Maintenance, food industry and CMMS

Food maintenance: why adopt 4.0 CMMS?

The maintenance of equipment in the food industry is extremely specific compared to other production plants: in fact, health and safety issues, as well as strict compliance with standards and regulations play a major role. Some equipment must be handled very carefully during maintenance operations in order to avoid contaminating the food produced. Maintenance personnel in the food sector must therefore be very zealous. CMMS (computer-aided maintenance management) deployed in an industrial agri-food company must meet strict standards. La GMAO 4.0 should make it possible to guarantee the best operating rate through the monitoring of predictive maintenance schedules and maintenance costs.

However, if the company wishes to go further and maximize the life of its equipment, it is then appropriate to consider the adoption of a new generation solution to control the condition of the machines. Compared to other industrial sectors, the food industry is still very far from exploiting all the advantages made possible by Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance routines.

Main faults related to maintenance in the food industry

The main challenges faced by professionals in the food industry concern the extremely strict regulations and standards imposed by governments, and the complexity of equipment, which can therefore be quite difficult to maintain. Food production machines are a particular type of machine, equipped with numerous conveyors, belts and fasteners that require very specific agri-food maintenance routines. Safety standards require the impeccable cleanliness of surfaces, and the resulting humidity is at the origin of the deterioration process of machines. In addition, jet sprayers used to diffuse chemicals pose a potential hazard to employees as well as to equipment if the technician is not careful enough. Cleaning equipment is also likely to remove the coating from the machines and cause them to rust, which is obviously strictly prohibited within the walls of an agri-food factory, and can lead to the interruption of production. Equipment exposed to humidity and chemicals is more prone to breakdowns, and should therefore be prioritized when implementing the plant maintenance strategy.

Only properly maintained equipment does not present any risk of failure during production, and makes it possible to guarantee the safety and cleanliness of food production. This is why the implementation of a next-generation 4.0 CMMS solution and preventive and predictive maintenance routines are so important.

Mobility Work makes it possible to meet all the challenges of the maintenance department

Initially, CMMS allows you to monitor all the main aspects of your processes, such as inventory control and inspection, and makes it possible to record the condition of the machine, repair history, warranties, warranties, spare parts lists, and much more. Mobility Work is accessible everywhere and at any time, from any electronic device. The mobile version allows you to stay in touch with your team while working in the field and to facilitate the integration of your data. Mobility Work also offers its customers to geolocate their equipment and spare parts, and to rationalize, centralize and manage their follow-up in order to optimize their maintenance performance. Extremely easy to use and to set up in your factory, the Mobility Work tool requires no training or configuration.

In addition to the classic functionalities, Mobility Work offers its customers the unique opportunity to become members of the first social network for food maintenance and to discuss certain major issues common to all maintenance professionals in the food sector around the world.

The first maintenance management platform, Mobility Work brings together food maintenance technicians, service providers, consumable manufacturers and equipment manufacturers. Users have the opportunity to access the largest network of maintenance professionals, and to find answers to their questions instantly.

And that's not all: for all plant managers who want to adopt IoT and smart manufacturing, Mobility Work can easily be connected to your ERP and sensors. Equipment tracking data is collected, stored, and analyzed, and can be used as a solid basis for powerful predictive algorithms.

The main advantages for food maintenance

• Improving the visibility of important documents

All important documents related to the standards imposed on the food industry can be put online, attached to the desired equipment and viewed by all the departments concerned, from maintenance to production, including quality, accounting and purchasing.

• The implementation of “Lean Maintenance” practices

Mobility Work is inspired by Industry 4.0 and the “smart industry”. The solution can easily be integrated into your Kaizen strategy, or influence its implementation.

• Optimization of employee schedules

By streamlining and automating your food maintenance processes, Mobility Work allows you to effectively plan your work orders by monitoring the operations carried out by your technicians as well as their working hours.

Mobility work is a flexible solution, easily adaptable to the maintenance needs specific to any industrial sector.

Our solution allows you to drastically simplify the maintenance of complex food processing machines through the management and planning of preventive and predictive maintenance interventions, and the control of the inventory of spare parts. Equipment subject to humidity can be monitored more accurately thanks to sensors, and data can be sent directly to the CMMS. If the data transmitted is critical, CMMS 4.0 can directly issue alerts by email, and make it possible to assign the right professional to this task. Data can also be collected and analyzed in order to anticipate the evolution of the machine.

Discover the true value of predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance is essential to monitor the operational efficiency of equipment as well as to adjust lubrication, caliber, and cleanliness. A well-maintained machine ensures the quality, consistency, and safety of the food produced.

Invest in tracking equipment

Monitoring tools such as vibration sensors and oil analysis, ultrasound, and infrared thermography make it easier to measure the condition of an asset by providing insight into the probability of failure over a given period of time. Although the cost of sensors is falling, the total price of setting up a predictive maintenance program can greatly exceed the budgets planned by some food manufacturers.

The Big Data tool in the Mobility Work application helps you make better decisions thanks to customizable indicators

However, predictive maintenance is more beneficial in the long term, and is on the way to becoming a major competitive advantage.

Predictive maintenance and maintenance solutions: How to get better results?

Mobility Work is a new generation 4.0 CMMS and the first agri-food maintenance management platform. The solution has already been implemented and proven in many major players from various industries. Mobility Work is easy to use, intuitive, and can quickly be adopted by food and beverage businesses of all sizes. CMMS 4.0 offers real-time and effective maintenance management, allowing factories to meet all the standards and norms imposed by their sector of activity.

Are you interested in maintenance management and want to know more in order to increase your productivity and save money?