The push for more energy efficient lighting has been moving forward for quite some time now. Compact florescent bulbs are now common place in many homes, but the lighting industry isn't stopping there. LED bulbs are being introduced as general, task & overhead lighting unlike their earlier counterparts used mainly as spotlights. The newest LED bulbs to the market are combating the commonly used 60watt incandescent bulb. These new bulbs uses much less energy, have much longer life-spans and cast a warm-colored light that mimics incandescent lighting. Osram Sylvania will release their Ultra A-Line bulb at Lowes.com this month, and Philips' Ambient LED bulb is available at The Home Depot.
Read more about Sylvania's Ultra A-Line Bulb or about Philips'Ambient LED Bulb at CNet.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Types of Maintenance Management Software
Manufacturing, service and facilities managers need to maintain the balance sheets between costs and profit in their businesses. Because so many of the processes in these types of companies is automated, a minute-by-minute tracking system needs to be in place and functioning at all times to ensure optimum operation capability.
Monitoring and maintaining the current and budgeted costs for their company's equipment, staff, stock and property is vital to business success. Also a priority? Ensuring that quality control and liability are protected during service or production to prevent expensive losses or customer dissatisfaction. Work orders: Scheduling jobs, assigning personnel, reserving materials, recording costs, and tracking relevant information such as the cause of the problem (if any), downtime involved (if any), and recommendations for future action to enhance productivity.
Maintenance Management Software is a necessary part of any facility or plant functionality. There are several different packages available that keep be used alone or coupled with other maintenance management software packages to maintain and optimize a business' processes.
Inventory Control: This particular CMMS package manages tools, spare parts, reservation of materials that are on hold for specific jobs, housing and location of all materials, purchase order requirements and tracking, shipping receipt tracking and counting of actual inventory.
Safety Monitoring: Tracking of all necessary documentation and regulations regarding safety during operations, from building codes, to equipment conditions and personnel safety procedure.
Asset Management: There is a specific need to record current data about all the equipment and the actual property itself. Knowing that warranties are up to date, when service contracts are in need of updating, the depreciation of spare parts, purchase date and expected lifetime of all equipment allow managers to assess the value of the business at current.
Preventative Maintenance: Regular inspections of equipment and jobs are necessary to maintain a handle on profits. Checklists are often employed to track this option, so staff knows when and how specific monitoring processes have to be performed. Many businesses use one of these maintenance management software packages for their facilities, but more often than not, they're employing a combination of each of these software packages to manage all aspects of their company and enhance their bottom line. Maintenance Management Software is helpful on many levels for business processes. In this article we look at four ways Computer Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) can help your business keep track of expenses and jobs through software packages.
By Ashley Combs
Monitoring and maintaining the current and budgeted costs for their company's equipment, staff, stock and property is vital to business success. Also a priority? Ensuring that quality control and liability are protected during service or production to prevent expensive losses or customer dissatisfaction. Work orders: Scheduling jobs, assigning personnel, reserving materials, recording costs, and tracking relevant information such as the cause of the problem (if any), downtime involved (if any), and recommendations for future action to enhance productivity.
Maintenance Management Software is a necessary part of any facility or plant functionality. There are several different packages available that keep be used alone or coupled with other maintenance management software packages to maintain and optimize a business' processes.
Inventory Control: This particular CMMS package manages tools, spare parts, reservation of materials that are on hold for specific jobs, housing and location of all materials, purchase order requirements and tracking, shipping receipt tracking and counting of actual inventory.
Safety Monitoring: Tracking of all necessary documentation and regulations regarding safety during operations, from building codes, to equipment conditions and personnel safety procedure.
Asset Management: There is a specific need to record current data about all the equipment and the actual property itself. Knowing that warranties are up to date, when service contracts are in need of updating, the depreciation of spare parts, purchase date and expected lifetime of all equipment allow managers to assess the value of the business at current.
