EuroMaintenance and the power of teamwork

Within half a year, EuroMaintenance will take place in the vibrant city of Rotterdam. A city full of activity in the field of manufacturing, transport, logistics, infrastructure as well as culture. A working-class city where a hands-on mentality and the latest technologies come together. A region where so many impressive achievements have been realized and where the people know that together, more can be achieved.

rated very good or good, in most answers the reason was clear and regular communication and information-sharing between the teams. For the managers who rated the cooperation as average, needing improvement, or bad, the poor performance seemed to stem from a lack of interaction, which often seemed to be heightened by understaffing. Many respondents also said departments are too siloed and lack joint interest, affecting how efficiently they can work together.

I believe that the outcome of visiting EuroMaintenance should be that people have a better understanding of the latest trends and technologies in Asset Management. But above all, I hope that it will inspire to improve collaboration within and between organizations and that new relationships are established. Teamwork is the only way through which we can further improve productivity as well as sustainability.

I am looking forward to the conference where asset and maintenance professionals from all over Europe can meet and inspire each other on how to deal with all their current challenges and how to improve their businesses. With the disruption brought on by the pandemic, widespread supply chain challenges and material shortages, the impending skills gap, and the skyrocketing energy costs, asset owners have a lot on their plate. Challenging times ask for strong leadership, also in the field of asset and maintenance management. To keep the long run in mind, to demonstrate empathy and transparency and to keep team members unified. And last but not least, stimulate crossteam collaboration and create synergies with other departments and organizations. Because Together, more can be achieved.

> International survey. In a recent major international survey among Maintenance and Asset Management professionals we conducted, we see a strong focus on people. Over 40% of the respondents want to prioritize investing in the workforce and focus on improving communication and collaboration. This suggests that even with the best assets, the operation is not secure unless it’s managed by skilled people who are able to share knowledge effortlessly. There seems to be a recurring theme in the answers. When asked to rate cooperation between the maintenance team and other departments, the responses revealed a simple categorization. When the collaboration was

Ewout Noordermeer CMO, IFS Ultimo