For many years, the Swiss army knife represented the all-purpose tool well. In time, favor turned to the Leatherman multi-tool and its many facsimiles. Although these previous-generation items are still useful, they pale compared to today’s feature-rich smartphones.
From a maintenance perspective, the smartphone is arguably the most sophisticated and proficient multi-tool available.
Still, while virtually every maintainer seems to have one, the devices often need to be more utilized. The time is right for maintenance departments to harness their power by developing “Smartphone as a Tool” programs.
Essential Features Every Maintainer Should Use
Let’s investigate your smartphone’s capabilities, starting with standard features that can be leveraged immediately.
These include the device’s clock for accurate time stamping and recording, the calculator for performing any required math, and the note-taking application that can be used to write or record and translate your findings for reporting later (but always remember to tag the note with the appropriate work order number).
And let us not forget the power of music at the job site. Most jobsite radios are set up for Bluetooth broadcasting. For a maintainer who must travel to a job site, their smartphone’s mapping and GPS capabilities can help locate the site and determine its fastest route. But there’s more.
Camera and Visual Documentation Tools
A smartphone’s sophisticated camera can be used to record the scene as found when first arriving at a job. Machinery can be videoed as it runs to capture unusual noises or failure symptoms for discussion, training, and/or planning purposes.
Post-repair work can be photographed with a time and date stamp and sent to the stakeholder or contact person to inform of work completion.
The excellent camera-zoom capability on today’s smartphones now allows maintainers to take images and videos of equipment-system components close-up, even in restricted areas, from the perimeter of operating machines.
If lighting is a problem, most smartphone cameras can adjust automatically, or the devices’ built-in flashlights can illuminate work or help find dropped parts.
Remember that smartphones are now well integrated into and supported by most maintenance-management software programs linked to electronic work orders that can be downloaded, completed, and posted as part of the work order (WO) management cycle. This lets supervisors understand job status in real-time and, thus, make effective scheduling decisions in real-time.
Now consider an asset that has a QR-code or Augmented-Reality (AR) interface offering interactive information such as drawings, diagrams, animations, or training videos: Passing a smartphone’s camera over the asset or code sticker will generate relevant information or trigger the AR interactive experience.
Advanced Applications and Connectivity
Note that the third-party app world provides many specialized maintenance tools for small, one-time licensing fees.
My favorites include standard items such as tools that accurately measure distances, a tachometer app employing a smartphone’s camera flash to strobe any rotating shaft or pulley and determine rpm, and an app to choose the correct torque for tightening a fastener.
Other apps turn smartphones into infrared (IR) cameras (thermal imagers) that can determine leakage, operating temperatures of bearings, tank-fluid levels, electrical hot spots, and similar equipment-related concerns.
Machinery-OEM apps can link to onboard equipment diagnostic and troubleshooting programs. (In a similar vein, a smartphone’s internet connectivity can provide instant access to training materials, equipment specifications, and parts manuals.)
Lastly, maintainers can use their smartphones to text- or voice-connect to stakeholders/clients, planners, supervisors, or managers anytime. And vice-versa. So, the next time you see them using these devices on the job, you can assume they’re embracing the maintenance-related power of these awesome multi-tools.
Initially published in The RAM Review.
Ken Bannister has 40+ years of experience in the lubrication industry. For the past 30, he’s been a Managing Partner and Principal Asset Management Consultant with Engtech Industries Inc., where he has specialized in helping clients implement best-practice asset-management programs worldwide. Ken is currently on the ICML Board of Directors and is a founding member and past director of the Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada. He has written several books about lubrication, predictive maintenance, and energy reduction strategies.
