone in this, you\u2019re not. Maintenance is changing fast<\/a>, but there\u2019s definitely time to catch up.<\/p>\n Permenter talked about the six degrees of separation between maintenance and a company\u2019s ultimate customer. People want whatever they buy to be available right now and delivered tomorrow. Every part of a business\u2019s operations, from production to sales, has to work smoothly to deliver on these expectations. This starts with well-maintained equipment, which keeps products flowing all the way to the customer.<\/p>\n People usually focus on technical roadblocks when talking about the challenges of digital transformation. While Permenter mentions these obstacles, there\u2019s another huge consideration that isn\u2019t mentioned as often \u2014 staffing and development. Digital transformation is as much about managing people<\/a> as it is managing technology. It\u2019s exciting to install new technology, but it doesn\u2019t mean much without the culture and training to support it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a staggering stat \u2014 companies are spending $394 billion on technology to support strategic asset management. Businesses obviously see the potential ROI on this investment, but this number also highlights the importance of spending wisely. Digital transformation can be a huge financial commitment, which makes it worthwhile to invest in expertise, training<\/a>, and support alongside technology.<\/p>\n If you had any thoughts about kicking the can down the road when it comes to digital transformation in maintenance, this quote from Permenter makes it clear that this isn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n Another stat from IDC: There will be 80 billion IoT devices online by 2025, creating over 180 zettabytes of data. As Permenter says, it\u2019s the organizations that can tune out the noise and focus on the right data that will have an advantage. This bodes well for smaller maintenance operations who may not have the resources to install every piece of new technology, but have the ability to generate high-quality data from the technology they do have, as well as the processes to act on it.<\/p>\n The way manufacturers are thinking about their operations is changing. More companies see the need to invest in technology than in production capacity, as per IDC research. This is a big deal. For as long as they\u2019ve been around, the main goal of manufacturing facilities has been to make things. This stat shows how much the priorities of manufacturers have shifted and how big of an impact digital transformation is having on manufacturing.<\/p>\n There is a big connection between old and new in maintenance. The fundamentals of many assets, like conveyor belts, haven\u2019t changed in decades. The ultimate goal of maintenance (to keep assets running so they can produce more things) also hasn\u2019t changed. However, these assets now provide a lot more data, which is changing the way they are maintained. Maintenance, at its core, hasn\u2019t changed in any huge way, but the tools have.<\/p>\n There is no finish line for digital transformation in maintenance. There will always be a new piece of technology, ways to fine-tune your processes, and more efficient training models. That\u2019s a very important mindset to have when diving into digital transformation. Organizations can quickly and easily fall back into a rut if this isn\u2019t always top-of-mind.<\/p>\n A reminder that implementing technology is often one of the last steps of digital transformation. Everything else, from the right processes to the right people, have to be in place first.<\/p>\n Webinar attendees participated in a second poll. The question was, \u201cWhat maintenance strategy are you focused on?\u201d It\u2019s interesting to compare the results of the second poll to the first poll, and what it says about digital transformation. While over half of respondents have embarked on digital transformation, the vast majority are focused on preventive maintenance<\/a> (73.7%). The ultimate goal of adopting advanced systems is predictive maintenance<\/a>, but it\u2019s clear this change doesn\u2019t come all at once. There\u2019s no on-switch for predictive maintenance. A preventive model is a necessary foundation for everything that\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n Here are the full results for the second poll question:<\/p>\n Fergusson had a great point early in his talk, saying no maintenance team will ever completely get rid of reactive<\/a> or preventive maintenance. This brings up a great point about creating a balanced maintenance strategy<\/a>. The reality is, preventive maintenance triggers<\/a> will continue to exist throughout any digital transformation, so you can\u2019t forget about creating and maintaining strong PMs. The secret is to use concepts like a criticality analysis<\/a> and the tenets of condition-based maintenance<\/a> to find out where predictive maintenance is the most useful.