IAC Group (Slovakia) s.r.o.

Mobile maintenance using QR codes in the automotive environment

International Automotive Components (IAC) has a more than 160-year tradition in automotive interiors. It is a global operations that include approximately 60 branches in 18 countries. With more than 50 manufacturing plants and more than 18 design, engineering and sales centers, it employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. It is the world’s leading supplier of automotive components and systems. The company has been operating in Slovakia since 2006 in Lozorno. It employs more than 1,000 people.

Reasons for deploying the Maintenance Information System

• Planned introduction of a performance appraisal system
• Partial steps of the process were recorded in separate Excel documents
• The software version for maintenance records called MP2 no longer met the requirements for the presentation layer and reporting
• The system did not provide any support for working with mobile devices online

System upgrade requirements

• Introduction of QR codes to record fault reports and verification of persons when writing off activities
• A solution that can be used internally – ON-PREMISE within a web browser
• Update and add assets across the company
• Accurate statistics on concluding work orders
• Realization of standardization of work for planning
• Online occupancy of employees, the ability to assign work to a specific person and group
• Acceleration of reaction times
• Detailed registration of forms with the possibility of recording the state of cycles with the setting of automatic creation of a new task
• Mobile application for maintenance workers to simplify data entry into the system
• Incorporation of various validation criteria (eg verification of the presence of a worker at the machine)
• Extensive data reporting

We were able to cover the requirements with the current versions of EAM and iWi.

Implementation process

Work on updating the agreed exchange of system versions began in December 2020. The first step was to create a detailed analysis and design a solution. It described the data structure, detailed maintenance processes and other extensive system settings. In addition, turnkey reports were incorporated into the system, in addition to the standard reports.

On the IAC side, it was not at all easy to prepare all documents comprehensively, mainly due to the possibilities of the current system, but especially due to the pandemic situation and the ongoing absence of responsible persons. Gradually, however, this was achieved together with specialists from INSEKO, a.s., and in August 2021 a test operation was launched, during which IT staff installed a mobile application for designated maintenance workers and production foremen. After fine-tuning the discrepancies, completing the missing settings, the system was put into operation in September 2021. One of the key features of EAM is that the test environment within one application has been preserved and thus it is possible to simulate any further changes in this environment in the future. will be required by management or the process owner.

Benefits of a maintenance information system

• Ensuring the transparency of the maintenance process
• Immediate statistics on the occurrence of the disorder vs. fault and response time message
• Possibility of printing and using QR codes
• More accurate collection of repair data thanks to scanning QR codes
• Capturing the details of the daily routine of maintenance workers
• Using a single central system
• Introduction of paperless maintenance
• Collection, evaluation and reporting of data on employee efficiency
• High mobility support not only for maintenance workers, but also for masters or responsible managers
• Immediate reports of minimum stock status
• Better focus on the problem thanks to a wide selection of data