The verdict in three sentences
For a food plant with 150 employees and 900 assets near Stuttgart, a CMMS is judged on one number: unplanned downtime hours avoided on the lines. A SaaS CMMS at 40 to 120 EUR per user per month fits if your processes are standard, while a custom CMMS, between 50,000 and 120,000 EUR on the German market, makes sense when IFS audits, cleaning routines and your PLCs impose specific rules. With QR codes on machines and well tuned preventive maintenance, a 20 to 30% cut in unplanned stops pays back the project in under 18 months.
Why a food plant has specific needs
A generic CMMS handles work orders, preventive plans and spare parts. In food production you also need to trace interventions for IFS Food or BRCGS audits, separate food grade lubricants, manage cleaning and sanitation after maintenance and align maintenance with the production schedule so a campaign is not broken.
The maintenance manager of a 150 employee plant typically runs a team of 8 to 12 technicians. Without a suitable tool, requests come by phone, history sits in notebooks and critical parts run out at the worst time.
| Metric | Typical situation without a fitting CMMS | 12 month target | Main lever |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unplanned downtime | 6 to 10% of operating time | 20 to 30% reduction | Preventive and condition based |
| Preventive share of maintenance hours | 25 to 35% | 50 to 60% | Plans per asset |
| Response time to a request | 2 to 4 hours | Under 30 minutes | QR code requests |
| Critical part stockouts | Several per quarter | Near zero | Minimum stock per part |
| IFS audit preparation | 3 to 5 days | Under one day | Timestamped history |
| MTTR (mean time to repair) | 2 to 3 hours | Under 1.5 hours | History and procedures |
*2026 orders of magnitude seen in the food industry, to be measured on your site.*
SaaS or custom CMMS: 2026 cost comparison
For 25 users (technicians, team leads, storekeeper, production), the five year cost of a SaaS CMMS gets close to a custom build. The difference lies in process fit and code ownership.
| Option | 2026 cost | 5 year cost (25 users) | Timeline | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level SaaS CMMS | 40 EUR per user per month (market estimate) | About 60,000 EUR | 1 to 2 months | Standard processes |
| Advanced SaaS CMMS | 120 EUR per user per month (market estimate) | About 180,000 EUR | 2 to 4 months | Heavy configuration |
| Custom build by a German software firm | 50,000 to 120,000 EUR (market estimate) | 70,000 to 150,000 EUR with maintenance | 4 to 6 months | Vendor choice is critical |
| Kolonell complex application | 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and up depending on scope | About 21,500 to 33,700 EUR with maintenance at 180 EUR a month | 4 to 6 months | PLC interfaces to scope |
| Kolonell application maintenance | 110 to 180 EUR per month | 6,600 to 10,800 EUR | Ongoing | Budget it from day one |
| Custom CMMS module | Content | Budget share | ||
| Asset tree and records | 900 assets, QR codes, documents | 15% | ||
| Requests and work orders | Mobile, photos, signature, post maintenance cleaning | 25% | ||
| Preventive and condition based | Calendar, counters, PLC thresholds | 20% | ||
| Spare parts | Minimums, reservations, suppliers | 15% | ||
| Traceability and audits | IFS history, food grade lubricants | 10% | ||
| KPIs | OEE, MTTR, MTBF, cost per line | 15% |
Mini case study
Katrin, maintenance manager of a dairy plant near Stuttgart (150 employees, 900 assets, 4 lines), suffers 420 hours of unplanned downtime a year. Each hour costs about 1,800 EUR in lost output, labor and material, or 756,000 EUR a year.
With a cautious 20% reduction, she avoids 84 hours, or 151,200 EUR a year. A custom CMMS at 80,000 EUR plus 4,000 EUR of yearly maintenance pays back in about 7 months of steady operation. Even at a 10% reduction, payback arrives in just over a year.
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FAQ
How long to tag 900 machines with QR codes?
Inventory and labeling take 3 to 5 weeks for a two person team. It is often the moment to clean the asset tree and remove 10 to 15% of obsolete records.
Can the CMMS read PLC counters?
Yes through OPC UA or a gateway to the SCADA layer, enabling preventive maintenance on run hours or cycle counts. This connector usually accounts for 10 to 15% of the budget.
Can technicians work on smartphones?
Yes, the application is mobile first with photos and signature. Plan devices rated for wet zones and washdowns, typically 8 to 12 units.
Does the CMMS really help with IFS audits?
It provides the timestamped history of interventions, post maintenance cleaning and products used. Preparation drops from several days to under one day.
Can we migrate data from our old CMMS?
Yes, assets, history and stock are imported from Excel or CSV exports. Allow 1 to 2 weeks depending on data quality.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your asset count, users and audit constraints, and we will price a CMMS delivered in 4 to 6 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
