Pirana CMMS

The next generation of CMMS has arrived!

Pirana is the revolutionary browser-based system for the integrated management of maintenance, materials, services and more. Streets ahead of the rest, Pirana sets new benchmark standards for CMMS simplicity, usability and affordability. Whatever the size of your organisation - micro-small to mega-multinational - Pirana can fit your needs like a glove. Internet, intranet and mobile phone deployment means you can access your system from anywhere.

Pirana is the engineering and service manager’s essential tool for getting the job done. It provides the framework to transform operational and business performance. You can increase efficiency, regulatory compliance and safety, product and service quality, customer satisfaction and crew morale – and, accordingly, business profitability and your own personal success.

Read the Story of Pirana.

The best way to learn about Pirana - or just computerised maintenance management systems in general - is to come along to one of our free Roadshows.

Key features

• Use out of the box
• Ultra-simple user interface
• Browser-based
• User-configurable fields
• Instant access from anywhere
• Information-at-a-glance
• Vast and powerful database

• Asset register
• Asset locations tree view
• Asset assembly hierarchy
• Parts catalogue
• Stores movements and stock-taking
• Configurable, streamlined workflow
• Work Scheduler
• Full PM, corrective and ad hoc task support
• Fault types, modes and causes
• Usage-based maintenance
• Meter readings
• Dashboard and Scoreboard display of key information
• Document and File Management – text, photos, drawings, video, voice

• Automatic alerts and reminders
• Auto-print of documents with Work Orders
• Powerful reports
• 3rd party report writer compatibility
• Performance measures and KPIs
• Advanced searching
• Context sensitive help
• Full security – location specific

• Compatible with multiple operating systems – Windows, Mac, Linux
• Configurable access permissions
• Scalable – one to 1000 users
• Extendable - simple plug-and-play components

Benefits

Tracking jobs is easy…

Use Out of the Box

Switch on and get going! The system works straightaway. As with a new car, you could jump in and drive off without studying the manual - finding your way around as you go and leaving the adjustment of mirrors, seats and other stuff until later. You could and you can, but it’s much better to invest a little time familiarising yourself with the controls and tweaking the adjustments – then you can really get your foot down and go!

The easiest user-interface bar none

Navigation is easy

User-friendly Pirana promises instant attraction for individuals new to CMMS. Equally, the fresh look and feel of Pirana’s lightweight, information-at-a-glance interface makes CMMS old-hands drool. Packed with appeal, Pirana’s tree views, quick links and graphical presentation of data guarantee user delight. The easy-to-pick-up system combines ultimate simplicity with amazing flexibility. You can customise Pirana to suit your own needs, renaming and creating new data fields - and even changing the preferred language. CMMS life just doesn’t get easier than this. You can’t get a more simple to use CMMS than Pirana!

User-centred, goal-oriented

A frequent complaint about computerised maintenance systems is that they force you to work in a way you don’t want. Not Pirana! It’s totally user and goal-oriented. Pirana won’t put you in a straightjacket; it works the way you want it to work, facilitating what you want to achieve. For example, besides managing ‘assets’, you can also choose to drive your system using ‘contacts’ – persons or organisations requesting or carrying out planned and ad hoc tasks. Now, how different is that?

The basic system does just what the vast majority of CMMS users want it to do - and no more. Pirana’s ultimate simplicity means there’s no unwanted complications to baffle you or get in the way. When your needs are more demanding, however, you can add more functionality with Pirana’s simple, power-packed, plug-and-play add-ons.

Build the system to fit your own needs – it’s a joy

Pirana is designed with simple components you can individually select and click together – just like the ubiquitous toy bricks from that well-known Danish company.

You can build your CMMS the way you want - make it as big or as small as you want, the shape you want and you can embellish it to suit yourself. Like those bricks, Pirana is intuitive and rewarding for everyone, no matter what their CMMS proficiency. You can pick it up and use it with a smile – Pirana does what you expect, it’s forgiving and it’s fun to use. Pirana CMMS is child’s play.

Everyone’s a fan of those bricks – do you know anybody who’s handled them that doesn’t think they’re delightful? It’s like that with Pirana!