Preventative Maintenance: Regular inspections of equipment and jobs are necessary to maintain a handle on profits. Checklists are often employed to track this option, so staff knows when and how specific monitoring processes have to be performed. Many businesses use one of these maintenance management software packages for their facilities, but more often than not, they're employing a combination of each of these software packages to manage all aspects of their company and enhance their bottom line. Maintenance Management Software is helpful on many levels for business processes. In this article we look at four ways Computer Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) can help your business keep track of expenses and jobs through software packages.
By Ashley Combs
Monday, November 8, 2010
Magic Carpet? No, Magic Mat!
Are you dreading the coming winter? The cold, the snow, the ice? Tired of the neverending cycle snow shoveling and ice elimination, and the stress of the liability it poses?
Snow melting mats are a newer maintenance product helping you keep your walkways safe and helping to lighten the load of snow & ice removal. Snow melting mats are simply that, mats you place in stragetic locations on walkways or stairs, that have an electrical current that passes through them melting away the snow & ice. Such a great concept you could almost call them Magic Carpets, er, I mean Magic Mats!
Take a look at HeatTrak's website for more information about snow melting mats.
Ashcom Technologies does not endorse HeatTrak or it's products.
Snow melting mats are a newer maintenance product helping you keep your walkways safe and helping to lighten the load of snow & ice removal. Snow melting mats are simply that, mats you place in stragetic locations on walkways or stairs, that have an electrical current that passes through them melting away the snow & ice. Such a great concept you could almost call them Magic Carpets, er, I mean Magic Mats!
Take a look at HeatTrak's website for more information about snow melting mats.
Ashcom Technologies does not endorse HeatTrak or it's products.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Ashcom Technologies Launches MaintiMizer BlackBox™: Computerized Maintenance Management To Go
Ann Arbor, Michigan (November 1, 2010) – Ashcom Technologies, Inc., announces the launch of MaintiMizer BlackBox™, a “plug and play” version of its popular MaintiMizer™ Web-based computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
Don’t let it’s small size fool you, MaintiMizer BlackBox™ takes up less space on your desk than a standard lunch box, but packs a powerful punch that is sure to get your maintenance costs under control, while improving quality, and increasing productivity. MaintiMizer BlackBox™ gives you options so no matter your situation, it will work for you. Choose to connect the self-contained unit to your network and/or to the internet via hard-wired Ethernet cable or wirelessly. The simplicity of the system eliminates the need to have an IT specialist on site, and if you need help, Ashcom’s technical support specialists are there for you! Implementing such a comprehensive solution has never been easier! MaintiMizer BlackBox™ comes with MaintiMizer™, Microsoft SQL Express, Web server pre-installed and pre-configured and features a redundant hard drive and built-in backup to a USB memory stick.
Timothy Good, president of Ashcom, explains the idea behind MaintiMizer BlackBox™; “We’ve spoken to many small and mid-sized organizations that have told us they’d like to use MaintiMizer™, but that they simply don’t have the staff available to install, configure, and maintain the system. MaintiMizer BlackBox™ eliminates that hurdle—anyone, no matter what their level of computer experience, can simply plug in this self-contained appliance and be off and running in minutes. And because we’ve built remote access into the system, our staff of maintenance management experts will handle all updates and any necessary troubleshooting. We’ve designed MaintiMizer BlackBox™ to be accessible and affordable ‘computerized maintenance management to go’ for companies of all sizes.”
MaintiMizer BlackBox™ has all the functionality of the MaintiMizer™ Web-based CMMS, including work order, preventive maintenance/equipment, inventory, vendor/purchase order, timecard, and utility modules. Each module opens to a “dashboard” screen, allowing users to see critical information at a glance. All MaintiMizer™ systems are designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, even for people with little or no computer experience.
Good concludes, “Every company, no matter what its size, needs to proactively manage its operations to save money and improve productivity, particularly in this economy. With MaintiMizer BlackBox™, any organization can enjoy the bottom-line benefits that come from using a CMMS.”
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