Remondis relies on handz.on for maintenance
In Brunsbüttel, Remondis Sava GmbH operates one of the most modern hazardous waste incineration plants in Europe. Because of the hazardous material, the plant is under strict observation by the authorities. This means that particular specifications regarding risk precautions, safety plans, and the various maintenance activities must be observed and fully documented. Up to now, maintenance management was characterized by many manual processes that were both time-consuming and error-prone. Remondis therefore set itself the goal of automating and optimizing maintenance. This was achieved with the help of the IT experts from handz.on and a new version of the enterprise asset management solution (EAM) from IBM Maximo that was already being used in-house.
The various maintenance tasks that have to be carried out at the waste incineration plant include checking seals, scheduled checks of pressure vessels and pumps, and changing fluids and filters. „Previously, we had to check the maintenance program once a week to see what work was currently due and then trigger it manually at the push of a button,“ recalls Stefan Homfeldt, head of the maintenance and repair department at Remondis Sava. „Of course, it sometimes happened that something was forgotten.“ In the meantime, the new Maximo solution, customized by handz.on, checks fully automatically which maintenance work is due and triggers it.
In general, everything that needs to be inspected is stored in the solution – along with all activities that comprise the respective maintenance. „From fans to larger units, pumps, deslaggers, pressure vessels, but also cleaning schedules – everything that has to be checked periodically,“ says Homfeldt. The maintenance module not only automatically schedules the specified intervals, but also creates the resulting work orders.
Furthermore, the web-based solution also manages unexpected defects and the purchase of required spare parts for maintenance. These are automatically reserved and reordered if they are not in stock. In addition, the software has a status management function that allows authorized employees to obtain detailed information about the status quo at any time. Thanks to the web-based approach, the solution works on any computer.
Documentation – for audits
and to increase efficiency
The system also provides the documentation that is so important for Remondis as proof that the regulations stipulated by law are being complied with. In the event of an audit, for example, all orders or the complete lifecycle management of the plant and individual components from purchase to repair to scrapping can still be read out even after ten years, even if the components in question no longer exist.
Asked what else he would like to see from handz.on or the solution, Stefan Homfeldt replies: „A better print function. The current solution in Maximo is such that we have to click ten times before a document is printed – we‘ll be fine-tuning that with handz.on.“ Another of the solution‘s many advantages, on the other hand, is that thanks to programming by handz.on, it is also possible to precisely evaluate maintenance costs, because the data on what employees, spare parts, etc. mean in terms of financial expenditure are all stored in the system. „We can generate reports on this as needed and thus see exactly what the plant is costing and how we can further increase its efficiency,“ says Homfeldt.
Minimize risks and avoid additional costs
The cleverly programmed, fully automated maintenance processes of the Maximo solution ensure that manual, error-prone processes are eliminated, and the complete plant is optimally maintained at all times. This, in turn, minimizes the risk of consequential damage and downtime due to incorrect or non-executed maintenance. In this way, not only can legal requirements be complied with effortlessly, but additional costs can also be avoided, and efficiency increased.
Since Remondis maps the complete EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) – including, for example, order processing, inspection of assets, ordering, warehousing, purchasing, and cost evaluation – via the Maximo solution, no interfaces to other systems are necessary, and the company benefits from a uniform system as well as the end-to-end service from handz.on from a single source. This also includes the training of the Redmondis employees responsible for the maintenance system. „In this way, we learn to individualize the workflow of the system together with the integrated tools ourselves and can thus save costs,“ Homfeldt is pleased to say.
Outlook - to be continued
With so many benefits of solution and management by the handz.on team, it is not surprising that Remondis wants to continue and further expand the cooperation in the future. The next step is the introduction of the Maximo Scheduler. In the future, this should ensure that resources can be allocated and scheduled even better.
