Case study: MANUFACTURING

Want to Stay Ahead of Manufacturing Equipment Repairs Before They Escalate into Big Problems? We Got IT.

Case Study at a Glance

CLIENT

A provider of environmental, energy and industrial services, including hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal

THE PROBLEM

Our client needed a way to schedule and stay ahead of maintenance issues on heavy industrial equipment to prevent expensive emergency repairs and stay in regulatory compliance.

THE VERTEX SOLUTION

Vertex built an application that designated normal operation ranges for all equipment. Inspectors can easily determine what equipment needs repaired or replaced in a timely manner. This allows our client to stay ahead of costly repairs by proactively scheduling regular maintenance.

THE RESULTS

Last-minute major repairs are thing of the past. Equipment always meets safe regulatory compliance standards, which has increased the longevity of machinery and tools. Equipment downtime and employee overtime have been reduced. A shared calendar keeps personnel knowledgeable of scheduled maintenance.

Learn How an Environmental Services Company Solved an Equipment Maintenance Problem

Problem & Background

Keeping industrial equipment in optimal working condition is important for any manufacturing plant. But, when it comes to the environmental and energy sector, the stakes are even higher. It’s not just productivity that’s threatened. Adhering to stringent regulatory compliance standards is essential for health and safety reasons as well. One faulty pump or valve could trigger a series of events leading to an environmental hazard like a chemical spill that could undermine reputations or bankrupt an environmental services company. And who wants that? It’s far better to avoid potential problems all together than being forced into dealing with their aftermath.

Our client, a large provider of environmental, energy and industrial services in hazardous and non-hazardous materials, serves numerous Fortune 500 companies in chemical, energy and manufacturing industries. Their work includes oil and gas fuel services as well as large-scale recycling and refining projects.

Industrial equipment is subjected to wear and tear during normal operations, requiring vigilant checks to ensure that its integrity is not compromised. Maintenance tracking is a vital part of plant operations for compliance, safety, and productivity reasons. Our customer approached us to design a system to help its inspectors assess equipment and schedule maintenance proactively. For example, leak detection is a variable that can be measured and sometimes predicted, allowing for planned maintenance. A container that holds hazardous chemicals needs to be periodically inspected. Equipment inspectors needed to know what to measure as well as acceptable, safe working parameters.

Also, when a machine or part was scheduled for repair or replacement, our client wanted a way to know what the status was and how long the equipment would be down. Knowing what other items affecting the same piece of equipment could be assessed and addressed at the same time would improve efficiency and have the potential to prevent an accident or spill.