Solör Bioenergi: "Mainter is one of our most important tools"

When Solör Bioenergi took over the operation of the energy plant in Strängnäs, the maintenance work quickly needed to become more structured and transparent. With many plants spread across the country and a growing organization, a modern maintenance system became an important part of the solution. Today, the operations and maintenance team uses Mainter to plan, follow up and document maintenance work – directly at the plant.

Solör Bioenergi operates and develops energy plants around Sweden. The company has around 150 plants from Vilhelmina in the north to Ystad in the south. The plant in Strängnäs is one of the largest in Solör's Swedish organization.

Jörgen Everklint joined Solör in 2022 as an operations technician and later moved to the role of maintenance manager. His mission is to create structure in the maintenance work and build a clearer maintenance organization.

– We are not a huge plant, but we are not small either. This means that the organization is quite tight and that you need a good structure in the maintenance work, says Jörgen Everklint.

Solör Bioenergi's plant in Strängnäs.

The challenge: an outdated system and limited overview

When Jörgen started in the role, one of the first steps was to replace the previous maintenance system. The old system was slow and difficult to work in, making maintenance work more time-consuming than necessary.

– Our previous maintenance system was like running old Windows 3.11. It was extremely slow and difficult to work in, it took a long time to find the right information and it became more administration than maintenance, says Jörgen.

At the same time, the organization needed better structure in the work. For a while, maintenance work had been very reactive and the focus was on catching up with urgent measures.

– When I started, we needed to spend a lot of time on urgent things. We simply needed to create better order and structure in the entire maintenance work, says Jörgen.

The goal was to create a better overview, simplify the work of the technicians and make it easier to plan and follow up the maintenance work.

The solution: a simple and fast system that works in everyday life

The choice fell on Mainter – a system Jörgen had previously worked with.

– What I really like is the simplicity. The interface is clear and it is very easy to work in. It makes a big difference in everyday life, says Jörgen.

The implementation went quickly. The technical migration was largely ready from the start and the final adjustments were made during the first month.

– I was a bit skeptical at first, but the migration was almost completely ready from the start. After a month or so we made the final adjustments and then it worked really well, he says.

Today, about 18 people in the organization use the system, including operating technicians, administrators and contractors. Much of the work is done directly via the mobile phone out in the plant.

– The app is absolutely outstanding. It is easy to work in the system and it is much faster than before. Technicians can report directly on site instead of having to go back to a computer.

Mainter is used for, among other things:

• Work orders and maintenance planning

• Reporting of errors and work restrictions

• Purchase orders to suppliers

• Documentation of objects and equipment

Jörgen Everklint, Maintenance Manager at Solör Bioenergi in Strängnäs.

The result: better overview and less time in front of the computer

Since the introduction of Mainter, work has become both faster and more structured. Technicians can now report and follow up on work directly on their mobile phones, which reduces the time spent in front of the computer and allows more time to be spent out in the plant.

– What has made the biggest difference is how fast it is to find the right information. The system is much faster and clearer than what we had before. We also spend less time in front of the computer, which means we can spend more time on the actual maintenance instead.

Mainter has also become an important tool in the continued development of maintenance work. Among other things, Solör is now working on:

• Operator maintenance and digital checklists

• Better spare parts management

• QR code labeling of equipment

• More data-driven preventive maintenance

– Our vision is to label the entire facility with QR codes. When you stand at an object, you should be able to get all the information directly in the system, says Jörgen.

A system that is used every day

For Jörgen and the team in Strängnäs, Mainter has become a central part of everyday work.

– It is one of our most important work tools today. A large part of our work is done in the system – and it's absolutely crucial that it's fast, simple and works in everyday life, says Jörgen.

He also highlights the cooperation with the Mainter team as an important factor.

– The support is ten out of ten. You get help quickly and we have a good dialog about how the system can be developed further. It makes a big difference when you implement a new system.

Advice to other energy companies

To other organizations in the energy industry facing similar challenges, Jörgen has a clear advice.

– Don't be afraid to change systems. Make sure you have good raw data when you migrate, and dare to try something new instead of getting stuck in old solutions.

Want to know more?

Solör Bioenergi's success with Mainter shows how the right maintenance system can increase efficiency, simplify everyday life and implement new ways of working.

Would you also like to see how Mainter can optimize your maintenance processes and strengthen your business? Book a free demo and see the possibilities for yourself.