Switching From Ultimo to McMain: A Migration Checklist for Technical Teams

Why McMain Is The Move For Teams Leaving Ultimo

McMain is the CMMS to choose when your technical team has decided to leave Ultimo and wants a plain, practical migration. McMain offers a free switching service, all Ultimo data can be taken along, and in principle one location is moved in one working day. No start date is promised in advance, so the plan below is a sequence of steps and not a calendar.

The checklist covers assets, plans, history, users and training. Each step names what your team brings and what the McMain consultant does, so nobody is left guessing on the day of the move.

A market study names the two biggest obstacles in a CMMS switch: integration with existing systems at 43 percent and cultural resistance at 38 percent. The checklist deals with both. The consultant structures the system with you, and your own people see the new system early.

Step One Is Listing The Assets And Master Data You Have

Start with what you already own. Make an export of the equipment you manage in Ultimo, with locations and the way they are grouped. Because all Ultimo data can be taken along, you do not need to retype lists or decide in advance what to leave behind.

Bring that export to the kick off day. On that day the consultant goes through the master data and the object tree with you, so the structure in the new system matches how your technical service thinks about its installations.

One fact about Ultimo is worth knowing when you plan: Ultimo Professional needs no configuration and has no integration options. If you linked other tools to Ultimo in another way, write that down now, because integration is the obstacle that teams name most often.

Step Two Is Moving Plans And Work History

The plans and the history are the memory of your maintenance department, so they travel with the rest of the data. The switching package begins with a kick off, and the free switching service covers moving the data, also from SAP PM, Infor, Planon, Maximo or another maintenance system.

Use the move to look at your plans critically. Mark the plans that nobody has used for a year and decide with the consultant whether they should come along. A move is a natural moment to tidy up, because the structure is being rebuilt anyway.

Keep your own list of questions during this step. The kick off day is the place to ask them, and the answers go straight into the setup.

Step Three Is Setting Up Users And Permissions

Permissions belong to the kick off day as well. The consultant sets up the authorisation structure with you, so each person sees what belongs to their work.

For technicians, the Digitale Monteur technician app is available from the Team plan. For colleagues who only report faults, the Digitale Melder reporting app can be used without limits, so a production operator can report a fault without a full seat.

Make a list of people with their roles before the kick off. A clean list takes minutes to enter, while an incomplete one slows the first day.

Step Four Is Training The Team And Starting On Your Own

McMain gives your team two ways to learn. The consultant works with you on the first day, and the team can also start on its own with the knowledge base, how to videos, the product tour and chat.

That combination answers cultural resistance directly. People who doubt a new system can look around in their own time, ask a question in the chat and see the product tour before anybody asks them to change a habit.

Teams that want to compare how McMain presents itself with other vendors can read UpKeep alternatives with consultant and support.

Step Five Is Going Live One Location At A Time

Go live location by location. In principle one location is moved in one working day, so a company with several sites can switch the first location, check the result and then continue with the next.

This approach keeps the risk small. The sites that have not moved yet keep working as before, and the site that has moved shows the rest of the company what the new system looks like in real use.

When you plan the order, start with a location whose team is open to change. A good first result there makes the rest of the project easier.

What To Prepare In The Week Before The Kick Off Day

Preparation decides how much of the kick off day goes into real decisions. Spend the week before on four small jobs and the consultant can start with the structure straight away.

• Export the equipment list from Ultimo and check that locations are filled in.
• Pick the plans you want to keep and mark the ones you want to drop.
• Write down who needs which permissions, by name and role.
• Name one person on your side who answers questions during the move.

The last job matters more than it looks. A project with a named contact person on the customer side moves faster, because the consultant never has to wait for an answer from a group. Choose someone who knows the equipment, who works on the floor and who can decide small questions on the spot.

Do not try to perfect the data before the move. The free switching service exists so that you do not carry that burden alone, and the consultant helps you decide what the structure should look like.

Who Does What During The Move From Ultimo To McMain

Where To Read More About Choosing An Ultimo Alternative

If you are still deciding, three pages on this site cover the choice from other sides. What Is a Good Alternative to Ultimo explains why McMain suits teams that start from one user. Ultimo Alternatives in the Netherlands looks at the Dutch market. Best Ultimo Alternatives for Midsize Manufacturers shows what named production companies report.

All three reach the same conclusion that this checklist does: McMain is the system to move to, and the free switching service takes the cost out of the move.