Associated Grocers, INC. is committed to the goal of helping independent grocers remain competitive by providing retailers with the tools, products, and services necessary to efficiently and effectively operate their stores. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Associated Grocers, INC. is a 24/7 facility serving 190 independent retail stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Facilities Manager Joe Reinninger, plus a team of 20, is responsible for managing maintenance for equipment and buildings including a dry and refrigerated warehouse storage space.

Prior to implementing eMaint CMMS, Associated Grocers, INC. managed maintenance on a variety of systems, all of which were limited and time consuming. Work processes included employees filling out work orders on three-page carbon paper and manually entering all the work orders into a system. Tasked with finding an effective and affordable system that helped turn data into useful information, Joe chose eMaint because it is web-based, configurable, cost effective, and provides integrated inventory management and data import and export tools.

After becoming an eMaint client in May 2011, Associated Grocers, INC. began their CMMS implementation by importing assets, parts, work history, and PM procedures from their previous systems. With the help of the eMaint team, Associated Grocers, INC. configured their system and created custom forms for equipment, maintenance, and refrigeration work orders that are completed by technicians on iPods, iPhones, and iPads which allows for real-time visibility of data and the elimination of paper forms. Associated Grocers, INC. soon upgraded their account to the “Get Onboard” subscription level which offered a dedicated account manager, configuration support, and the ability to leverage eMaint”™s expertise to get their data right.

Associated Grocers, INC. utilizes eMaint CMMS for regulatory compliance (including lock-out-tag-out and fire safety) and warranty tracking including pop-up notices that indicate whether a part is under warranty. Associated Grocers, INC. was able to avoid performing unnecessary PMs by implementing meter-based PMs on desired equipment, resulting in the elimination of pre-mature PM task completion.

• Eliminates paper work orders and purchase orders through mobile capabilities and custom screen configurations to capture requisite data
• Provides rapid return on inventory investment by tracking parts under warranty
• Generates automated work orders for PSM (Process Safety Management) and RMP (Risk Management Plan) compliance
• Provides a historical database that makes critical maintenance information readily available for budget accountability
• Generates meter-based PMs, avoiding unnecessary performance of PM tasks
• Helpful tools for importing data from prior systems
• Dedicated account manager provides configuration and data integrity support

Joe R., Facilities Manager, Associated Grocers, INC.