STERIS AST Cuts Audit Times and Boosts Efficiency Across 56 Sites with eMaint CMMS

Arthur Finlay, who has held various roles at STERIS during his 8+ years at the company, is now the planning manager at the STERIS AST Tullamore, Ireland location.

Before adopting eMaint CMMS, Finlay said, “Our biggest challenge was the fact that we weren’t running our maintenance program in what I would consider to be a modern environment. Lots of things were paper-based. Lots of things were manual. We were reliant on calendar boards and people were printing pages, records, etc., and then filing them.”

This reliance on manual systems made maintaining compliance and efficiency extremely cumbersome. Paper and pencil also made the process more prone to human error, which was especially problematic given the critical nature of the company’s services.

Additionally, each of the 56 STERIS AST sites worldwide developed its own localized way of handling maintenance. Inconsistencies and inefficiencies were the norm.

This lack of a unified system made it difficult to accurately track performance metrics or implement improvements at a corporate level. Data fragmentation was a barrier to effectively scaling operations and quickly responding to the dynamic demands of the healthcare industry.

Finlay’s search for a suitable maintenance management solution led him to eMaint, a decision that has since significantly transformed the company’s operational capabilities.

The implementation of eMaint across 56 sites worldwide began with the development of a standardized approach to preventive maintenance and calibration schedules, ensuring uniformity and compliance across all locations. The adoption process involved detailed planning, extensive training, and careful integration with existing systems to ensure a smooth transition.

The second phase of the implementation involved transitioning the spare parts inventory management process to eMaint, which Finlay said was “really critical.” This involved setting up a detailed parts catalogue, establishing automated reorder triggers, and integrating supplier data to help streamline the procurement process. These enhancements now help make sure that critical spare parts are readily available without overstocking, thereby reducing costs and improving maintenance response times across all sites.

Enhanced Operational Efficiency

One of the most notable improvements STERIS AST achieved was the shift from paper-based to digital systems.

“We were tracking all of our maintenance and our calibrations on calendars, and we were filling out Excel spreadsheets, or we were filling out work construction pages,” Finlay said. “And now everything is on a calendar-based system. So, at the touch of a button, we can see what we have coming up next week, next month, next year. We can make sure that we have our spare parts. We can do everything formally.”

Improved Compliance and Audit Readiness


eMaint CMMS also empowered STERIS AST with better audit readiness. “We’re a highly regulated industry, which means that we have a lot of audits occurring from both regulatory bodies and customers,” Finlay said.

With eMaint, personnel involved with the audit can easily access a complete asset record and provide data with the exact time frame that an auditor requests.

“We can select anything from a month to a year to the beginning of time, and we can bring up all the work activities that occurred on that asset,” Finlay said. “And an auditor can then select any specific work order that’s been generated and they can review the work live there and then.”


Global Standardization Across Sites



Finlay has played a crucial role in implementing and standardizing the use of eMaint across 56 sites, so that each location adheres to the same high standards.

“For the last two years, I have traveled primarily across Europe and Asia supporting each of our sites in developing our transfer files, which is the loading of all our data into eMaint,” Finlay said.

This global standardization has not only improved the company’s overall efficiency but promoted better consistency in the quality of maintenance and compliance reporting throughout the organization.

Improved Spare Parts Inventory Management

With eMaint, STERIS AST can now accurately track and manage inventory levels, set reorder points, and automate ordering processes.

This means that spare parts are always available when needed and prevents potential delays in maintenance and operations. eMaint’s exactness and efficiency also helped STERIS AST reduce excess inventory costs.

The system’s ability to forecast and proactively respond to the needs of various facilities has significantly improved both resource use and operational readiness.

STERIS AST plans to focus on predictive maintenance next, which is effortlessly supported by the advanced capabilities of eMaint CMMS. Predictive maintenance will allow the company to proactively address potential issues before they lead to equipment failures, thus maintaining uninterrupted service and compliance.

Remote monitoring, Finlay noted, will be a big part of this approach. “It’s not enough to just continue to be reactive in a maintenance program,” he said. “You have to be proactive.”

Adopting this proactive mindset will further enhance the reliability of the company’s sterilization processes and better optimize resource use, marking a significant step towards future-proofing the organization’s operations.