Maintenance Software works with ERP systems.
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Press Release Summary:
Production Driven Maintenance software enables customers to drive maintenance schedules based on actual ERP production data. Clients can import ERP data directly into Maintenance Repair and Operational (MRO) inventory and procurement system to automate scheduling, removing need for file transfers or manual data input. It also accepts data from any ERP system, and can manage scheduling tools and dies.
Original Press Release:
FBO Systems Introduces New PM Scheduling Product
(April 17, 2002 -Atlanta) - Atlanta-based FBO Systems, Inc. (FBOS), developers of MLS(R), announce a new product called Production Driven Maintenance (PDM). PDM enables customers to drive maintenance schedules based on actual ERP production data. Using PDM, clients can import ERP data directly into FBOS' plant maintenance, Maintenance Repair and Operational (MRO) inventory and procurement system to automate scheduling, removing the need for file transfers or manual data input.
FBOS has further developed a specific adapter to work in real time with QAD, Inc.'s ERP solution MFG/PRO(R). Using this adaptor for those clients employing MFG/PRO, PDM pulls production data directly into MLS.
"One of the primary obstacles in scheduling PM based on production data is the amount of data input required," explains FBOS' Bo Hagler. "Without an automated system, users would be required to record meter readings on equipment and then enter the data into the maintenance system."
Manual entry alone can cause problems. Often equipment names in the production system do not match the equipment names in the maintenance system. Therefore, companies must create and maintain complex conversion tables so operators can identify corresponding equipment IDs. This leads to confusion, missed schedules and, eventually, costly equipment downtime. By automating this effort, operators and maintenance staff can focus on the task at hand - keeping equipment in 'up time' and performing preventative maintenance according to actual usage.
"Fluctuations in product demand have a direct effect on the amount of time or rate of production at which equipment is operated," Mr. Hagler continues. "Therefore, in the most effective environments, equipment PM schedules are based on actual production. By driving PM schedules based on either products produced or actual hours of operation, a company can achieve optimal service on its equipment with the resulting financial benefits of lower scrap and higher equipment availability."
The Preventive Maintenance Product
While FBOS' new PDM product works with any generic interface or ERP, FBOS has also developed a specific adapter for MFG/PRO from QAD, Inc. With the MFG/PRO adapter, the PDM product, working in conjunction with MLS, automatically converts information to match MFG/PRO Work Center, Machine and Tool ID to corresponding MLS equipment. Another table maintained in MLS maps MFG/PRO product ID to a specific MLS Driving Unit of Measure (DUOM).
MLS then reads the MFG/PRO production history table and determines which records need to be updated. The MFG/PRO production unit is converted and the MLS equipment is updated with the correct usage. Then the PM work orders are generated based on current equipment meter readings.
The PDM product can also manage scheduling tools and dies, even when they are used on multiple machines. PDM automatically updates records on both the die and the machine where the die was used. This provides more accurate operating history as well as enabling independent Preventative Maintenance scheduling for all components.
FBO Systems, Inc., is a leading provider of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software and professional services that enable asset intensive companies to lower their maintenance cost while increasing equipment reliability. The 12-year-old company utilizes comprehensive software and skilled consulting services to assist clients in integrating plant maintenance activities into their manufacturing processes. FBOS' primary software solution, MLS(R), used in hundreds of local and multi-national, single and multi-site manufacturing segments around the world including: automotive, consumer products, food & beverage, industrial, electronics and medical. MLS, which is available in eight languages (English, Castilian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish), has been implemented in 18 countries. FBOS can be reached at (770) 723-1011 or fbos.com.
