In 2020, BEWITAL, a long-established family business from Westmünsterland, decided to make a fundamental change based on the realisation that digitalisation is a key aspect of future success and sustainability. Following the recommendation of a management consultancy to introduce maintenance software, the company decided in favour of MaintMaster under the responsibility of Maintenance Manager Jens Thesing. This decision was a strategic step towards optimising operational processes and reflects BEWITAL's commitment to quality, responsibility and innovation in the production of food and pet food.
In a nutshell - what can you take away from this Customer Story?
- Efficient order management: BEWITAL has achieved clear and transparent management of maintenance orders with MaintMaster.
- Improved spare parts management: MaintMaster has optimised spare parts management.
- Improved data maintenance: Easier handling of large amounts of data thanks to MaintMaster's efficient import and export functions.
- Customisation for different departments: MaintMaster has been customised to meet the needs of different departments, increasing operational efficiency.
- Extended benefits beyond maintenance: MaintMaster has simplified preliminary work, e.g. for controlling to create analyses and reports.
- Continuous support: Extensive technical support and advice on the use and further development of MaintMaster from experienced project managers.
BEWITAL's need for modernisation
BEWITAL's rapid growth led to challenges in maintenance processes and spare parts management. The previous methods, in particular an outdated Access database, were too inflexible and could no longer fulfil the growing requirements. The database was configurable similar to an Excel spreadsheet, but only offered limited functionalities such as insufficient maintenance notifications and limited spare parts management. Data maintenance was manual, decentralised, confusing and unstructured. Against this background and after a detailed analysis by a management consultancy, BEWITAL decided to switch to a more modern and flexible system. MaintMaster was seen as the key to increasing efficiency, managing the growing volume of data and optimising more than just the maintenance processes.
"Given our rapid growth at BEWITAL, the challenges in maintenance and spare parts management were enormous. Our old methods, especially the Access database, were simply too inflexible and could no longer keep up with the demands.“ - Jens Thesing, Maintenance Manager, BEWITAL
MaintMaster: BEWITALs key to comprehensive digitalisation
For BEWITAL, the selection of maintenance software was a critical step on the road to digital transformation. The company conducted a detailed evaluation process to find software that was comprehensive, customisable and user-friendly. The decisive factor in choosing MaintMaster was that the maintenance software already offered all the required functions out of the box, without the need to purchase additional modules. This complete solution, combined with an intuitive user interface and the ability to seamlessly integrate into existing processes and grow with BEWITAL's requirements, made MaintMaster the optimal choice for BEWITAL's specific needs and rapid growth.
"Choosing MaintMaster was a crucial step in our digital transformation at BEWITAL. We needed a comprehensive, customisable and user-friendly solution. MaintMaster offered us all that and more - a complete solution with all the necessary functions already integrated. This flexibility, combined with the user-friendliness, was decisive in our choice and has optimally supported our rapid growth". - Jens Thesing, Maintenance Manager, BEWITAL
Successful introduction of MaintMaster at BEWITAL
The introduction of MaintMaster at BEWITAL began with intensive training by MaintMaster project manager Pierre Thorsson. These training sessions were attended by the heads of the metalworking and electrical workshops, Jens Thesing himself and selected key users. Jens Thesing began using MaintMaster personally in March and April to enter master data and develop specific processes for using the software. He benefited from the simple but comprehensive import function of the maintenance software, as the data from the legacy systems could be easily integrated into the system. BEWITAL finally went live with MaintMaster in June/July.
Improvements not only in maintenance
The introduction of MaintMaster at BEWITAL has led to far-reaching changes in various areas of the company. The software is primarily used to create and manage maintenance orders in the metalworking and electrical departments, which include both internal tasks and external maintenance work such as safety inspections. MaintMaster's order management enables efficient planning and organisation, which has led to a significant improvement in resource utilisation and process optimisation. In spare parts management, MaintMaster enables the cataloguing of spare parts and efficient order processing.
Working with the maintenance software also offers improvements in the preparation of analyses and reports for controlling. The ability to quickly access important operational data and make informed decisions has been significantly improved by the centralised database and the transparency of the software.
In addition, MaintMaster makes it easy to find and correct old orders and other important data, which further optimises work processes.
"Thanks to MaintMaster, we have been able to improve spare parts management at BEWITAL. The ability to catalogue spare parts and process orders more efficiently is a big step forward. The improved accessibility and transparency of operational data from the maintenance department also makes work easier. Analyses and reports for controlling are easier to produce.” - Jens Thesing, Maintenance Manager, BEWITAL
Ongoing support and customisability are the key to success
Introducing new software is always a challenge, especially when it comes to training employees and adapting to existing working methods. The training provided by Pierre Thorsson was crucial to the successful launch of MaintMaster. The training courses gave the employees a comprehensive insight into the system and facilitated the initial familiarisation.
Continuously adapting and updating the software to the specific requirements of the individual departments is an ongoing task. Here too, the support provided by MaintMaster plays a decisive role. The constant availability and support provided by the MaintMaster team, especially in the event of technical problems or the need for customisation, contributes significantly to user satisfaction and the smooth integration of the software into daily work processes.
In addition, the simple operation and flexibility of the maintenance software means that BEWITAL is also able to adapt the system itself to the changing requirements of the specialist departments.
Successful modernisation at BEWITAL with MaintMaster
The implementation of MaintMaster at BEWITAL underlines the importance of digitalisation for modern companies. By implementing the maintenance software, BEWITAL has not only been able to optimise its maintenance and spare parts management processes, but has also had a positive impact on its collaboration with other departments. MaintMaster's user-friendliness, flexibility and adaptability led to a high level of acceptance among employees. Ongoing support and training were key to the successful implementation. The ability to adapt the software to the needs of individual departments has significantly improved BEWITAL's processes.
