Service Information System (SIS) for plant operators and manufacturers

Do you work for a manufacturing company or operate machines, plants or vehicle fleets? If so, you are probably familiar with the following situation: You use machines, plants and equipment from different manufacturers, who provide information on spare and wear parts as well as documentation on repair, maintenance and servicing procedures in various media and formats.

Do you work for a manufacturing company or operate machines, plants or vehicle fleets? If so, you are probably familiar with the following situation: You use machines, plants and equipment from different manufacturers, who provide information on spare and wear parts as well as documentation on repair, maintenance and servicing procedures in various media and formats.

When a machine reports a malfunction, your maintenance technicians must first identify who the manufacturer of that machine is and where to find information on how to fix it. Manufacturer A provides this information via PDF, Manufacturer B as a digital offline catalog, Manufacturer C via self-service portal with online store. Manufacturer D, however, only as a comprehensive paper manual.

Wouldn't it be easier if your maintenance technicians could find all service-relevant information for all machines in a single, digital system? And if this information was easily accessible and intelligently cross-linked? A service information system is the solution.

What is a Service Information System (SIS)?

A service information system (SIS) is an all-in-one system that brings together all relevant service information about technical equipment and systems. Via an intuitive user interface, information on spare and wear parts as well as the associated technical documentation, such as maintenance instructions, repair instructions, electronic schematics or parts lists, labor values and stock levels are available to the user. Thanks to the shopping cart function and e-commerce integration, the required spare and wear parts can be ordered directly from the digital spare parts catalog.

What advantages does a service information system offer you as a plant operator or manufacturing company?

5 SIS benefits for plant operators and manufacturing companies

#1: Reduce the effort required to identify and order spare parts and thus achieve cost savings in a three to five-digit range

Using intelligent search functions (textual or visual) and linking parts lists and 2D/3D graphics, identifying the required spare and wear parts is a child's play. The time required for the search is significantly reduced. Usually, the service information system is configured to provide you with information only about the machines and equipment you use. This reduces complexity and ensures that you don't accidentally order a part from another machine that is incompatible with yours.

Alternative spare parts offer further cost-saving potential. The service information system can be configured and fed with data to perform an automated check of the system for alternative parts from different manufacturers from which the user can choose.

#2: Plan and organize maintenance and service activities extremely efficiently

The service information system links all data across systems. This means that your maintenance technicians can find immediately all the information they need to prepare, plan and carry out specific maintenance and repair measures. Maintenance technicians can access relevant information directly on the respective part within the catalog, such as the associated maintenance instructions, safety warnings or videos.

Completed maintenance procedures and collected empirical values are documented directly in the service information system and thus made available centrally to all maintenance technicians. This ensures that no important information is lost.

#3: Improve workforce efficiency giving your employees all the information they need at once

The service information system gives all maintenance staff access to all the information that is relevant to them. Technicians can obtain the necessary information themselves in real time. The need for consultation and unnecessary waiting times are reduced.

#4: Reduce downtime to a minimum and thus increase production capacity

Every minute that your plant is at an unplanned standstill, you lose valuable production time. Time that you can no longer make up and that costs you hard cash.

With a service information system, this is history. The SIS provides your technicians with all the information they need. This means that faults can be rectified quickly, thus reducing downtimes of your machines and plants to a minimum.

#5: Create a solid foundation for the future

With a Service Information System, you will only need ONE system in the future in which you can find all relevant service information. Usually, the introduction of a SIS goes hand in hand with the digitization of processes and data: Your maintenance and spare parts management as well as your machine and equipment data are digitized, and processes are optimized. This gives you a 360° maintenance view of your valuable assets across all sites.

The system not only provides a view of the originally purchased or commissioned configuration of your plant (as designed or as built), but also of the actual condition resulting from maintenance work and modifications. This means that the complete maintenance history, replaced components and specific adjustments that have been made are taken into account. The service information system thus becomes the basis for the digital representation (the Digital Information Twin) of your plant, from which you can gather further information.

Conclusion: Successful companies are focusing their efforts on digitalizing their data and processes now

Be one of the winners and prepare yourself and your company optimally for future requirements. As a plant operator and manufacturing company, you should use a service information system for all service-relevant information about your plants, machines and devices - across manufacturers and sites. Develop a single source of truth for all your technical devices.

Our Success Stories

Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) uses vehicles from different manufacturers with a wide variety of data sources for spare parts procurement. This created a high level of complexity in service processing. Learn how Berliner Stadtreinigung successfully solved these challenges by using a digital spare parts and service information system. Read case study