Equipment Work Order Management

The Problem

The customer is a packaged food manufacturer that produces white-label products for major retailers. Product development is driven by internal laboratories that rely on scaled-down versions of plant manufacturing equipment to test formulations and processes. When this lab equipment failed or required maintenance, there was no centralized system to manage repairs or track status. Requests were handled informally through emails and ad hoc follow-ups, leaving lab teams with little visibility into repair timelines. The result was avoidable downtime, lost productivity, and constant manual coordination that pulled technical staff away from higher-value work.

The Solution

We designed and delivered a custom repair and maintenance management application built on Microsoft’s Power Platform. The solution introduced a structured, end-to-end workflow for logging equipment issues, routing repair requests, tracking progress, and notifying stakeholders at each stage of the process. Lab staff gained real-time visibility into repair status and expected completion timelines, significantly reducing the need for manual follow-ups and uncertainty around equipment availability.

Beyond operational efficiency, the platform captured repair process data that unlocked new analytical insights for the organization. The customer can now analyze average turnaround times for similar repairs, compare equipment and manufacturer reliability, evaluate repair vendor performance, and identify recurring failure patterns. These insights support more proactive maintenance planning, better vendor management, and data-driven decisions around equipment investment. The result is a more predictable lab environment, improved productivity, and a foundation for continuous operational improvement.