Meter-based preventive maintenance CMMS for a plant in Berlin (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a 350-machine plant in Berlin, a SaaS CMMS at EUR 60 to 120 per technician per month is enough as long as maintenance stays calendar-based and machines do not report their counters. Once you want meter-based preventive maintenance (run hours, cycles, tonnes produced) fed automatically by the PLCs, custom software at EUR 45,000 to 100,000 becomes competitive over 5 years. The expected gain, availability rising from 86% to 93%, pays for the tool in under 18 months on a high-value line.

Calendar-based or meter-based: what changes on the shop floor

Calendar-based maintenance triggers a job every 3 months, whether the machine ran 200 or 1,800 hours. The result: unnecessary work on lightly used equipment and breakdowns on machines running three shifts. Meter-based maintenance triggers the work order at the actual wear threshold.

Moving to meters requires data capture: reading the PLCs through OPC UA or Modbus, or else IoT boxes at EUR 150 to 400 per machine. Out of 350 machines, usually only a third needs it, the most critical ones.

Off-the-shelf CMMS or custom build: the numbers

With 18 technicians and 4 planners, a SaaS CMMS stays affordable. The real hidden cost lies in meter integration, advanced module licenses and adapting the tool to shop-floor vocabulary.

Custom wins when the trigger logic is specific to the site (combined hour and cycle thresholds, task lists per machine family, link with the production schedule). A standard CMMS remains the right choice if the plant wants a working tool within 2 months without a project team.

The features that make the difference

A good tool for 350 machines fits in a few screens: equipment tree by line, counters synced every 15 minutes, automatic work orders at threshold, a mobile app for technicians with photos and sign-off, spare parts stock linked to task lists, and an OEE dashboard per line. Require CSV export of history for ISO 9001 audits and insurers. Plan for offline mode too, since Wi-Fi is rarely reliable deep inside a press shop.

Mini case study

Katrin, maintenance manager of a metal packaging plant near Berlin (350 machines, 18 technicians), suffers 420 unplanned breakdowns per year with an average duration of 2.5 hours, or 1,050 hours of downtime. At EUR 1,800 per hour, the bill reaches EUR 1.89M. She launches a custom build at EUR 78,000 with meters on the 110 critical machines (110 boxes at EUR 250, or EUR 27,500). Breakdowns fall to 230 per year, saving 475 hours of downtime and EUR 855,000 of production in year one. Even counting only a quarter of that as real margin, about EUR 214,000, the EUR 105,500 investment is repaid in 6 months.

FAQ

Do all 350 machines need sensors?

No. Start with the 20 to 30% most critical machines. The rest stay on calendar maintenance, which caps the IoT spend at EUR 15,000 to 40,000.

How long does a custom CMMS take to go live?

Allow 14 to 22 weeks, including 4 weeks of scoping with technicians. A first version on a pilot line can run from week 10.

Can we migrate history from the old CMMS?

Yes, through Excel or database export. Migrating 5 years of work orders usually takes 3 to 6 days of work.

Is custom software risky if the vendor disappears?

The risk is handled by contract: source code delivered, documentation, hosting in your name. A takeover by another vendor then costs around 5 to 10% of the initial budget.

Which KPI should track the return on investment?

Availability rate and unplanned breakdowns per month. A 3-point availability gain on a line at EUR 1,800 per hour is worth about EUR 130,000 per year in three-shift operation.

Let's scope your project. Kolonell builds your meter-based CMMS connected to your PLCs, with an indicative budget of EUR 45,000 to 100,000 and a pilot line live within 10 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.