Access from anywhere - browser-based

Access Pirana instantly from your network, or anywhere in the World, using the web browser of your choice. Pirana’s small footprint and one click installation belie the system’s astonishing ability for global reach. From one to one thousand users, and from New York to New Delhi, working with Pirana is quick and effortless for everyone logging in. Smaller organisations can opt for a stand-alone PC or a small office Workgroup, with or without web or network access.

Deployable to the Internet, intranets and mobile phones, Pirana gives true access from anywhere. Whether on-site, on the move or on the sofa at home! No matter where you happen to be at the time and wherever your workplaces and assets are located, you and other authorised individuals can access the system to add or extract information: raise a Work Request; check on what’s happening; download a report; whatever. It’s a small world with Pirana. Have your finger always on the pulse; do your planning in the comfort of your own home; even take your work on holiday!

Manage PM, corrective and other work all in one place – Work Scheduler

Pirana’s powerful Work Scheduler graphically displays tasks of all origins in one place. Planned maintenance, corrective and other tasks are all visible from the Work Scheduler – and you can project the timeline indefinitely into the future or past. Work Scheduler’s interface resembles Microsoft’s hugely popular Outlook calendar – yet gives you the ability to do a whole lot more. The Work Scheduler aids fast response to rapidly changing circumstances, supporting you in making the best-informed decisions on human resourcing and work prioritisation. Success is in the bag.

Scheduling is easy

Blockbuster performance - Microsoft .NET and SQL Server technology

Pirana is a dynamic, web application founded on Microsoft .NET architecture. This jaw-dropping technology allows Pirana to communicate seamlessly across different platforms and operating systems. Furthermore, Pirana utilises the latest SQL database – the promise of ultra-powerful searches, blisteringly fast data processing and sublimely informative reports.

* Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is included free of charge. If required, Pirana can make use of an existing SQL Server 2005 database. See Shire’s recommended hardware specification for further details.

New, pristine and no legacy code

Pirana is totally brand new and state-of-the-art.

Some other CMMS and CAFM providers have taken a short-cut to Internet-deployable systems by adding ‘wrapper’ code to old, so-called ‘legacy’ code hacked from an out-dated system. This can make for a clunky feel, operational inefficiencies and poor security. Silk purse and sow’s ear don’t nearly convey the quality of the outcome of this Heath Robinson mishmash. A ‘web-enabled extension’ is another popular ploy for prolonging the life of an antique system - a mobility aid for the elderly infirm.

Pirana has no second-hand donor parts duck-taped in; none of Pirana’s bits have been salvaged from systems better off on the scrapheap. And ‘new’ doesn’t mean unproven reliability. Pirana has Formula One reliability thanks to its intensive test bed and track testing – and of course its pedigree.

Get the right information when you need it…

The sure road to success – measure to improve

Target setting and performance monitoring are the prerequisites of effective control. With Pirana, you can enter across-the-board performance targets for all maintenance activities and the system will then automatically measure and report current achievement against them. By taking definitive action in the light of adverse or positive trends, you can gain better control and drive continuous improvement. Pirana makes this otherwise complicated process as straightforward as can be.

Using Pirana’s vivid, interactive Dashboard and Scoreboard displays, you can view all your selected performance indicators - and any other information you want to see - at a glance. Mix and match performance indicators as you like and configure the visual display to suit yourself. It’s easy.

Assess current performance at a touch of a button using the Dashboard

With Pirana’s Dashboard view, it’s easy to track current performance quickly and accurately; you know in an instant where you’re at. A summary display of key maintenance information enables you to grasp the overall situation at a glance: Overdue Work, Today’s Work, Critical Parts to Re-order and so on.

Moving around is easy

And, with a simple click, you can drill down to see the underlying trends. Each user can choose the precise information they have to monitor on-screen to pursue and attain personal targets and organisational objectives. The Dashboard is easily configurable and can be filtered by Client, Department, Engineer, Asset and Location.

Are you winning? Check the Scoreboard

Pirana’s Scoreboard compliments the Dashboard. You can use the Scoreboard to display and track the more strategic indicators you’d prefer to keep off your real-time Dashboard. These are likely to be the headline indicators you have to periodically report on to management - and so have to keep an eye. That said, how you actually configure the two displays to work best for you is your choice.