<\/p>\n Fergusson laid out a great roadmap for long-term CMMS success, from driving asset performance and maintenance efficiency, to operating in new ways by connecting several systems. There are a lot of steps in-between, but the most important thing to remember is that the ingredient that ties point A to point B isn\u2019t technology \u2014 it\u2019s trust. You must trust your training, data, processes, and, most importantly, your software partners.<\/p>\n A lack of trust in your software partners is like hiring a guide for a hike through the jungle, only to have them walk you a few feet into the forest, point at a path, say \u201cGo that way,\u201d and leave you to figure out the rest. Having someone to help you navigate the fickle waters of digital transformation in maintenance makes the process much easier and worthwhile.<\/p>\n Whenever you talk about data and cloud-based software, there\u2019s always going to be questions about security. Both Fergusson and Permenter mention that while cloud-based software is relatively new in manufacturing, it isn\u2019t new in other industries. If you\u2019re just dipping your toe into digital transformation, partnering with a vendor can actually make your data safer. Manufacturing facilities might not have the finances or expertise to create back-ups, fail-safes, and secure servers, but vendors do. Again, it comes down to trust.<\/p>\n A lot of webinar attendees asked how to get started with digital transformation. There\u2019s a tendency to talk about specific software features when these questions come up. Features are great and necessary, but there are two essential ingredients that need to be thought about first \u2014 data and processes. You need a lot of high-quality, accurate data and the right systems in place to act on that data. If you don\u2019t combine those two elements with maintenance software, reality won\u2019t come close to expectations<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Last week, we hosted a webinar about the changing face of maintenance, together with industry analyst International Data Corporation (IDC). The webinar featured IDC\u2019s Kevin Permenter and Fiix\u2019s Solutions Engineering Lead, Stuart Fergusson, talking about the ins and outs of digital transformation\u00a0in maintenance and manufacturing. There was a lot to unpack across the 58-minute webinar about one of the biggest issues in maintenance, so we put together 19 initial thoughts on the discussion, along with more ways to explore the topic of digital transformation. Connecting the dots on digital transformation in maintenance 1. It\u2019s time for a different mindset toward maintenance The title of the webinar, \u201c4 ways maintenance will be a game changer for modern operations,\u201d is very important. As Permenter says, \u201cCompanies are beginning to realize that maintenance is playing an increasingly more critical role when it comes to the user experience for the ultimate customer.\u201d We\u2019re not talking about how maintenance itself is going to change because maintenance has already changed. We have to start talking about how that shift can impact organizations at a higher level. Instead of seeing maintenance as a pebble creating ripples, it should be seen as a boulder causing a tsunami […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":169423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,159],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-169408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-modern-maintenance"],"yoast_head":"\n3. Baby steps are sometimes the best steps<\/h2>\n
![\"Poll](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/poll2-copy.png\")
<\/figure>\n4. The maintenance revolution has already begun<\/h2>\n
5. Maintenance makes the world go round<\/h2>\n
6. It takes a village to pursue digital transformation in maintenance<\/h2>\n
7. You have to put your money where your maintenance is<\/h2>\n
8. \u201cDigital transformation is not an \u2018it\u2019ll happen soon\u2019 kind of thing. It\u2019s already happening, and it\u2019s only going to pick up speed going forward.\u201d<\/h2>\n
9. How to wade through the deep-end of data without drowning<\/h2>\n
10. The status quo must go<\/h2>\n
11. Maintenance has an unshakeable foundation<\/h2>\n
12. Digital transformation is not a destination<\/h2>\n
13. \u201cAdding new technology to broken processes won\u2019t fix anything.\u201d<\/h2>\n
14. Some assembly is required for digital transformation<\/h2>\n
![\"Poll](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/poll1-copy.png\")
<\/figure>\n15. Everything in moderation<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-27-at-9.54.58-AM.png\")
<\/figure>\n16. Trust is the missing link for your maintenance team<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/CMMS-success-ladder.png\")
<\/figure>\n17. Lone wolves won\u2019t survive digital transformation in maintenance<\/h2>\n
18. Let the cloud be your security net<\/h2>\n
19. Don\u2019t get ahead of yourself<\/h2>\n