Back under control::

Agristo revolutionises maintenance processes with IFS Ultimo.

It became evident that the company had grown too large to control maintenance at all locations, which significantly restricted operations. The same problem occurred at various branches, but was solved in different ways. There were no internal or external records of technical knowledge. To get the problem under control, Agristo decided to implement an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system to document the maintenance process. After the maintenance and production teams compared and evaluated several providers, it became clear that Ultimo offered all the features the company needed.

The main purpose of the new software was to structure maintenance work. Previously, there was a poorly maintained digital log of all maintenance requests and work carried out. This made it difficult to analyse the work actually performed, manage stock levels of individual parts and keep track of the condition of the equipment.

Now every order, as well as production and problem solving, is recorded in Ultimo. This innovation provides an optimal overview of completed work. In 2020, the year in which Ultimo was installed at all locations, there were 53,695 orders created and 46,330 completed. This means that an average of more than 127 maintenance tasks were carried out per day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Agristo now has a clear overview of all maintenance work at all company locations, allowing it to keep a constant eye on the condition and performance of its equipment.

The system is adapted to the manufacturing processes, which are the same in every branch, even if the layout of the building and the structure of the plant vary. This means that maintenance teams can easily track the maintenance status at all locations and apply uniform solutions. In addition, Agristo gains important insights into the condition of the machines and the efficiency of the production processes, which is estimated to increase operating time by five percent.

Ultimo not only enables Agristo to carry out structured and better planned maintenance, but also offers other outstanding advantages. Firstly, it helps to accumulate knowledge.

Agristo's highly trained technicians possess unique skills, and it is extremely important to share and preserve this knowledge within the company. Since every maintenance task is recorded in the Ultimo system, it is always possible to trace the steps taken to resolve a problem.

This ensures that important processes are safeguarded for the future in the event that employees retire or leave the company. In addition, a powerful EAM system ensures that Agristo can easily demonstrate compliance with regulations to auditors and potential new customers. Safety is paramount in the food processing industry. With a clear maintenance structure and detailed digital records, Agristo also ensures that recurring maintenance work is carried out on schedule, shows which problems have been resolved and even which spare parts were used for repairs. All important certificates are also stored in Ultimo and can be retrieved for demonstration purposes with just a few clicks.

Being able to demonstrate to a potential new customer in a clear and defined manner how basic maintenance and safety processes are handled can be a decisive factor in winning them over.