The Timotheos Foundation has taken an important step towards professionalising the management of its buildings and facilities in Malawi. To support this effort, Ultimo provides its Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software free of charge, while Ultimo partner Pontifexx contributed the implementation and consultancy services on a pro bono basis. Together, Ultimo, Pontifexx and Timotheos are working towards a shared goal: creating the best possible environment for vulnerable children and young people to build an independent future.
In a nutshell
Challenge: Maintenance activities were largely reactive, while information was spread across multiple Excel files.
Solution: Ultimo provides Timotheos with a central platform to manage assets, maintenance activities, and associated costs.
Result: More structure, improved visibility of maintenance performance and costs, easier reporting, and a strong foundation for inspections and preventive maintenance.
Supporting education and opportunity in Malawi
The Timotheos Foundation supports orphans, half-orphans, and other vulnerable children and young people in Malawi. The organization operates six children's centers with primary schools and a secondary school across the southern region of the country. After secondary education, Timotheos offers scholarships to students who wish to continue their education. In total, they currently support nearly 2000 children and students.
Reliable buildings, grounds and facilities are essential to carry out that mission effectively. Ensuring that these assets remain safe and functional requires a professional and structured maintenance approach.
Moving beyond emergency repairs
Historically, maintenance at Timotheos was primarily focused on addressing issues as they arose. The organisation wanted to move towards a more proactive approach, but that first required a clear understanding of its assets, maintenance requirements, and associated costs.
At the time, information was stored across multiple Excel spreadsheets, making it difficult to maintain oversight and plan effectively.
Through a previous professional connection with Pontifexx, Maintenance Officer Florus Duerink explored the possibility of introducing a dedicated maintenance management system. This ultimately led Timotheos to Ultimo.
One central system for assets, maintenance, and costs
Florus: "The implementation of Ultimo started from the ground up, thanks to Pontifexx. All buildings and grounds of Timotheos were systematically entered into the system, from sites and buildings to rooms and individual equipment.
Today, maintenance activities and fault reports can be registered, tracked, and managed in a structured way. Work orders are created for individual tasks, while associated costs are recorded directly within the system.
“That makes an important difference. Instead of information spread across multiple Excel files, we now have one central location for maintenance information. Following up on work activities and reporting is much easier, while at the same time we gain more insight into both the work performed and the costs. I find working with Ultimo to be very enjoyable and user-friendly. It provides me with a lot of structure and insight."
Pontifexx: from remote implementation to on-site support in Malawi
Ultimo Partner Pontifexx played a key role in the introduction and implementation of Ultimo. Through its PontiServe program, the company provided consultancy support free of charge.
After establishing the project plan, the first steps were carried out remotely. Subsequently, two consultants from Pontifexx traveled to Malawi for several weeks. There they supported Timotheos in developing and implementing the asset structure and setting up a framework for periodic maintenance.
The next step: preventive maintenance
Florus explains. "Our ambitions go further. Timotheos ultimately wants to work with a combination of inspections and preventive maintenance. For each asset, inspection plans will be created and continuously refined. As more data becomes available about wear patterns and maintenance requirements, the organisation will be able to predict maintenance needs more accurately and plan activities more efficiently.
“With every inspection cycle, we gain more knowledge about our assets and their maintenance requirements. By using Ultimo, I expect we will be able to manage maintenance in an increasingly professional and effective way in the years ahead."
This professionalization ultimately serves the mission of Timotheos. In the coming years, the foundation aims to further promote the physical and mental well-being of vulnerable children and young people, improve education, and further develop as a professional organisation and employer in Malawi.
Thanks to reliable facilities and a structured maintenance approach, the foundation can remain focused on what matters most: helping children and young people build a brighter future.
Watch the video about the collaboration between Timotheos, Ultimo and Pontifexx here.
