When TydenBrammall, Inc., a leading manufacturer of cargo/freight security products, needed to reduce unscheduled downtimes and start a preventive maintenance program at its Hastings, MI plant, they turned to a ProTeus Lite maintenance software system from Eagle Technology, Inc. Within a year, the program had helped organize preventive maintenance activities and downtime figures had improved an impressive 20%.
Transportation industry estimates place the amount of money lost to cargo theft worldwide at $5-7 billion annually, making cargo/freight security a key consideration for any business. TydenBrammall''s products prevent theft from shipping containers, train cars, semi trailers, and chemical tankers. As an example of the company''s effectiveness, one TydenBrammall product, the Tyden Ball Seal, has been in continuous production for over 100 years.
The company''s Hastings, MI, plant is a 25,000 sq. ft. ISO-9002 certified facility used primarily to produce metal strap "indicative seals," which show that a load has not been tampered with during shipment. Each strap is embossed with a unique serial number, making the seals impossible to reattach or replace once opened. The shipper seals the strap, which is not cut open until it reaches the destination company. TydenBrammall also makes heavy duty bolt seals, designed to stop thieves from breaking into containers.
"Our PM program was lacking," remembers Steve Gauss, maintenance manager for the Hastings plant. "Any PMs we did were not scheduled at all. Occasionally somebody would lube something, but even then it was a matter of ''hey, when did this get done last'' ''I don''t know, maybe last month'' we wanted better organized preventive maintenance."
Gauss brought up the possibility of implementing a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to his supervisors and they gave him clearance to locate a suitable program and carry out the implementation process. Internet research yielded several programs that might satisfy TydenBrammall''s goals, and Gauss was able to try out products from several maintenance software providers.
During the evaluation process, Eagle Technology, Inc.''s ProTeus Lite software stood out. "ProTeus was simple, it didn''t require a lot of setup work, it was easy to use, and affordable," Gauss says. Unlike other versions of ProTeus, ProTeus Lite was specifically designed for the small-midsized maintenance operation and for the single-user environment. The program included Quick Search features to make it easy to find information on equipment or work orders, as well as User Defined Fields to allow for customization, a selection of standard reports and graphs, and a purchasing feature for spare parts.
Gauss did not opt for Eagle''s three-day user training course, but found he was able to pick up the necessary skills by working through the exercises in the program''s User Manual. "The whole implementation process took about a month," he comments, "But I was doing it on my own in addition to all of my other duties."
Once ProTeus Lite was implemented, the maintenance department began using it to track the plant''s equipment including several automated assembly lines, 15 presses, milling machines, grinders, drill presses, and several printers and scanners attached to various pieces of equipment. Although preventive maintenance is the main task of the Hastings, MI, ProTeus Lite system, Gauss occasionally uses the system to generate work orders for emergency maintenance/repairs. The ProTeus software also meets the preventive maintenance requirements for the plant''s ISO 9002 certification.
"For me, the best part of ProTeus Lite is its simplicity," says Gauss, " I can print up a work order or close one out in a minute or two where other programs I looked at made you click here, look there, and were much more complex."
With the Eagle system installed, the TydenBrammall maintenance staff has been able to run a successful preventive maintenance program. Equipment downtimes have been reduced by an impressive 20%, and the staff is spending a much greater percentage of time on preventive maintenance tasks, whereas before, the department''s focus was on repairs and other demand maintenance activities.
The improvements at the Hastings plant have not gone unnoticed at TydenBrammall''s headquarters in Angola, IN. During a recent visit to the Angola plant, Gauss discovered that they were starting to look for a maintenance software system as well. He gave the maintenance department the demo disks he had used to make his selection, and also filled them in on his reasons for selecting ProTeus Lite. "I guess I sold them on it," he says. The Angola plant ended up purchasing a software system identical to the one in Michigan.
"ProTeus Lite is a good program for general maintenance management," Gauss concludes, "It''s not elaborate, it''s easy to use, and is excellent for simple maintenance management tasks."