Rockwool gets more out of Ultimo
At Rockwool in Wijnegem, Ultimo was already running, but without the right guidance, the potential remained untapped. Until they got to know SAM&more. Today, the warehouse scans instead of counting on paper, and the hands-on tool time has increased from 40% to 55%. An increase of almost 38% in effective working time on the shop floor.
The challenge
Rockwool was already working with Ultimo, but lacked the guidance to fully utilize the system. Adoption on the shop floor and in the warehouse lagged behind, and gradually the idea grew to replace the entire software instead.
That is a heavy and expensive decision for what was essentially an adoption issue. For Rockwool, it was worth investigating another path first: to see whether the existing software could deliver what they needed, provided the right approach.
What was supposed to bring the solution:
- A user-friendly system that the workforce can effectively work with
- Automation and less paper, with scanning linked to Ultimo
In terms of maintenance maturity, Rockwool was at the transition from reactive to planned. Today they are firmly in that planned phase, with the next steps already in sight.
Our approach
We didn't start with the software, but with the question of where Rockwool wanted to go. From that vision, we built the trajectory around five pillars.
1. Vision. First, sharpen together how the maintenance operation should look. No technology without direction.
2. Support system. Ultimately simplify where it had become complex, so that the system works for the users instead of the other way around.
3. Basic care and workload management. Prepare and plan preventive maintenance in such a way that it is also effectively completed successfully on the shop floor.
4. Material management. Here everything came together, both in the software and physically. In Ultimo we set up the materials management correctly, with the right method of counting and coding. Then we also literally went into the warehouse. Everything was organised, labelled and put in the right place, so that technicians spend less time searching and more time working.
5. People. Perhaps the most important pillar of all. The team of technicians at Rockwool is an experienced generation, and a digital work environment was not self-evident for many. We took time for that. Explaining the why-story, providing training, taking people along in the change instead of confronting them with it.
That last pillar was also the biggest challenge. Not because people didn't want to, but because change requires time and trust. Rockwool gave us and their own team that space and we built on that together.
The result
- The maintenance department's warehouse operates completely digitally with scanners instead of paper.
- Workload management is clearer. The team knows what to do, when, and with which materials.
- The operation is more efficient. Less searching, less duplicate work, more time on the installations.
- Hands-on tool time increased from 40% to 55%, a significant efficiency gain for the next maturity phase.
- The team has come to believe in the system. The value of Ultimo has become visible, and that changes how people work with it.
Rockwool is taking the next steps today. Reliability and cost control are on the agenda, and the team is fully engaged with data. This means the organization is gradually entering the predictive phase as well: maintenance that is no longer just planned, but can be predicted.
Kudos to the customer
It is a process that is progressing well because there is room on both sides to listen and think along. Rockwool takes the time to do things properly, and that makes the difference.
Are you getting the most out of your maintenance software today?
Sometimes the solution doesn't lie in new software, but in the right guidance to make existing tools truly work. We'd be happy to look together at where the benefit lies for you.