Saving up to six hours per week with digital maintenance management
How fast-food chain Five Guys ensures efficient maintenance and servicing with PlanRadar
Five Guys, the US fast-food chain giant, has operated in Germany since 2017.
Maintenance Manager Thomas Daufenbach oversees 22 restaurants. Initially, communication about maintenance issues was disorganised, with information lost and through vague descriptions. PlanRadar was chosen for structured information recording and exchange. All maintenance-related communication is now done via the software, streamlining processes.
The result: PlanRadar saves 4-6 hours per week on maintenance administration for Thomas Daufenbach and 3-5 hours for individual restaurant managers by providing flexibility, transparency, and centralised data storage for enhanced follow-up work.
The problem: Analogue data acquisition increases maintenance and servicing costs
Thomas Daufenbach is the Maintenance Manager at Five Guys. He is responsible for the servicing and maintenance of 22 restaurants in Germany. Part of his work involves managing day-to-day incidents and breakdowns which can range from changing a light bulb to fixing broken ventilation systems. Maintenance management addresses these challenges to keep things in running order. Maintenance intervals need to be carefully planned and adapted to the respective conditions to save costs. Five Guys is expanding very quickly in Germany. Given that the fast-food company uses standardised systems, all structures and processes must be simple, clear and identical in all restaurants, from Hamburg to Munich. Initially, this was not the case, with faults and maintenance requirements being communicated via WhatsApp, phone and email. “Information kept being lost. Back then, someone would simply write ‘broken lamp’ and we would need to ask many follow-up questions to determine what the exact issue was,” explained Thomas Daufenbach.
The solution: Structured recording and exchange of information with software for maintenance and servicing
The Maintenance Manager was looking for a tool that would bring structure and transparency to the processes surrounding maintenance and repair. He chose PlanRadar because it is very flexible, intuitive and easy to use. “The incredible flexibility was key for us. The user is in control of how to set up PlanRadar, because all the tickets, lists and forms can be adapted to individual requirements,” said Thomas Daufenbach. Today, all communication about breakdowns and maintenance is done via the software. Important information such as plans, contact persons, lists of manufacturers, serial numbers and frequently performed tasks are stored in the tool so that operators can access them quickly and easily when creating new tickets on site.
The result: Saving up to 6 hours thanks to PlanRadar as software for maintenance and servicing
Thomas Daufenbach explained the benefits: “PlanRadar saves me four to six hours per week of time spent on administration for maintenance management. For individual restaurant managers, I would estimate the saving at three to five hours per week.” This, alongside the ease of use, are the reasons why PlanRadar is also appreciated by the restaurant operators. With PlanRadar, Thomas Daufenbach and restaurant managers can communicate professionally and transparently on all issues relating to maintenance and servicing. All documents are also stored together in one place. Among other things, this is also a great help when it comes to follow-up work. If, for example, an appliance keeps breaking down, Daufenbach can create a complete report with all the details at any time. By tapping a single button, he can get a detailed overview into all the measures that have been implemented to date.
