Portones Shopping Mall Uncovers Time and Cost Savings with Datastream

	Quick Facts Reduced equipment downtime from 60 hours per month to 40 Decreased inventory from $2 million to $1.5 million Decreased budget by 10%

Datastream Brings Asset Management Success to the Mall
Harrison SA's Portones Shopping Mall is located in Montevido, Uruguay. The mall contains 150 stores and seven cinemas. Portones has 50 total employees with 14 dedicated to the maintenance operations. The maintenance department serves both the mall's stores and the visiting patrons with over 120 work orders per month. Within the last two years, Portones's store growth and attendance has increased by approximately 15%.

The Challenges
To keep up with increasing growth, the maintenance department needed a sufficient means of operations management. Without an automated monitoring procedure, the maintenance department's inventory and asset management practices were unorganized, and maintenance practices and equipment monitoring needed improvement. Management wanted a asset management solution to increase maintenance efficiency and to automate and control its growing operations.

"We needed a proven solution that offered numerous operational possibilities and was adaptable to our current procedures and practices," states Oscar Conde, maintenance supervisor.

Conde required a software system that offered superior inventory and purchasing control. The current paper-based system was inefficient, and the maintenance department wanted complete, automated control of its stock room and every spare part used in their operations.

One of the critical items in a mall complex is monthly expenses. Rent prices for each store depend on these expenses, and Portones wanted an asset management solution that could both control and decrease its mall maintenance expenditures. The maintenance department also needed a system that could support the information for ISO 14000 and 9000 certifications—a series of international, voluntary environmental and customer service management standards. Portones chose to adhere to the International Organization of Standardization's (ISO) principles to control the impact of its activities and services on the natural environment and its shopping mall customers. Therefore, ISO certification support was a mandatory requirement in choosing an asset management solution.

The decision-making process when selecting an ideal asset management solution almost always includes a needs analysis relative to maintenance architecture. But Conde and the Portones maintenance department also wanted a company that offered superior implementation and training—and continued support of the purchased system.

The Solution
The Portones Shopping Mall chose Datastream's asset management software to increase its efficiency and accountability. With Datastream, Portones controls its monthly expenses by reporting exact costs and worker efficiency. Datastream software also provides Conde and his maintenance department with a proactive system to foresee problems and provide solutions.

Conde uses the software to organize preventive and predictive maintenance tasks and services. Datastream's system receives requisitions from maintenance workers and then generates preventive and corrective task orders. The software provides Conde with an efficient and user-friendly approach to scheduling and assigning maintenance jobs. Conde can now specify the labor and materials necessary for each job and then print the work order.

Working in the software, the maintenance department stores and tracks extensive information on each inventory item and part used in the maintenance of each piece of equipment. The software allows Conde to automate and control the workflow while implementing the procedures and approval processes for all purchasing expenditures. The Datastream solution also allows Conde to make informed business decisions by effectively managing capital assets and staff resources with graphs, reports, and comprehensive dates analysis capabilities. Conde simply selects the data and type of analysis to perform and uses the results to compare with maintenance management goals.

Conde also chose Datastream software for its ease-of-use. Datastream offers the only asset management software package that is Microsoft Office compatible, which means it already has a menu structure and button bar similar to the one used in Microsoft applications. The software has a user-defined Quick Access Bar which puts maintenance employees one click away from the forms and reports used most often. The interface also has wizards which guide users step by step through the process of performing common maintenance management tasks.

Datastream's training was supplied to Portones in three different stages to ensure proper knowledge and premium adaptability with software. Datastream's dedication to training and support impressed Conde and Portones management. One Portones maintenance employee is now in charge of training which leads to a smooth transition when upgrades or new techniques are introduced.

The Results
After implementing Datastream software, Portones reduced equipment downtime from 60 hours per month to 40. Conde and his department now keep mall equipment running at peak performance with an efficient preventive and corrective maintenance operation.

Portones also decreased its maintenance inventory levels—from $2 million to $1.5 million. They were able to see how often parts were used and which parts were replaced most frequently. With complete control of its stock levels, maintenance follows each individual part from purchase to final use.

The shopping mall decreased its monthly operating budget by 10% as a direct result from Portones's programmed maintenance operations through Datastream software. With Datastream, Portones's maintenance department can fully support the shopping mall's increasing growth as well, and with better control of their operations, Conde and his maintenance department can look to new improvements in maintenance efficiency.

"We believe that Datastream was the right choice for our maintenance software needs. The system was perfectly adaptable to our operations, is very user-friendly, and comes with vast operation possibilities, including supporting our current ISO 14000 certifications and our upcoming 9000 certifications," states Conde.