Performance management is easy

It’s straightforward to enter your agreed targets and monitor current achievement against them. The system automatically updates the display from job data entered. Vivid, crystal clear information on performance attainment is available with just a single click. Like the Dashboard, you can drill down to see the trend of how you’re doing on each target – whether you’re getting better, worse or holding your own.

Automatic Despatches, Alerts and Reminders

You can configure Pirana to despatch jobs and updates to technicians via email, as well as automatically alerting you and others to important events, like when critical maintenance activities become due, or a situation you wish to monitor has changed. When you’re hard-pressed (and that tends to be always) it’s a big bonus to be able to use the facility for general reminders and alerts - part of your own automated time management system

Attach, control and automatically print documents

Thanks to Pirana’s centralised and secure Document Manager, you can integrate an unlimited number of documents and files, including, permits, photographs, drawings, instructions, specifications, data sheets, certificates – even thermographs, vibration signatures, sound and video clips - with any entity: Clients, Locations, Assets, Tasks, Contacts and Personnel. Just click on an entity to retrieve all its attached information. And, you can configure Pirana to automatically include associated documents when printing out a Work Order, such as, manufacturer’s drawings, Health & Safety instructions and visual standards. You can even add a Toolbox Talk that workers have to absorb before starting a particular job!

When you know there are no holes in the job information delivered into the hands of workers, that’s very reassuring indeed.

Be quicker. Work smarter. Cut downtime. Ensure compliance…

Anywhere on-line Work Requester

It’s never been easier for personnel, clients and contacts to raise Work Requests. Pirana removes admin obstacles in the way of accurate and timely defect and damage reporting. Cutting out the avoidable delays enables speedier remedial action. It minimises frustration, reduces costs and avoids collateral damage - even personal injury. In addition, your crew’s true backlog of work is always evident to them and anyone else that needs to know. Requesters get automatic updates on the progress of their requests and just love the better communication. Pirana’s secure Work Requester can be accessed from any PC with a web browser; no additional software or particular skill is required. Work Requester is simplicity itself.

Improve service levels and plant uptime

By assigning pre-determined time bands to pre-defined work priorities, Pirana can automatically set the required service response date and time on prioritised Work Orders. In each case, the system will automatically calculate the ‘required-by’ date and time. It’s easy to monitor on-going performance and report actual achievement against target. Better response time = increased uptime. And it’s effortless.

Working with Pirana…

Planned Preventative Maintenance

Pirana’s uncomplicated, yet power-packed, calendar-based PM planner is accessible via the Work Scheduler. From high-frequency, on-the-day inspections to 20 year major refurbishments, you can include tasks of all frequencies. Pirana’s full asset lifecycle planning capability means that equipment and maintenance knowledge can be preserved. Plans and reminders set up today for desirable maintenance actions in the future can never get lost in the mists of time.

Pirana can be configured to release work automatically or manually. Pirana supports virtually any regular pattern of work, such as yearly, monthly and daily. Jobs can be scheduled on a specific day of the week or month, or on multiple days of the week, for example, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; not on Tuesday and Friday. And the system suppresses duplicated PM tasks in routines launched on the same asset in the same period. An easy drag-and-drop feature allows individual plans or entire schedules to be shifted to an earlier or later available timeslot.

All your other non-asset-related tasks and plans can be added to the Work Scheduler as well. You can add any event, no matter what. You can track them all against Clients, Locations and Contacts and you can filter the display to provide increased clarity of what has to get done. Pirana’s Work Scheduler serves as one awesomely comprehensive and dynamic To-Do list!

Usage-based Maintenance

Besides lowering the frequency of equipment breakdowns, usage-based maintenance enables you to slash the cost of PM admin.

Most things wear out from actual usage – hours in service, distance travelled, number of operating cycles, volume throughput, units produced, etc. After all, aged lube oil in an air compressor needs changing after the machine has run 2000 hours or more, not because it’s the second Thursday in May. If you measure any usage parameter with a suitable meter, you can launch a failure-avoiding maintenance task when a predetermined value has been reached.

