Top 5 Benefits of Digitizing your Autonomous Maintenance Program

Andy Pritchard | November 3 2022 | 5 min read

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First off, congratulations for realizing the benefits of Autonomous Maintenance (AM) if you are already executing a program.

Autonomous Maintenance is the first and most pillar in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) because by offloading basic maintenance tasks to operators. maintenance teams have the time and resources to tackle the other pillars.

We help organizations from all over the world get the most out of their operator-led inspections program. Some started with paper and experienced some, or all, of the same challenges and barriers you may be experiencing, hence why you are reading an article about the benefits of digitizing your AM program.

You might be looking to arm yourself with information to convince others within your organization to make the investment in a digital solution.

Feel free to download our “Ultimate Guide to Autonomous Maintenance Success”, which features the information below as well as information about how to optimally set up your program, key success factors, and customer success stories. It’s a nice looking document you can share with your team to look like an all star!

Well - here is our best take on the benefits our customers have realized through working with our platform. Hope this helps.

1) Reduce Administrative Burden

A key benefit of Autonomous Maintenance is the reams of data that you collect from operators while they report machine downtime, inspection failures, abnormalities, compliance, and so on. This data can be used to understand trends, predict failures and prevent breakdowns.

Managers can be overwhelmed by the amount of data that is captured and the time it takes to make sense of it all. As a result, effective data management is key to ensure you are spending your time realizing the benefits of AM instead of battling with spreadsheets.

Key Barriers:

Paper forms require manual inputting that takes time and is mundane and arduous
Manual inputting can create a time lag between identifying issues and correcting/preventing them
Manual inputting requires headcount that could be reallocated to more productive tasks
Paper forms can be lost or illegible, requiring follow-ups and back-and-forths

The Solution:

Weever removes the burden of program administration entirely through automated KPI dashboard reporting.

Functional Details:

Staff capture rich data digitally including photos, videos and conditional logic
Inspection failures automatically create maintenance tickets and alert supervisors in real-time
All data is added to your entirely customizable KPI dashboard with no manual inputting required

2) Real-time Escalation

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By offloading basic machine maintenance to operators, maintenance teams lose the ability to identify and correct issues immediately during the inspection process. To counter this, AM programs require a protocol for operators to provide insights about failures quickly to technicians so that they can be evaluated and corrected. Paper-based systems do not offer the visibility to ensure inspections are happening and issues are being reported in a timely manner.

Key Barriers:

Paper forms provide less information and context than digital data, which can include photos and videos
Paper forms can sit on the line for hours before being reported
Administrative manual inputting can be required before supervisors are aware of failures, which can create a time lag between identifying issues and correcting them

The Solution:

Weever automatically escalates task failures, as well as abnormality reports, so supervisors are aware instantly of issues and their current status.

Functional Details:

When an operator fails a task, a ticket is automatically created in the “In Progress” section that includes the details from the form submission, including the line, machine and equipment, what failed, and the associated details, including photos and videos (if applicable)
Supervisors can evaluate the issue and assign it to a maintenance technician for instant action

3) On-Demand Instruction

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Operators can be overwhelmed by the demands of Autonomous Maintenance tasks, and paper forms do little to help them understand the details involved. As a result, operators may choose to avoid inspections or do the minimum required. They may also ask for a lot of help from your maintenance technicians, which defeats most of the purpose of AM - to save technicians time to focus on Planned Maintenance.

Key Barriers:

Training operators on how to complete CILs and Centerlines can be time consuming and expensive
CIL (Clean, inspect, lubricate) tasks can be complex, with multiple steps, and doing them incorrectly can cost time and money
Operators can forget or skip key steps in the approved process
With paper forms, management has zero visibility into what actually happens on the line
If operators think they are going to fail or not do the inspection correctly, they may choose to avoid it entirely

The Solution:

Weever provides on-demand instructions, including photos and videos, to operators to ensure they do tasks correctly, the first time and every time.

Functional Details:

Use form builder templates to configure inspections and tasks to suit the unique requirements of your AM program and your machines
Include conditional logic to reveal Information Boxes containing text, videos and photos that describe steps in detail
Staff simply click the link to view the instructions if they feel they need help
This increases confidence and, as a result, participation and compliance

4) Rich Failure Reporting

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Paper forms leave out a lot of information that’s required for maintenance technicians to fully assess issues and what’s required to fix them. Digital solutions allow for rich information to be captured efficiently so the “full story” is provided to the maintenance team in real-time. This allows them to arrive at the machine with the appropriate tools and take the appropriate steps immediately.

Key Barriers:

Paper forms do not offer the opportunity to provide the nuanced details necessary for maintenance technicians to fully understand the issue
Lack of information usually requires maintenance technicians to have a conversation with the operator and inspect the machine themselves before finalizing their action plan

The Solution:

Weever helps you get issues corrected faster by providing the ability for operators to tell the whole story efficiently with photos and videos.

Functional Details:

Operators can tap a button to take a photo or a video to further describe the failure
Failed inspections automatically create a ticket for maintenance technicians, which feature the videos and/or photos captured

5) Increased Adoption and Participation

Lean Centerline Audit Schedule - workflow automation solution

Autonomous Maintenance programs can take a lot of work to launch and maintain, and paper forms can serve as a major barrier to adoption and on-going participation. Digital solutions automate administration and make it easier for operators to have successful outcomes when inspecting and cleaning machines. Digital schedules ensure staff stay on task, digital forms ensure compliance, and automated KPI reporting helps supervisors to identify and improve areas that need attention.

Key Barriers:

Paper forms can be inaccessible and hard to manage, which reduces operator engagement and participation
Program administration can be arduous, requiring manual inputting of data into spreadsheets
Inspections can be missed without appropriate scheduling and notifications

The Solution:

Weever increases adoption and participation at all levels of your organization by automating core administrative tasks and providing operators and maintenance staff with access to the tools and resources they need to ensure successful outcomes.

Functional Details:

Operators login to their Weever account on virtually any device, including computers, phones and tablets. You can also use a shared login on shared devices
Operators are guided through an uncluttered, easy to follow experience with on-demand instructions and conditional logic that reveals form fields only if appropriate
Schedules are assigned to machines and equipment and, optionally, to operators themselves, so it's clear what needs to be done and by when
In the event of a failure, maintenance teams are provided with detailed reports that ensure they have the information they need to correct the issue quickly and efficiently
Managers are provided with performance metrics that helps them understand areas that need help to improve

Download the Ultimate Guide to Autonomous Maintenance

Everything you need to know about how Autonomous Maintenance works and the best practices gleaned from our 10+ years of experience helping organizations achieve success.

Ultimate Guide to Success with Autonomous Maintenance

Everything you need to know about how Autonomous Maintenance works and the best practices gleaned from our 10+ years of experience helping organizations achieve success.

Download the Guide