Managing industrial shutdowns and maintenance projects is a complex and costly endeavour. Learn how asset management tools like Coates’ SiteIQ are helping businesses streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve outcomes.
For any organisation routinely undertaking large-scale industrial shutdowns or maintenance projects, managing the operational, safety, environmental and budgetary risks is a huge challenge. Large temporary workforces, critical timelines, tight budgets, and a lack of tools, equipment and consumables can halt progress, extend downtime and increase costs, pushing even the most meticulously planned shutdowns off track.
So, how can businesses maintain order amid such complexity? Increasingly, the answer lies in data.
Shutdowns generate a wealth of information – from equipment utilisation to workforce allocation and costs – but too often, this data is siloed, fragmented, or lost entirely. Harnessing it requires not only the right tools but also a proactive approach to using insights for better decision-making.
Turning insight into action
Coates’ solution, SiteIQ, is a cloud-based asset management platform designed to simplify management of customer-owned and hired tools, equipment and consumables. Used in conjunction with a Coates tool store, SiteIQ tracks barcoded tools and equipment in real-time and generates detailed reports for any project element, such as which contractor used what tool and when. This provides businesses unprecedented visibility and control over shutdown operations.
At its core, SiteIQ focuses on solving three common challenges:
- Scale and complexity: Large projects often require coordinating thousands of owned and hired assets across multiple contractors. SiteIQ’s live tracking capabilities ensure every tool and piece of equipment is accounted for, reducing lost gear and blocking unauthorised personnel from using assets.
- Cost pressures: With rising labour and material costs, avoiding inefficiencies is critical. SiteIQ’s detailed utilisation data helps organisations optimise equipment hire to continually refine and off-hire unused gear, saving both time and money.
- Labour constraints: In tight job markets, maximising workforce productivity is essential. SiteIQ enables smarter planning, ensuring crews have the tools they need exactly when they need them.
Data-driven efficiency
One of SiteIQ’s most valuable features is its customisable reporting. These reports provide granular insights into asset use, lost or damaged tools, and hire tracking, enabling businesses to spot inefficiencies and act quickly.
For example, contractors can be held accountable for equipment usage and returns, preventing loss or delays during project closeout. Similarly, data on utilisation trends can inform future procurement decisions, driving long-term savings.
Beyond the numbers, SiteIQ’s user-friendly interface offers teams on-site access to critical information, even in remote locations. This means decisions are based on the most accurate, up-to-date data available, improving outcomes across the board.
Real-world results
The impact of smarter asset management can be seen in projects across Australia, where SiteIQ has been deployed in some of the most demanding environments, from central Queensland to the rugged Pilbara region.
By consolidating operations and introducing real-time oversight, organisations using SiteIQ have reduced project downtime, minimised equipment loss, and improved safety. Strategic placement of tool stores and informed staff allocations have further streamlined workflows, allowing businesses to meet tight schedules without compromising on quality.
A smarter approach to shutdowns
By providing clarity in the midst of operational complexity, tools like SiteIQ are enabling organisations to deliver shutdowns more efficiently and effectively than ever before.
When faced with the challenge of managing complex industrial events, businesses are discovering that the right technology doesn’t just simplify operations – it redefines what’s possible.
Click here to learn how Coates Industrial Solutions can support your next shutdown event.
