Maintworld 3/2020

PARTNER ARTICLE
Faster and More Flexible
Scheduling software with built-in optimization
capabilities assigns tasks to
the right resources in seconds, tracks
work progress until completion, and
builds history for future reference.
Maintenance managers can instantly
see all open maintenance requests, what
each department is working on, and
the upcoming scheduled maintenance
they need to plan for. Through robust
reporting, stakeholders can access realtime
data and evaluate the status of any
project. And they can allocate workloads
based on work requirements and availability
and adjust intelligently when
there’s a change in one part of the maintenance
schedule.
In addition to eliminating the need
for error-prone manual data entry and
un-auditable collections of spreadsheets
and project files, today’s advanced
scheduling software centralizes equipment
and resource information in a
database, designed to manage all types
SCHEDULING SOFTWARE WITH BUILT IN,
AI-POWERED OPTIMIZATION CAPABILITIES ASSIGNS
TASKS TO THE RIGHT RESOURCES IN SECONDS
of maintenance activities, and it makes
that information available to all team
members involved in operations. Moreover,
today’s scheduling software will
find those activities that can be aligned
so any equipment shutdown period is
minimized. Another significant benefit
of scheduling software is the flexibility
it provides to maintenance managers in
terms of mobility. Maintenance managers
no longer have to be at their desks to
view reports about their plants’ productivity
and progress. Instead, all critical
information is available online, enabling
access anywhere, anytime.
Case Study: Refineries
Refineries present an excellent example
of how scheduling software can enable
better maintenance scheduling and
execution. Intelligent production planning
and scheduling are vital to ensuring
refinery profitability, logistic reliability
and safety at the local and corporate
levels. Refiners must ensure that key
process units are kept running, regulatory
requirements are effectively met,
and systems are responsive and highly
adaptive to changes in feedstock properties.
To maintain competitiveness, oil
refineries are constantly searching for
optimization opportunities to improve
their operations.
Scheduling software is a valuable
decision support tool that provides fast,
accurate and transparent information
on activities, with the flexibility to solve
short-term problems. It enables refineries
to maximize project collaboration
and efficiency, shorten project timeframes,
reduce risk, and achieve predictable
and reliable production. More than
a valuable tool, scheduling software is
an important information system. The
scheduling information, which was previously
restricted to a limited group, is
now democratized within the refinery
and allows for a collaborative effort, and
better, faster responses. It also replaces a
set of non-standard and personal spreadsheets
that can cause confusion. Production
scheduling definitions, data and
information are structured and standardized
allowing for quick comprehension
and best work practices. With one
application for all maintenance activities,
companies can enhance their process
and create new workflows that drive
greater efficiencies and productivity.
Scheduling Empowerment
In today’s environment, maximizing
every minute of operations is critical to
staying ahead. Because of its many efficiency,
safety and accuracy benefits,
production scheduling activity must be
understood as a strategic advantage. By
adopting advanced scheduling software
as part of their digital push, organizations
can automate and schedule maintenance
activities faster, more reliably,
and more accurately. At the end of the
day, it empowers maintenance managers
and their companies to drive operations
forward with confidence.
20 maintworld 3/2020