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Streamlining success for a lean maintenance team

Highland Brewing is the largest independent, family owned brewery in the Southeast. They’ve perfected the art of balancing traditional brewing excellence with cutting-edge operational efficiency, and they understand the importance of efficient operations, especially in a competitive and evolving market. Russ Robertson, Brewery Operations Director, and Ben Strall, Production Maintenance Technician, highlight how Asset Essentials has become an indispensable tool for their lean two-person production maintenance team. 

“Without a program like Asset Essentials, this would be nearly impossible, or I would just never go home,” Strall says, highlighting how the system makes his demanding role on a lean two-person maintenance team easier.

He particularly values Asset Essentials’ ability to quickly pull up inventory information, including exact locations and quantities, saving countless hours in a day that would otherwise be spent digging through shelves or digging through boxes. This was especially beneficial during his onboarding, when Asset Essentials helped him quickly navigate the extensive parts inventory for numerous machines. 

Josh Yoder, Maintenance Manager, echoes this point, noting that having detailed spare parts information — part numbers, supplier details, pricing, and related documents and pictures — all in one place is a timesaver. He adds that Asset Essentials’ ability to set minimum stock levels and send email notifications ensures critical spares are always in stock.

Moving beyond spreadsheets to dashboards

For preventive maintenance, Asset Essentials keeps the team aligned with a clear dashboard and proactive notifications for overdue tasks. This ensures they consistently exceed their 90% monthly PM completion goal, typically reaching 95%. 

“Having everything populated in the dashboard helps to keep PMs and work orders from being overlooked because things are disorganized,” Yoder adds. 

Beyond the maintenance team, the ability for all staff, including brewers and manufacturing line personnel, to submit work requests through Asset Essentials has streamlined internal communication and maintenance prioritization. 

“I tell people if they really want something to get fixed or something to get looked at, put a work order in,” Strall advises his colleagues. “Otherwise, it may get lost.” This systematic approach means that all maintenance issues are formally captured and addressed. 

While Robertson’s direct day-to-day interaction with Asset Essentials is somewhat limited, he appreciates its functionality, contrasting it with his previous experience in maintenance and operations, where he built a PM system in an Excel spreadsheet. He acknowledges that while his spreadsheet was “pretty,” it lacked the “functionality” of AE, including inventory management, reorder levels, and automated notifications.

Industry leadership through organic advocacy

Highland Brewing’s proactive approach to maintenance, supported by Asset Essentials, has not only optimized their internal operations but also positioned them as an industry leader in the beer industry. For example, they frequently open their doors to other breweries, sharing best practices and showcasing their efficient systems. 

This commitment to transparency recently included a visit from a packaging manager from a similarly sized brewery, during which Asset Essentials was a key highlight. As Robertson proudly notes, he believes this visitor will soon become a customer, underscoring the tangible value and efficiency Asset Essentials brings to Highland Brewing Company’s operations through organic advocacy.