What is a workflow?
A workflow refers to a series of interconnected steps or tasks that are designed to achieve a specific goal or objective within a business. Workflows are commonly used to streamline and manage various processes. In short they help organizations achieve consistency, efficiency, and quality in their operations by providing a structured framework for completing tasks and achieving objectives.
A workflow can be outlined with just a pen and paper, but fortunately there are more efficient means available such as workflow management software. These can be used to design, implement, and monitor workflows in a digital environment.
How can workflows help improve efficiency in production?
Workflows can significantly benefit production efficiency in various industries by providing a structured framework for managing and optimizing processes. With standardized procedures, your company can ensure that tasks are performed consistently and in the same way every time. This reduces the likelihood of errors, rework, and variations in product quality.
By clearly documenting workflows you get a transparent view of the production process. This makes it easier to allocate resources, both human and material, and makes your operations more predictable. If you gather data from your workflow, you have the added benefit of being able to track the progress of tasks, identify bottlenecks, and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
How to optimize your maintenance workflows
An Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system plays a crucial role in enhancing the execution of workflows, especially in production-oriented organizations where assets are a fundamental part of operations.
An asset management system like IFS Ultimo can help you schedule and track maintenance and repair tasks for your assets. When integrated with workflows, they can trigger maintenance tasks automatically based on usage or predefined schedules. Using IFS Ultimo, can therefore help you maximize asset reliability, minimize downtime, extend asset lifespan, and enhance safety and performance. This by supporting you, and even telling you, when you need to carry out for example scheduled, preventive and corrective maintenance.
When the information in the system isn’t enough
You can have one large maintenance workflow, or break it down into several workflows depending on what suits your organization the best. When a workflow identifies a task that needs to be done it can create and issue a work order. The work order specifies the details of the maintenance task and usually includes information such as asset information, task description and assigned personnel.
However, the real world is rarely as neat or straight forward as we outline it in a digital system. The personnel that has been assigned a specific work order might discover that the asset does not conform with the description in the work order. Or that an error code is displayed which is not documented in the digital manual for the machine. There will always be cases when help from a colleague or outside expert is needed. This is where you benefit from having an integrating remote visual assistance solution in place within your asset management system. And that’s why IFS Ultimo partners with XMReality.
XMReality remote visual assistance can be used to connect with the expert needed to solve the issue by collaborating remotely. The service technician can receive expert guidance from remote by using a shared video screen and several powerful guiding features for increased collaboration and faster problem-solving. XMReality is available as an integration with IFS Ultimo, meaning that the personnel can be working on the work order inside the platform and if a problem occurs they can easily use the integration with XMReality to connect through live video with a colleague.
Want to learn more?
In the second part of this blog series, we will show you 5 basic steps to start improving your maintenance workflows.
Meanwhile, you can read more about our integration with XMReality here.
