Rieter Argentina Deploys Infor EAM for its Maintenance Operations

BUENOS AIRES - Feb 02, 2009
Infor announced today that Rieter Automotive Argentina, a manufacturer of acoustic and thermal products for the automotive industry, has implemented Infor EAM. The solution will help Rieter automate its asset management practices, particularly with preventive maintenance tasks in their processing plant in Argentina. Infor EAM will also help improve plant reliability through predictive maintenance tasks, including oil analysis and infrared thermal imaging programs. Rieter's evaluation process considered factors such as local presence, domain experience, implementation costs and duration, and total cost of ownership.

Prior to deploying Infor EAM, Rieter relied on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and an internally developed software application, which did not fully meet Rieter's requirements and was difficult to use. Now, it uses the Infor EAM system to perform all maintenance operations and to analyze historical data to drive more effective activities, resource allocation and decision making. Infor EAM also provides Rieter's workforce with easy and timely visibility into repair records and equipment modifications to improve productivity.

Another issue Rieter had to solve was that their maintenance tasks were not properly organized - preventive work was not scheduled, tasks were not tracked accurately and therefore actions were mainly corrective.

"In order to increase our equipment reliability, it is very important that our preventive maintenance activities are well organized and recorded," states Lucas Prola, maintenance leader, Rieter Argentina. "Infor EAM allows us to track all maintenance activities and costs, thus keeping historic records to share best practices and improve decision-making. We can also easily incorporate our legacy data into the system, preserving our past knowledge and experiences. Infor EAM will help us improve our productivity, and in turn reduce costly downtime."

The automotive industry must comply with strict standards and specifications. Rieter acoustic and thermal products have to fulfill the quality standard ISO/TS 19649, which is required by its main customers including Toyota, Renault, Fiat, and Peugeot.

Many automotive manufacturers require suppliers to complete a quality performance audit and maintain ISO and TS quality certifications. The automotive business-specific capabilities built into Infor EAM allow Rieter to meet these strict quality requirements and reduce the overall cost of quality.

"The automotive industry is a main industrial sector in Argentina, exporting more than half of its production. Therefore, international standards and global considerations are very important issues for automotive suppliers and manufacturers," said Robert Faricy, senior vice president, Latin America, Infor. "In order to be competitive, companies like Rieter need to manage their assets in a way that results in increased productivity, reduced downtime and ensures better compliance with industry certification and safety standards."

For more information on Infor EAM solutions, please visit http://www.infor.com/solutions/eam/.

About Rieter

Rieter is an industrial group based in Winterthur, Switzerland, and operating on a global scale. Formed in 1795, the company is a leading supplier to the textile and automotive industries. Rieter has a presence in 20 countries with some 70 manufacturing facilities and has a total worldwide workforce of approximately 15 500 employees. As a partner and supplier to automotive manufacturers, Rieter Automotive Systems develops and manufactures components, modules and total systems for acoustic comfort and thermal management in motor vehicles.