How Zeta Energy cut repair time from weeks to hours and streamlined inventory management with MaintainX

Top Takeaways

• Reduced time to equipment diagnosis and repair from weeks to hours
• Eliminated messy and inaccurate inventory records
• Standardized SOPs and streamlined root cause analysis
• Replaced disconnected systems with a centralized maintenance system

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The team at Zeta Energy, a producer of innovative lithium-sulfur batteries, knew from day-one that world-class maintenance was going to be key to success. At first, the company didn’t have a system designed specifically for maintenance. Instead, the team relied on a combination of Excel spreadsheets and finance systems made for accountants, not technicians.

This made day-to-day work and long-term planning more difficult for the maintenance team.

"We didn't have a lot of visibility into our work or our parts," says Mourad Hassan, Zeta’s Director of Operations and Safety, and a 22-year veteran of industrial operations. “To keep doing what we were doing would have been inefficient and a waste of time."

Mourad always knew they’d need a dedicated maintenance system to achieve the company’s ambitious goals, but this realization increased his urgency.

“We needed a system that tied everything together, and we needed it immediately.”

Challenges before MaintainX

Inefficient inventory management

Before implementing a dedicated maintenance system, the team relied on spreadsheets and manual counts to manage inventory, which was inefficient and led to inaccurate data.

"The biggest challenge was that we had a lot of inventory and I couldn’t track it properly,” says Mourad. “I didn't know what I had. When I wanted to look for something…I had to go to a spreadsheet, not knowing if it was valid anymore.” 

A lack of reliable inventory records also made it difficult to order parts and materials on time and on budget. Without a system to track consumption rates and lead times, it was difficult to predict exactly when to order materials to keep production going.

Long inspection and repair times

Without dependable and accessible maintenance records, identifying the root cause of equipment issues was a slow process. Diagnosing a problem could take weeks, which impacted production volume and costs.

"Having to do all the research into what was wrong with the asset, then finding the correct classification for the failure, the right parts to fix it, and then documenting everything and doing the work—all of that took a long time,” says Mourad.

No centralized system for maintenance

Zeta’s maintenance teams relied on Excel, paper, and a limited finance system rather than a dedicated maintenance system during its early days. Without a centralized platform to plan, complete, and track maintenance, the team was often left guessing what work needed to be done and how to maximize equipment performance.

"We were using all these systems that weren’t designed for maintenance at all,” says Mourad, “and they would ultimately just produce a piece of paper that didn’t have the information we needed. We didn’t have a system that tied everything together."

Why MaintainX

Mourad and his team evaluated five vendors when selecting maintenance software. They were looking for a tool that could match the agility of their startup while providing enterprise capabilities. Ultimately, there were a few critical factors that separated MaintainX from the competition.

Powerful features that are easy to use

Mourad had a lot of experience with other maintenance systems and knew he needed a much more user-friendly CMMS. The team knew that MaintainX was the best choice in this category after testing each software on its shortlist.

“I knew from the start that we needed something that was the opposite of systems I’d worked with in the past, which were complex and cumbersome,” says Mourad. 

“After testing out each option, MaintainX felt a lot easier to navigate and do work in than other systems we were considering.”

He also says that Zeta wanted to work with an agile company that could support them as a start up and group with the business in the years to come.

A mobile app that matches the team’s workflow

The MaintainX mobile app was a major differentiator during Zeta’s selection process. The capability that stood out most was the ability for technicians to use QR codes to access and log information from anywhere, including the storeroom and the plant floor.

"The app significantly distinguishes MaintainX from any other system out there,” says Mourad.

“Everything about the app, and the visibility it brings the team, is very handy and something we use on a daily basis.”

Outstanding implementation support and customer success

Mourad was impressed by the implementation process, which he says helped the company see value from MaintainX starting on day one.

"The MaintainX team did a lot of work to help us not only understand the features, but understand how to use them to get the most out of the platform,” says Mourad.

The system’s ease of use made training and implementation seamless for the maintenance and operations teams, whether they were experienced with maintenance software or new to the platform.

"The entire implementation process and the continuing support convinced us that MaintainX really cares about helping its customers succeed.”

Results

Massive reduction in repair times

The most significant result was how quickly Zeta’s maintenance team can now diagnose and resolve equipment failures. By using historical maintenance data in MaintainX, technicians can identify root causes almost immediately. This has helped the company increase production capacity and cut costs.

“MaintainX has definitely improved our overall downtime and response time in the last three years," says Mourad. 

"We’re able to diagnose issues quicker because we have all the information from similar incidents in MaintainX. What used to take us weeks to understand and fix now takes a few short hours or sometimes minutes.”

Real-time inventory visibility and control

The shift to QR codes and mobile scanning in MaintainX allows the company to accurately track spare parts and raw materials used in production. This has helped the business avoid stockouts, forecast usage, and keep machines running longer without having dead stock on the shelves.

"With MaintainX, I can sit at my desk and see live updates on inventory.” says Mourad.

“Purchase orders can be triggered as soon as we hit a minimum, which just makes everything much more efficient and ensures we can move quicker because we’re sure the inventory is there.”

Standardized safety procedures and improved root cause analysis

MaintainX has provided the team with the records and data they need to standardize safety SOPs, audits, and root cause analyses.

"Every single thing you do, every work order, every purchase order, is tracked. I know about all the parts used, the SOPs, and can see the frequency of everything," says Mourad.

"If something did happen, and if there was an accident, I can use MaintainX to go back and track the activities that took place, who did them, and get to the root cause.”

Capturing and actioning team knowledge

MaintainX has allowed Zeta to capture knowledge from its veteran technicians, then turn that information into better SOPs and training programs.

“The system is well populated, which will allow whoever takes over to easily go into MaintainX and see everything they need to do, and what’s been done,” says Mourad.

"It’s made it a lot easier to be more efficient in our day-to-day, and it gives us the confidence that there won’t be any disruptions to our operations.”

Better maintenance planning

MaintainX has become a critical tool for Mourad in his weekly planning, and has helped him ensure that maintenance doesn't interfere with production targets.

"MaintainX is an excellent planning tool,” says Mourad. 

“The data from the platform is probably the biggest input in my weekly planning.”

Looking ahead

Zeta Energy is expanding into a new manufacturing facility and is looking forward to using MaintainX to set up the plant as effectively as possible. Mourad plans to use the platform’s advanced features to manage the facility's reliability program.

Looking further ahead, Mourad aims to fully automate the supply chain by linking purchase orders directly to vendors, which will eliminate manual emailing and streamline the procurement process.