Maintenance Software: Which Functions Should It Include?

• Why Inventory Is So Important in a Company
• Inventory Software, Maintenance Planner and Co.: One Product for All Needs
• Market Leader in Maintenance Software Functionality: Timly
• Is There Good Maintenance Software for Free?
• Not All Maintenance Softwares Are the Same – Comparison Pays Off
• Maintenance Software: Switzerland, Austria and Germany – Customers Have Similar Requirements

Why Inventory Is So Important in a Company

Tools and machines should function reliably. The prerequisite for this is regular maintenance and compliance with prescribed inspections. Unplanned downtimes usually cost money when managing work orders and maintenance activities no longer work.

There are various approaches to guaranteeing the smoothest possible workflows. These include keeping inventory lists and assigning personal responsibility for assigned work equipment. You can support your employees by giving them a powerful digital tool: A maintenance software like Timly’s web based asset tracking software. In the following, we would like to show you what advantages this brings with it.

The term inventory should be interpreted as comprehensively as possible. It ultimately includes all movable and stationary objects as well as technical equipment that are necessary for the fulfilment of your tasks. This starts with office furniture, continues with the IT infrastructure and includes all tools, machines and vehicles of your company.

Of course, all assets and equipment should first and foremost fulfil their purpose. To do this, they must be functional and in proper condition. In addition, there are inspection requirements from a wide range of laws and regulations.

Some of the regulations also include a documentation obligation. That is why you and your employees must have a permanent overview in order to be able to answer the following questions:

• Where is my inventory?
• What condition is it in?
• When are maintenance or inspection appointments due?
• What work was (exactly) carried out during maintenance or repair?

The real time documentation of maintenance operations and repairs is also important from an economic point of view. Recording the work and facility maintenance carried out and the resulting costs makes it easier for you to identify unprofitable work equipment and replace it if necessary.

Inventory Software, Maintenance Planner and Co.: One Product for All Needs

Software-based aids such as Excel tables or special software, for example maintenance planners, can be a great help. However, the more software products you use, the greater the risk of duplicating information in valuable working time.

Similarly, using different software for each task can create unnecessary challenges for your staff. The more complicated workflows are, the longer they take and the more error-prone the work becomes. In the worst case, entries are forgotten or omitted due to time pressure.

If there are gaps in your documentation, however, the whole system is quickly unusable. Therefore, it pays off to use a multifunctional tool for inventory management such as Timly. Its flexibility and range of functions makes it possible to collect all the necessary information about a work tool clearly in one place. Intuitive operation promotes acceptance for use among your employees.

Market Leader in Maintenance Software Functionality: Timly

An enterprise asset management system like Timly accompanies each entered item throughout its entire service life. When the asset is first entered, it receives a space-saving sticker with a QR code. The categories for each work equipment are flexible and can be adapted to individual requirements.

In addition to general information, for example, operating instructions, maintenance instructions and fixed or temporary assignments to employees can be recorded. If desired, an entry can also grow into a digital file of an inventory item. Complete records of use, maintenance, repairs and inspection dates can be entered.

Data is stored centrally in a cloud administered by the provider. Of course, this complies with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and has a fine-grained authorisation and authentication system. This form of data storage offers numerous advantages: The data stock can be called up at any time from any work location with an internet-capable device.

This means that employees on construction sites or in the field have access to important information, but can also update it at any time. In this way, reports of defects reach the person in charge in the workshop in real time and necessary spare parts can be procured immediately.

It is almost impossible to overlook upcoming maintenance appointments. The office manager receives the relevant information when assigning the devices and the employee on site sees the upcoming deadlines when taking over a device.

Timly offers a user friendly inventory app for mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, especially for access on site, on construction sites and in production halls. Thanks to mobile apps, the camera of your devices also serves as a scanner for the QR code. This makes it very easy for your employees to actively use the maintenance and inventory management software.

This way, they always have all the necessary information about facilities and machines at hand in their pocket.
By the way: The functions presented are only a part of the possibilities you have with Timly. The package also includes other features such as an inventory mode, a personnel administration in which the necessary certificates of competence can be managed, and a material administration.

Is There Good Maintenance Software for Free?

The use of cloud storage, the permanent further development of a product and, last but not least, competent and always available support cost money. Freeware is usually not in a position to offer such a service if the costs incurred cannot be covered elsewhere – for example through advertising.

In most cases, professional software with a fee is far superior in terms of its range of functions, so that the resulting licensing costs are repaid by the savings in your staff’s working time and the better utilisation of available resources.