Although there’s always some degree of uncertainty when making failure predictions, usage-based plans are more accurate than calendar-based ones.

With Pirana you can set up routines to log the readings of meters on maintainable systems. Suitable meters often come as standard, but can otherwise be retro-fitted cheaply and straightforwardly to equipment or associated control systems. Operatives can log meter readings routinely as part of their shift checks, or you can opt for any other appropriate period. After they’re entered, the system will process the readings and, when a value within a predefined range has been reached on any meter, trigger the automatic issue a Work Order for a PM job on the host equipment. The system can even predict the date on which the following job is likely to become due on an item!

Usage-based maintenance is a better than calendar-based, but condition-based is arguably the best. Under this regime, for example, compressor lube oil is not changed after so many thousand hours use but only after it has deteriorated to the limit of its useful life. That point is determined by periodic sampling and analysis. The replace, or recondition, decision is based on the results of measurements.

Condition monitoring and asset good health

Pirana’s meter-readings functionality can be used to facilitate a condition monitoring program for checking the on-going health of your critical assets.

You can use the system to track and trend the deterioration in any measurable parameter that’s indicative of some aspect of an asset’s health. That is, a physical parameter that can signal in advance a threat to an asset’s performance. The system can process the logged values and automatically trigger an appropriate PM Work Order when a predefined limit has been reached.

Performance parameters may include for instance: horizontal, vertical and axial vibration on bearings, electrical insulation resistance, differential pressure, temperature rise, wear debris, corrosion depth, remaining thickness - whatever. Because you can set up an unlimited number of meters and measures, the only limitation is your own imagination and engineering vision.

You can also log and trend an asset’s overall Condition Index. A competent person can assess and score an item’s current condition out of 10 or 100. As an alternative, you could adopt a simple red-amber-green traffic light system. The condition assessment is usually based on a visual inspection. Asset condition is logged periodically or after each repair and PM action. When condition has deteriorated beyond a predetermined limit, the system will automatically warn you of the alarmed state. On-going monitoring of condition is arguably more crucial for static and infrastructure assets. Unlike dynamic assets, costly-to-remedy deterioration is quite likely to go undetected; a serious condition can catch you and your budget completely unawares. And there’s always the matter of the potentially grave implications for service continuity and safety.

As well as quantified measures, many condition states lend themselves to being recorded with photographic images – physical, thermal and acoustic. A picture is worth a thousand words. In these cases, Pirana can gobble up and organise all the records you want to throw at it.

Tallying energy, utilities and production is as easy as 1,2,3

Pirana’s meter functionality can be used to keep a routine tally on energy usage, other utilities consumption and the quantity of waste generated. The system can alert you to untoward events and alarming patterns. You will also be able to relate all the cost-saving improvements being made to processes, equipment, and maintenance practices back to tangible outcomes.

Production volumes can be monitored as well. Whilst it’s not OEE, you can use the system to log and report the incidence of minor stoppages and product defects.

Any meter can be linked to an asset, task, plan or Work Order. After logging by an operative or engineer, readings can be fed back into the system to produce all the trend graphs, reports and statistics you and management needs.

Materials Management - parts, tools and supplies all secured

Work stops and the customer waits when the right spares, materials and tools aren’t available. All eyes then turn to the engineering manager.

Keeping care and repair jobs moving and the wheels turning often means an engineering or service manager has to spend an inordinate amount of time running around sourcing spares and other essentials. An uninformed onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that the harassed individual is actually a buyer cum order-chaser. But, because of the buck stops where it does, needs must.

It doesn’t have to be like that. With Pirana’s functionality you can magic away all your materials management headaches. Pirana helps you eliminate materials-related crises and frees up your precious time.

Pirana can provide you with a blissfully comprehensive Parts, Materials and Tools Catalogue and Suppliers’ Directory. You can dump the dog-eared notebooks, Kardex files and business card folder that were so inaccessible to others. All information is right at your fingertips – and your team’s as well. Real organisation and control!

With Pirana you can choose to work on a simple basis with only purchase requests and delivery receipts, or you can set up a purchasing and stores system with various increased degrees of formality. It’s your choice. You can impose multiple approvals for purchases and, if you choose to keep a formalised inventory of stock items, the system provides you with powerful yet completely straightforward control of all stores movements and stock-takes. And you can set up as many stores as you like.

