10 things for which you'll love industrial file management

Everybody in a production plant has a stressful job. Keeping the facility safe and the production running is already quite a challenge. And even if this task is your main job, you’ll always have lots of other things to do. Administrative duties, for instance, can consume a whole lot of time.

How much time do you spend searching for documents? Using a digital file management service for industrial facilities like Netilion Library will massively simplify your processes. You’ll have all documents available no matter where you are and when you want them.

What are the benefits of an industrial file management service?

Running after documents costs you so much time. You search on a local drive, but you don’t really connect with the folder names and structures that your colleagues have chosen. You look for printed documents in your office and find that the exact folder you need was carried away to the company’s archive only last week. Finally, for public documents like instruction manuals, you even search on the Internet. Depending on the manufacturer’s website, this can sometimes be the best way of getting lost entirely.

When you start using an intelligent industrial file management service, you can heave a sigh of relief because your endless document searches will come to an end. How does such a service improve file management for you? If you choose to use Netilion Library,for instance, you won’t need to worry about folder structures and availability of documents. You have a database containing the digital twins of all assets, tags and nodes in your facility. And you can access it no matter where you are: as it is a cloud-based service you can use it with your smartphone, tablet or desktop PC.

So tell me where I should save this device data sheet again? Oh sure, I’ll attach it to the digital twin of the asset concerned. And how can I access the configuration report that my colleague saved? Simple solution: the information stored in Netilion Library can be shared with the entire team. Can you imagine working with a digital file management service? What documents can you store in Netilion Library? Here are 10 things you should know!

#1 files for file management service: configuration/commissioning reports

Whenever a device has to be exchanged, the configuration report is needed because the new device must have the same parametrization. If you have attached the configuration report to the digital twin of the asset that is to be renewed, you can access the report with a couple of clicks.

#2 files for file management service: calibration certificates

Inaccurate measured values can threaten the entire production process. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that the measuring instruments in your facility are calibrated regularly and correctly. If you are working in a regulated business, you have to produce a periodic report on calibration activities together with all the certificates too. That makes such data key information in your process.

#3 files for file management service: instruction manuals and data sheets

When commissioning a device or carrying out maintenance, it can be helpful to have the technical documentation at hand when you are standing at the installation point. It can take a great deal time to use your smartphone or tablet to search on the Internet for an instruction manual or a simple data sheet. Better solution: file stored in Netilion Library, open the digital twin (via its tag), download the file, done.

#4 files for file management service: service reports

After a specific troubleshooting activity was performed on an instrument, it is good to write a report and store it in your file management service. If the same or a related error occurs again, it helps to check the service history, especially if you are working in a team. You can quickly see what measures were taken in the past to solve the issue.

#5 files for file management service: safety documents

It’s in everybody’s interest to keep the facility safe, but evidence of how you do it may have to be supplied to third parties. Whenever this is necessary, it helps when the safety documents (e.g. SIL certificates) are easily found. If they’re attached to a digital twin/tag in a file management service, they can be easily download. Of course, there are many types of safety related files that can be stored in your file management service: e.g. regional certificates (like CE), industry specific certificates (like FDA) or special certificates (like Ex).

#6 files for file management service: inspection reports

Regular inspections, e.g. regulatory or third-party technical inspections, are usually followed by a whole lot of paperwork containing all inspection reports and details. The easiest and most ordered way of storing them is to upload them to Netilion Library.

#7 files for file management service: spare part lists

You already store your instruction manuals and datasheets in your file management service (see #3), of course, so you are well equipped regarding the technical documentation of an asset. But sometimes you need even more information, for instance, it can help to have an overview of the spare parts available for an instrument. You can use a file management service for this type of file too.

#8 files for file management service: software and firmware drivers

A good file management service not only allows you to save documents like PDFs or Excel files, but also software or firmware drivers. This can speed up installation quite a lot.

#9 files for file management service: CAD drawings

Whenever it comes to more complex problems with an asset/tag in your facility, you’ll be glad to have the CAD drawings available. But if it means going back to the office and searching for them on your computer, you’ll wonder whether it’s worth the effort. Being able to download them onsite from Netilion Library can be a real relief.

#10 files for file management service: building plans and pipe network schemes

These are the typical “just in case” file types: building plans and pipe network schemes. You don’t use them very often, but you want to store them somewhere “just in case” you’ll need them later. If you hand them over to your file management service, there will be no more worries about where to put them.