Looking back 10 years ago, the world of Asset Performance Management (APM) in industrial maintenance would count just a handful of software applications to visualize asset health, run inspection rounds in a digital way, etc. Today, the market is flooded with awesome APM tools, and it can be difficult for a reliability team to choose and adopt the right one.
Spartakus was born in 2016 and is part of that newer generation of cloud based APM software. Although we believe it is a unique and awesome product, it might not fit the needs and desires of all reliability and maintenance groups. This article aims to give you some aspects of Spartakus’ philosophy and core elements that might repel some of you.
“I don’t have the budget”
As much as we think Spartakus stands out in terms of quality/price ratio (a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars per month for full 360° asset health integration), we are aware that APM software can be expensive to purchase, implement, and maintain for small and medium-sized organizations. Even larger companies may be reluctant to invest in APM if they perceive the costs as outweighing the benefits.
You can refer to that page for more information on Spartakus APM’s pricing guide.
“I don’t have time to get involved in the implementation process”
Implementing Spartakus APM can be a time-consuming process depending on the quantity of data and technologies you want to integrate. It often involves integrating with existing systems, collecting and organizing data, and training personnel. Maintenance teams may be concerned about the necessary time associated with the implementation process.
At Spartakus Technologies we aim to empower our customers with the best tools and knowledge. Consequently, we highly encourage reliability engineers to be the owners of their own programs. Moreover, we believe they should become the “Spartakus gourous” within their organization, being able to understand the whole world of possibilities that the software has to offer. This journey takes time and dedication and may not be for everyone.
“I don’t care about the quality of data we put in the software”
APM software relies heavily on accurate and timely data from various sources. If an organization’s data is incomplete, outdated, or poorly integrated, it can significantly limit the effectiveness of APM solutions. Maintenance professionals may be concerned about the effort required to clean up and integrate data (link to our related article).
Spartakus APM integrates the “failure modes” concept as one of its core elements. It means that maintenance tasks executed with Spartakus should align with that philosophy of “the right failure mode addressed at the right time, the right way, by the right person”.
Example of a good maintenance strategy within Spartakus APM
It also means that we heavily insist on building the right asset hierarchy in Spartakus, as well as in your CMMS, as this is also a key component to efficient and effective maintenance management (link to our related article).
“My team will not want to change the way we do things”
Employees may be resistant to change, especially if they are accustomed to traditional maintenance practices (pen and paper or just habits of years and years of experience with the same machines). Implementing APM software often requires a cultural shift in how maintenance is performed, and this can meet resistance from long-standing practices and beliefs.
We believe Spartakus APM is super user-friendly and our Customer Success Specialists are dedicated to smoothing that transition to the maximum but, as with every digital transformation tools, it requires time and effort to get accustomed to.
Conclusion
It’s essential for organizations to carefully assess their specific needs, constraints, and readiness before deciding to implement an APM software. While Spartakus APM can offer significant benefits in terms of optimizing asset performance and reducing downtime, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and the above concerns should be considered during the decision-making process.