Pirana’s materials management features:

Purchasing

Includes

•	Purchase planning
•	Purchase requisitions
•	Multiple technical and financial approvals
•	Multiple currencies
•	Requests for Quotation
•	Blanket orders

Parts Catalogue

Includes

•	A drill-down parts list for each asset. You can include everything: special tools, lubes, cleaning chemicals, keys, documents, software – whatever’s needed
•	Cross-referenced OEM part numbers, Supplier part numbers, in-house identification numbers and, with saleable inventory, SKUs
•	Detailed technical specification for each item
•	Classification of parts and materials into a multitude of easily searchable categories
•	Identification of close equivalents. Useful when an original item isn’t available and you’re scheming a temporary or fit-for-purpose repair
	Item reservation - when an item is part of inventory
•	Ability to label a part with a special attribute to aid better planning and control. For example, refurbishable parts, make in-house or pirate parts, a project surplus item or an item that requires special handling
•	'Where used' information for each item – a listing all assets containing a particular item. Very handy in an emergency and you're forced to go on a raid for bits to carry out cannibalised repairs on a critical asset
•	Pre-defined kits of parts (bills of material) for repetitive PM routines, recurring repair jobs or project tasks - you can include tools, protective gear, drawings, manuals and anything else needed
•	An item's last order date, Supplier, price paid and any discount received
•	The lead time of an item
•	Multiple currencies
	The minimum order quantity of any item with any Supplier
•	Certificates, drawings, documents, procedures, standards, etc associated with an item
•	Unlimited notes on any item - for example, on a part's in-service performance and supply history

Stores

Includes

•	Multiple Stores. You can have any number of independent but integrated stores
•	Consignment stock
•	Automated reordering of stock items

Suppliers

Includes

•	Full contact details with direct email and website links
•	Preferred and alternative Suppliers for each item in the Parts Catalogue – ranked in order
•	Contract terms, lead time and cautions in respect of any item of supply
•	Quality rating
•	Supply statistics

Stores inventory movements

Includes

•	Easy control of day-to-day stores operations
	• Deliveries/receipts
	• Issues – to a person, Contact, Cost Centre, Work Order, Asset
	• Returns
	• Transfers
	• Adjustments
•	Bulk issues
•	Parts kits
•	Detailed transaction history
•	Automated FIFO stock rotation
•	Current stock valuation
•	Retrospective stock valuations
•	Support for consignment stock
•	Support for perishable, serialised and batch items
•	Support for hazardous items – COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
•	Comprehensive reporting suite including:
	• Stock Valuation
	• Re-order reports
	• Usage nd no-movement-in-period reports
	• Items on order
	• Reserved items
	• Expected deliveries
	• Late deliveries
	• Orders by value and over a specific value

Stock-taking

Includes

•	Simple stock-take process
•	Periodic and continuous counts supporting perpetual inventory
•	Full variation reporting

Efficient materials management is a prerequisite of effective maintenance management. It fundamentally influences Mean Time Between Failure and Mean Time To Repair performance – the big hitter measures of maintenance management proficiency.

In asset-intensive organisations, non-availability of the right spare parts and materials on demand can blow everything right out of the water: equipment availability, people safety, operating costs, customer satisfaction and all the rest. The immediate consequences of downtime are obvious but there are also long term effects. Because of the inevitable tendency to carry out urgent repairs with make-do parts, the integrity of equipment is downgraded. Equipment reliability and availability take a hit and the effects are cumulative.

Not having the right parts and materials available is basically a systems problem. It can be resolved with Pirana. You’ll be much less stressed and, by minimising the time you have to spend shopping and scrounging around for needed bits, you’ll have more time to engineer and manage.

Streamlined Work Control

Work Control is easy with Pirana’s no-nonsense interface. You can manage requests, raise new work, control work-in-progress and sign off completed work. Pirana allows you to configure the work control process, including the ability to raise follow-on jobs, quick sign-off, group sign-off, sign off work as ‘not done’ - as opposed to completed - and clone existing work orders for faster data entry.

