Western Pulp
Western Pulp upgraded its CMMS with an easy implementation, resulting in efficiency and a happier-than-ever maintenance team.
Introduction
Western Pulp has manufactured molded pulp products since 1958 using recycled fibers from material such as newspapers and cardboard. Based out of Corvallis, Oregon, they are a strong advocate for proper recycling, using responsible manufacturing practices on all of their product lines. Because their machines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, their maintenance team of eight must be available to fix issues at any time of the day or night.
The Challenge
A large part of the maintenance team at Western Pulp has been with the company for 20 years or more. Unfortunately, the software they had been using to manage their work had been around just as long. That DOS-based system was inefficient and so difficult to use that most of the staff chose not to use it at all.
When Dustin Law joined the team as Engineering Manager, he wanted to implement a better system for their company. His goals for a new CMMS were:
- Greater efficiency overall
- Reporting that allowed for more data-driven decisions
- Visibility to maintenance costs
One of the biggest barriers Law ran into, especially early on, was a resistance to change. Their maintenance team had been doing things the same way for decades. That made it difficult for them to see the benefit of making a change. In addition, their previous software experience didn’t help them see a vision of better way.
The Solution
Law started by showing the maintenance team what a good CMMS system looked like by thoroughly trialing their leading contenders. He pointed out the flaws in their current system and the way their jobs would be easier if some of those issues were addressed. There would be less redundancy in the steps they had to take, more communication leading to more efficiency, and more data to pull from.
Law made his case, got the team on board with the benefits of a new system, and they eventually landed on Limble as the system that they wanted to bring on board because it was the easiest to use, easiest to import their information, and the easiest for their team to adopt.
“The wonderful thing about Limble was it was just so darn easy to get implemented to a point where it really started adding value.”
Dustin Law, Engineering Manager
The Result
The ease of implementation and an almost immediate value-add got the maintenance team on board quickly. They began using the system well within just a few months. Soon after, Law handed Limble over to their maintenance team and they’ve expanded the way they utilize it and hope to continue to increase how they apply it as time goes on.