Ausnutria

The challenge

"Our factories all had their own way of working," says Martin Ansing, Plant Manager in Kampen and Project Leader for the implementation. "Some still worked with SAP PM, others with separate systems or Excel, and one factory was already working with its own version of Ultimo. We wanted one maintenance management system that would allow us to approach maintenance in the same way across all locations."

In addition to uniformity, ease of use was an important criterion. "SAP PM functioned fine but was not user-friendly enough for mechanics and operators. We were looking for a solution that worked more intuitively and was better aligned with daily practice in the factory."

Chris Knol, Project Manager from Pontifexx, adds: "An integration with SAP was an explicit requirement. Ultimo is intended for the technical service and the production department, while the financial administration simply continues to work in SAP. Both systems now seamlessly connect to each other."

The solution: Ultimo

After a careful selection process, Ausnutria chose Ultimo Enterprise Asset Management (EAM). Pontifexx supported the entire process, from strategic preparation to implementation and training. "Pontifexx brainstormed with us about the strategy, helped with drafting the project plan and guided the implementation of Ultimo at the various locations. We really worked as one team," Martin says.

Chris: "With one uniform maintenance strategy, Ausnutria has laid the foundation for data-driven maintenance. We have not only implemented Ultimo, but above all made it workable for the people on the shop floor by fully integrating Ultimo's mobile applications. That's where the real value of this project lies."

The rollout proceeded in phases:

• First, a joint, uniform blueprint was created for all factories;

• Next, the factories in Heerenveen were chosen as the first pilot location due to their manageable size;

• After that, Leeuwarden and Kampen followed, where the system was gradually rolled out further;

• Ultimately, all factories went live within the set schedule.

The result

The implementation provided Ausnutria with a uniform working method, better collaboration between factories, and more insight into maintenance data. Martin: "The collaboration between the factories has really been strengthened. Teams find each other more easily, share knowledge and experiences, and build together towards the next phase." Chris explains: "The Enterprise variant of Ultimo was chosen, a very complete and future-proof solution. Across the factories, approximately 180 users have now been connected and trained." Sander Nijhof, Maintenance Engineer and Ultimo Application Administrator in Kampen at Ausnutria, adds: "We now have one application that helps us improve processes and utilize data. The potential of Ultimo is great, and we are only at the beginning."

The next step: data-driven maintenance

Now that phase 1 has been completed, Ausnutria is working with Pontifexx on phase 2. In this phase more modules of Ultimo will be activated, and analyses at line and asset level will become possible. Connections with sensors, which are present in the new factory in Heerenveen, are also being examined, so that preventive maintenance based on data analysis will form the next step.

Martin: "We want to work towards predictive maintenance. With the right data and analyses, you can replace components just before they fail. That is the future. With Pontifexx and Ultimo, we are fully committed to that."

This project was carried out by our partner Pontifexx.