ApplyIT supports effective online management decisions

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April 2012 IT in Manufacturing

TPC Sugar in northern Tanzania is responsible for more than 30% of Tanzania’s sugar production, recently it rolled out OptiRUN to improve maintenance processes and maximise equipment efficiency at the company. Designed and implemented by ApplyIT, OptiRUN, a full-featured maintenance management system, enables effective online management of maintenance activities, improved equipment reliability and better management of maintenance scheduling and costs.

The need

OptiRUN forms part of ApplyIT’s integrated suite of operations management solutions, OpSUITE, and the solution replaced an Excel-based scheduling system using multiple databases. The old system did not allow restricted security access, so information was often replicated and data integrity was unreliable. OptiRUN was selected for its user-friendly design, its ability to integrate with TPC’s ERP system and proven track record in the process industry as a simple and effective maintenance management tool.

The solution went live in February 2011 after a three-week implementation performed together with sister company, Adapt IT Solutions, which provided specialised expertise relating to the Tanzanian sugar industry.

System performance

OptiRUN provides a central database for work orders, equipment management, tracking costs and identifying key performance indicators for constant improvement of service management. It allows efficient processing and prioritisation of day-to-day maintenance tasks as well as the scheduling of planned maintenance schedules.

TPC factory executive officer, Pascal Petiot, says OptiRUN’s easy-to-use interface has been well received by employees at TPC, despite the low level of computer literacy on-site. The system also enables data input in Swahili, broadening usage to those artisans who speak only basic English.

The second phase of implementation in July 2011 saw the integration of OptiRUN with TPC’s ERP system, Tranquillity, supplied by Adapt IT Solutions. This allows the spares being withdrawn from stock to be debited correctly, bypassing the hand-written issue note and manual capturing of data. It also allows the engineer at the time of creating the issue note to assess the stock holding of each stock item to be used.

“The integration of OptiRUN with our ERP system enables the automation of stores issuing and compels the capture of jobs on work orders, which is a major step forward in our work and planning processes. The difference between guessing and making a good decision,” says Petiot. “OptiRUN stores information on its database, making it easily available whenever we need it. The system enables us to identify equipment that is uneconomical and to plan for its replacement, identify training needs for our employees and generate accurate, up-to-date reports ready for analysis at any time. A complex process plant like ours requires a reliable system like OptiRUN to schedule work and keep secure records.”

For more information contact Nikki Beech, ApplyIT, +27 (0)31 514 7300, [email protected], www.applyit.com

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