Interview: Mobile maintenance and digital resource planning

Greater effectiveness and efficiency through digital resource planning and mobile maintenance: Asset management has long been a core task for companies. In recent years, however, it has undergone a profound transformation. The main driver? Digitalization. It not only changes the nature of the assets themselves but also unlocks entirely new possibilities for managing them through innovative technologies. 

Dr. Andreas Dankl of dankl+partner consulting highlights two key optimization approaches: digital workforce scheduling and resource planning, as well as mobile maintenance. 

Dr. Dankl, from your perspective as the owner and managing director of a strategy and process consultancy, where do you see the greatest potential in asset management today?

Companies can harness new digital opportunities to significantly boost the effectiveness and efficiency of their asset management. Effectiveness means doing the right things, such as pursuing strategic asset development, adopting a life-cycle-costing approach, and implementing a risk-based, forward-looking maintenance strategy. The goal is to safeguard asset value while minimizing malfunctions, downtime, and costly repairs. 

Efficiency, on the other hand, is about doing things right. This requires deploying maintenance teams with minimal loss of time, supported by clear, lean, and transparent processes. Industry 4.0 solutions can powerfully enhance both effectiveness and efficiency. 

With this in mind, digital resource planning plays a key role, right?

Absolutely – especially when it comes to workforce scheduling, which is often a decisive success factor. In our projects, we typically see value-adding time increase by 15 to 20 percent. The prerequisite for this is predictive maintenance, as it reduces unplanned repairs while increasing the share of plannable maintenance activities. 

When the timing and scope of required services are known in advance, employees can be deployed more precisely and efficiently. Beyond efficiency gains, this delivers further benefits: Planned maintenance reduces the need for shift and weekend work, lowering overall staffing requirements while making maintenance roles more attractive – a key advantage in regard to today’s skilled labor shortage. 

Better planning also improves workmanship quality and workplace safety. In addition, spare parts costs drop because procurement can be initiated earlier. 

How should companies proceed if they want to establish digital resource planning?

Currently, only about a third of companies have an efficient system for workforce scheduling and resource planning, meaning there is still considerable untapped potential. The first step is to build commitment across the organization: Management, production and maintenance must align on the importance of planning and agree on binding rules. This includes, for example, consistently following maintenance priority rules and adhering to planned deadlines. 

On this foundation, structures, processes, and tools can be defined and implemented. This starts with appointing a dedicated planning coordinator and extends to deploying solutions such as SAP Multiresource Scheduling (SAP MRS). If not already in place, the shift to predictive maintenance should occur in parallel. 

Importantly, the transition should not aim to jump from zero to full-scale implementation overnight – that approach rarely works. A gradual rollout is far more effective: Deepen planning step by step, broaden its scope over time, and integrate additional capabilities such as optimized route planning to minimize travel times. 

Are mobile devices an indispensable part of digital resource planning?

A great deal can be achieved even without mobile devices, so they are not strictly indispensable. However, they can significantly enhance the value of digital planning. With mobile access, for example, employee deployment can be adjusted in real time during a shift, allowing for even more precise and efficient use of resources. 

In what other areas does the use of mobile devices make sense?

In essence, smartphones and tablets – and increasingly data glasses and even data gloves – make information accessible from anywhere without media discontinuity and allow data to be captured directly at the source. This further digitalizes and streamlines processes, boosting both effectiveness and efficiency. 

Hence, such devices have value across all areas of asset management. The range of applications is broad, as are the potential benefits. Auto-ID technologies such as QR codes, augmented reality tags, or Bluetooth beacons further amplify this trend. 

For example, an employee wearing data glasses could simply look at a system, which would then be automatically identified. Depending on the viewing angle, all relevant information would be projected directly onto the glasses, creating an augmented reality view. The same view could also be used to document all work steps and record the spare parts used – hands-free and in real time. 

That sounds like a vision more likely to become reality in the distant future. Where do companies stand today?

This scenario is already feasible today. However, it depends on certain prerequisites, such as a structured and coded asset register, well-maintained master data, and consistently defined maintenance processes. Based on our optimization projects, I estimate that currently no more than 15 percent of companies have systematically implemented and consistently use mobile maintenance. 

So there’s a lot of room for improvement?

Yes, that’s right. The need for action is immense, and there is no way around mobilizing maintenance. Companies that fail to seize these opportunities will, sooner or later, lose their competitiveness. 

The first step is to build a cross-departmental understanding of why mobile maintenance is essential and actively involve the employees concerned. It’s crucial to address reservations early and clearly communicate the benefits of a mobile solution. 

Exchanging experiences with other companies that have already taken initial steps can make implementation more tangible and credible. It is equally important to develop a mobile maintenance strategy tailored to the company’s specific requirements. Simply buying a few smartphones or tablets is not enough. True success comes from aligning technology, processes, and people. 

Last but not least: Do you have three very specific tips for companies that want to optimize their asset management?

Of course! While every situation is unique, these three steps have proven valuable in most cases: 

1. Identify strengths and weaknesses and analyze where the greatest potential for improvement lies. Tools like the Excellence Radar can provide valuable insights.
2. • Evaluate optimization approaches by estimating their potential impact, then prioritize initiatives: What should be implemented, why, and when?
3. Turn plans into action. Start with manageable, clearly defined tasks rather than attempting to tackle everything at once.  

Conclusion: Digitalization as the key to maintenance optimization

The conversation with Dr. Andreas Dankl clearly shows that digital resource planning and mobile maintenance offer companies tremendous potential to sustainably boost effectiveness and efficiency in asset management. The prerequisites? Forward-looking strategies, clearly defined processes, and the active involvement of all stakeholders. 

Organizations that embrace change step by step, leverage proven tools, and draw on the experiences of other companies can lay the foundation for future-proof maintenance structures – and secure their competitive edge for the long term.