Polaris Consulting offers an enhanced Computerized Maintenance Management System (eCMMS) package to deliver maximum impact for work order management, bottleneck analysis, and mobile deployment. The system is designed to easily integrate with SAP and Maximo ERP/EAM offerings, but can also serve as a stand-alone system. The premise is simple:

Data In

• Ease of data entry leads to increased data capture & business intelligence

Information Out

• Ease of data access leads to increased bottleneck analysis & productivity

Out goal is to transform the business process by providing intuitive data entry that reduces standard workflow from minutes to seconds and by empowering the skilled trades worker/point of contact. Core features are listed below.

• Large buttons and easy navigation for efficient usage.
• Download & synchronize work orders with ability to work online or offline in areas without wireless coverage.
• Create a new work order or work request.
• Edit and complete work orders.
• Download and view job plans / attached documents.
• Search for work orders by employee, group, or location.
• Scanoption to get work orders by asset barcode tag.
• Dynamic sorting and filtering of lists.  
• Drill Down Charts - completion status, top hitters.
• Push to Talk (VOIP) option to replace radios.
• GPS option for proximity based work orders.
• Instant Messaging to other PDA’s / terminals.
• Alertsfrom dispatchers and HMI’s
• Spare Part Requisition where available
• ANDON Display where available

Orion Mobile will take your shop to the next level!

• Context-sensitive screens per employee and location.
• Cascading drop-downs speed data entry and validate selections.
• Configurable fields allow for shop & departmental-level customization.

Orion Major Linestop functionality can require the user to enter additional information whenever line stop reaches threshold. Simplified entry of detailed analysis includes:

• Repair steps and sequence
• Root Cause / 5 Why’s
• Countermeasures

Major Linestop Reports are in in turn easily searchable, automatically generated from data, and placed in A3 format for management review. Additionally, countermeasures are hyperlinked to quickly view & complete.

Both Planned and Unplanned Maintenance also capture: Material Usage (spare parts), Related Items (pictures/documents), and Associated Labor.

Orion Preventive Maintenance can supplement your existing CMMS or be standalone. Features include:

• Grouping - ability to tie PM to multiple assets including options to filter by equipment type and/or location
• Check List – simple work instructions can be listed for completion.
• Standard Work– standard work documents can be linked / managed. Search feature allows for quick lookup.
• Measurements – PM’s can be tied to various thresholds. Follow-up work orders are automatically generated. HMI API allow for data collection system to post and trigger data.
• Report Link – Work Orders can be managed / closed via core reporting module.

• Search Entries - Simple data miner / graphical query builder to quickly find and summarize work orders. Results are hyperlinked to planned and unplanned maintenance screens. Batch option to close multiple work orders at once.
• Shift Log Module - Supplements or replaces paper-based logs, allowing for long-term tracking of cross-shift communication. Allows input for both individual notes as well as overall shift summary. Logbook report summarizes log entries, unplanned maintenance, & planned maintenance for a particular group/area.
• Suggestion Box - Intuitive suggestion box allows for end-users to either communicate with the administrator & add items to the system for approval (i.e. new EQ, PCR, parts).
• GadgetBar / WidgetBar - End-user interface is customizable to include personalized/role specific information. Includes KPI gauges, user-defined shortcuts, and mini-applications.
• Messaging- Instant messaging between terminals & PDA’s. Alerts for Andon or dispatched work orders. Email and page upon major linestop. All messages are recorded for reporting / archival purposes.

• Bottleneck Analysis
• Work Order Tracking
• Spare Part Usage
• Key Performance Indicators

In addition, the core Orion eCMMS Suite include a basic reporting portal with easy-to-use intelligent drop-downs, free Crystal Report Viewer, and the ability to subscribe to Work Orders so that they can be emailed or printed at specified times. Just imagine walking in at the start of shift to have the work orders sitting on the printer waiting for you!

• Work Request Module - allows for cross-departmental work requests and approval.
• Work Scheduler Module- simple and efficient planning and assignment of labor.
• Plan Do Check Action Module - work based off of bottleneck analysis / predictive maintenance.
• Repeat & Duplicate Module- easily apply the same work orders to multiple assets.
• Data Miner / Pareto Charts - advanced query-builder and graphical analysis.

Standard Integration points and API’s are available as well including:

• ANDON Work Orders - PLC / HMI managed work
• Report Manager - manage all reports (Crystal, MS Office) from a central location.
• Automated Report Subscriptions - easily email and print reports at specified times.
• Enterprise Links- SAP Netweaver, Maximo Enterprise Adapters

The Orion CMMS Suite is extremely flexible based off of your needs. Polaris Consulting specialized in systems integration to ensure all your systems and workflow is optimally connected.

You can check out some of my projects on the clients page. I am both the tech guy you can talk to and your go-to who will “just get things done fast” and exceptionally well.  I have other talented individuals who work with me on both the Orion eCMMS Suite as well as professional services.

You may contact Polaris Consulting, LLC with inquiries through the following channels:

email: polarisllc@gmail.com
phone: 859.797.8060
fax: 509.753.2352

We will be glad to get in touch and help you in any way we can. Also please feel free to come back to this site or subscribe to our feed. We will keep updating our news for the latest trends in the mobile industry.

By the way, we named our company after the North Star. We’ll be sure to take you in the right direction!

From my experience CMMS adoption is signifgantly tied to pure usability: the ability to get information in and out of the system. You have to put a good tool in the hands of the skilled trades member that is is accessible, ergonomic, and easy-to-use - one that complements the role they are in, not complicate it. What better way to empower this than with a mobile device that can be used directly at the process? Other advantages include:

• Elimination of paper-based dispatch models.
• Ability to work offline in remote areas without wireless
• Scan equipment barcodes / RFID tags for asset information
• Replace expensive radios with voice over IP (VOIP) 
• Look up diagrams, job plans, spare parts at the touch of a button

David Berger of Plant Services writes an outstanding article called Tighten the Loop that elaborates on the advantages of mobile CMMS.