Maintenance on the move

Working efficiently on the move is a must for the maintenance teams tasked with keeping process plant equipment running smoothly.

The result is that most developers of computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) have been tinkering with embedded mobility ever since handheld gadgets first appeared on the shelves.

The world is changing dramatically. The price of devices is falling and user expectations are changing so quickly.

Softsols MD David Hipkin

Softsols Group managing director David Hipkin says his firm’s key product, Agility, has been engineered from the ground up to work on any device.

“We’ve put a huge amount of focus on integration with all kind of mobile devices,” says Hipkin.

“Agility is now browser independent and can be run on any device with connectivity,” he says.

But keeping pace with change hasn’t always been clear-cut.

“The world is changing dramatically,” he says.

“The price of devices is falling and user expectations are changing so quickly.”

Web-based CMMS supplier eMaint Enterprises has been offering mobile solutions since 2008, says its marketing director, Rona Palmer.

“Mobile devices were originally used to capture discrete transactions in real time closer to the source,” she says.

“An example is a technician issuing a part from a storeroom or receiving an email to check out a problem on production floor or to close out a work order.”

However, the demarcation between work performed in the field and work performed in the office is no longer there, says Palmer.

“The increased power of mobile technology and the advent of tablets with capabilities comparable to laptop computers has created an appetite for access to all functions on the go,” she says.

In response, eMaint has recently extended the functions of its mobile interface to incorporate more of the functions of its core application.

“Users expect to take a photo, create a work request, report a problem, call a vendor, order a part, run a report and get answers in real time from anywhere,” says Palmer.

“There is now an expectation that the power of a computer is in your pocket and you should be able to access the same set of functions as you do on your office computer.”

Roger Cook, business development manager for Shire Systems, says mobility was first included in its CMMS software when Palm PDA devices first came to market in the 90s.

Because they pre-dated modern wireless networks, data and signatures collected on these devices would be uploaded to the main system via a docking process.

“We had limited success initially, but as people got used to using mobile phones, this was reflected in industry,” he says.

“Then five years ago we released Pirana.”

This updated version of its CMMS runs on a browser or tablet and can be hosted internally or remotely, but is not reliant on a wireless network always being on.

“We have encountered many issues where the IT department says the wireless is good and then it doesn’t work,” says Cook.

“One second it might be fine and the next minute completely dead.”

The way around this is to have a PDA device which can be put into docking cradle to upload in areas with no wireless signal.

“We are planning to release an Android tablet version next year,” he adds.

Idhammar Systems managing director John Roberts agrees that the availability of wireless networks can be a limiting factor when it comes to adding mobility features to a CMMS.

“Wireless infrastructure in the UK is often not up to standard,” he says.

“If you are going to transmit large amounts of data and images you need good infrastructure, and we are just so far behind.”

Idhammar Systems started developing mobile functionality for its CMMS about 15 years ago with the arrival of Palm Pilots.

In 2013 it launched a mobile Maintenance Management System called Pocket MMS, which is compatible with iPad and android tablets.

“Although it never really happened with the Palm Pilot it means we’ve had mobile functionality for many years and we’ve just updated that with functionality for iPad and Android tablets, and these can also be deployed on the cloud, which means no local software is required,” says Roberts.

The company’s main customer base, however, is in the food, beverage and environmental sectors, which means in some situations mobile technology is considered too hazardous to use.

“In one UK plant a deodorant is manufactured that creates a potentially explosive environment, so you cannot use mobile technology there,” says Roberts.

The application of mobile technology in a hazardous environment is one of the next technical hurdles to be tackled says ARC Advisory Group European research director David Humphrey.

“We have already started to see ATEX certified tablets in the market,” he says.

But although many suppliers offer ruggedised handheld terminals, these are not yet widely available for third-party mobile devices.

Safety supplier Ecom is one of the first to bring a product to market, says Humphrey, with its Tab-Ex series based on Samsung’s GALAXY Tab Active, which is certified for Zone 1 hazardous environments.