Controlling work is easy

Mobile – always in touch when out and about

By enabling the instant entry and direct accessing of data using a standard mobile phone, or other wireless mobile device, Pirana Mobile reduces administration burden while increasing data accuracy and security. Unnecessary data handling, wasteful travelling to and from the jobsite and other work delays are eliminated. You can monitor job progress in real time – from anywhere – and, more importantly, empower mobile workers on-the-spot with up-to-the-minute work instructions and detailed job and asset-related information. Remoteness is no longer a barrier to the ready availability and sharing of information. Everyone’s free to roam – out on site, but not out of sight.

What about the Users?...

Simple and Versatile Navigation – Tree View

The system can present a so-called ‘tree view’ of the Assets Register. The hierarchy of Client, Location, Assets and Parts, etc is presented on screen, enabling you to view all the interrelationships and navigate your way around your enterprise’s entire asset population. The tree view is the most convenient and intuitive way in which to explore and scrutinise the enterprise’s asset population, as well as its organisational structure.

And it’s interactive. You also have quick access to the compendium of information held for each location, system and equipment item. You can drill-down to find the information you need; click on any item to view its full details. For example, you can view the asset list at each location, a single asset’s assembly hierarchy down to part level, find out where any particular part is used, who supplies it, the technical specification, see a picture of it - and study any other information filed against it.

You can expand or collapse branches to drill down to your level of interest. Finding those haystack needles is easy peasy with Pirana.

Read More

Context Sensitive Help

Pirana has context sensitive help to guide a user through that part of the system in current use. No need to trawl through the help file – just flip straight to the guidance needed. With this learn-as-you-go support, new users can quickly gain confidence and proficiency, enabling them to master the software in the shortest possible time. If a user needs further help, it’s immediately available via a direct link to Shire’s on-line Webex Support Centre.

Safe, secure data with no peeking!

System data is securely protected against unauthorised viewing and editing. You can configure and assign system access rights in accordance with your own management policies and procedures. System users can be allocated to User Groups with pre-determined, standard access rights – for example, Client, Supervisor, Contractor, Work Controller or Work Requester.

Empty pockets and no IT skills? No problem…

If you think professional level CMMS is beyond your reach, think again! Lack of funds and IT resource needn’t bar anyone from enjoying the benefits of computerised maintenance management. Sign up to Pirana On Tap™ and you can be up and running in a flash. It’s easy CMMS on easy terms.

Pirana On-Tap™ is SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)

Pirana On Tap™ demolishes the traditional cost and technical barriers to CMMS acquisition and use. For a small monthly fee, Shire will host Pirana for you in a secure data centre, managing the whole service, not least data preservation and disaster avoidance. To get going at your end, you only need an Internet-connectable computer with a web browser.

In contrast to a CMMS deployed on your own premises, you don’t need any up-front capital, IT skills, new servers or other extra kit. Plus, you don’t have to worry about system back-ups, crashes and unpleasant stuff like that. Shire also automatically upgrades the system-in-use and even monitors its correct usage.

So, on top of Pirana’s already extraordinary benefits - including access-from-anywhere, real-time operation and operating system flexibility - you get these further advantages:  

•	No big up-front spend. The low kick-off price tag means you don't have to jump through CAPEX hoops.
•	Lowest total lifetime cost of 'ownership'
•	No IT skills necessary. Forget about system installation, up-grades, back-ups, crashes, attacks, etc
•	No implementation delay. Super-fast deployment across multiple sites
•	Simple, expandable, reconfigurable and future-proof. Sign up for what you need now – you can add to or change your system-in-use at any time. Just ask!
•	Automatic updates. Only one version of Pirana CMMS is ever in use - the latest and best
•	Bullet-proof security. Data is access-protected, fire-walled and backed up for your total peace of mind. Top flight system availability is assured by redundant hardware and power supplies at the hosting centre. It’s better than with an on-premises system!
•	All-inclusive monthly fee with minimum fuss. You can even roll-in those essential, but often difficult to get approval for, training courses into your drip-feed payments

Pirana On-Tap™ is the ultimately affordable, zero-hassle solution to your computerised maintenance management needs. CMMS life can’t get easier than this!