SwainSmith Launches Cloud-Based Business Process Model for Asset-Intensive Maintenance Organizations

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For large maintenance organizations, developing proven and documented business processes is a key challenge. Today that challenge became significantly easier, as SwainSmith announced the release of Synergy™, the first cloud-based process model for enterprise asset management.

Synergy provides a complete set of maintenance business processes that are industry proven and ready to implement. It fills a growing need for systematic documentation of processes, practices, and procedures in asset-intensive industries.

"Many organizations cannot point to a tangible document that defines how maintenance jobs are planned or how storeroom materials are tracked. This lack of documentation creates confusion about who does what or when something should be done, resulting in lost productivity, higher costs, and increased downtime," said Tracy Smith, principal, SwainSmith. "Synergy was designed to solve the documentation problem. It gives maintenance businesses instant access to fully documented processes."

Synergy also solves another common problem for maintenance organizations: the difficulty of determining best practices.

"Documentation alone does not ensure success," explained Smith. "If a process is bad to begin with, documenting and formalizing it just makes things worse. A business must base every process on best practices — practices that industry experience has proven to be effective. Synergy provides that foundation. It has been developed over 20 years to represent industry-proven best practices for asset management."

Because process is so central to asset management, Synergy opens up many opportunities for creating value. It can increase equipment uptime by making maintenance more effective. It can lower costs by reducing overtime and improving the way MRO storerooms are managed. It can reduce insurance premiums and facilitate regulatory compliance by demonstrating good stewardship. What's more, by introducing structure into chaotic maintenance operations, Synergy can improve data quality and boost return on investment on CMMS and EAM software systems.

"Synergy is the perfect complement to an EAM software system," said Smith. "Software is a powerful tool for delivering and analyzing data, but process is what creates the data in the first place. Synergy helps organizations establish disciplined processes so that every asset-related event is recorded in the EAM software system. It also provides direction for configuring the software system. This leads to better information, better reporting, and better decision-making."

In addition to these benefits, Synergy meets all ISO 55001 requirements for an asset management system (a collection of policies and processes that directs a business's asset management activities). This makes it an ideal solution for organizations that are seeking ISO 55001 alignment or certification.

"For a business that wants to align with ISO 55001, Synergy is the only complete solution on the market," said Smith. "It includes a strategic asset management plan (SAMP) and all of the other documentation required by ISO 55001. All you have to do is download the templates and fill in the blanks. It's the quickest and easiest way available to achieve ISO 55001 compliance."

But Synergy's biggest benefit stems from the reason it was designed in the first place: to help maintenance organizations improve and document the way they do business.

"Before Synergy, documentation was a formidable undertaking. A maintenance business had to write processes from scratch, and it had no way of knowing if it was 'doing things right'—if its processes were sound by industry standards," continued Smith. "Synergy changes all of that. With Synergy, a business can instantly download an industry-proven process for every aspect of asset management—from work scheduling to inventory cycle counting to requisitioning materials. The process is already tried, tested, and documented. All the business has to do is tweak the process, if necessary, to fit any unique needs—and then implement it."

Synergy comes in three modules for maintenance, MRO storerooms, and procurement. Each module provides a complete foundation for that business function:

• Process templates
• Roles and responsibilities
• Key performance indicators
• Data conventions
• Coding structures

Modules are hosted in the cloud to give businesses easy deployment and centralized document control.

To learn more, visit http://www.swainsmith.com/synergy-overview

About SwainSmith

SwainSmith, Inc., solves companies' asset management challenges through a combination of EAM software solutions and industry-accepted best practices. Since 1997, SwainSmith products and services have been helping organizations to reduce maintenance costs, achieve regulatory compliance, and increase equipment uptime. To learn more about SwainSmith, please visit www.swainsmith.com.

SOURCE SwainSmith, Inc.

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