Properties, equipment, systems, processes, and the data associated with them form a complex whole in industrial production. Ensuring operational reliability in an industrial facility requires careful management of this entirety. One essential piece of the puzzle is high-quality documentation of industrial assets, which significantly clarifies lifecycle management for industrial companies.
“Managing industrial assets manually is extremely difficult because there’s simply so much equipment and related data. Everyday practical issues quickly become burdensome without the support of a digital system,” says Jukka Häkkilä, Product Development Manager at Vitec ALMA.
Häkkilä has 40 years of experience in the chemical industry, where he was responsible for automation and electrical maintenance as well as production IT system projects.
Now, as Product Development Manager, Häkkilä’s role includes developing new features for DocALMA and harmonizing the product. DocALMA is a module within the ALMA system for managing industrial data and documentation.
In recent years, ALMA’s product development has focused on enabling industrial companies to compile all technical data into one system, creating a controlled digital overview of their assets.
“This includes all assets related to the customer’s business – and in a way that makes systems and devices easily identifiable for users. In addition to properties and equipment, this includes automation systems, fire alarm systems, access control systems, camera surveillance systems, and the servers and networks associated with them,” Häkkilä lists.
DocALMA is designed for managing files and documents generated during asset description, and its capabilities have been further enhanced through product development.
“We’ve focused on harmonizing logical structures, meaning we’ve standardized how production equipment hierarchies and management are represented in the system. For example, product cards, user manuals, maintenance instructions, installation guides, and spare parts are all unified – enabling full lifecycle management. We use industry-standard frameworks as the foundation.”
Thanks to harmonized solutions, each device is represented in one place in the system and always described in the same way. Data remains consistent across all sites, and necessary spare parts are automatically linked to the device without manual effort.
“Previously, if the same spare part was used in 50 devices and a change was needed, the update had to be made 50 times. Now, a single update is enough, and it’s reflected everywhere. This saves time and significantly reduces errors,” Häkkilä explains.
Häkkilä illustrates the benefits of harmonized solutions with a practical example:
“If an industrial company is building a new facility, DocALMA can be used to first create requirement specifications for design, then build the equipment structure and document user and maintenance instructions directly in the system during construction. The hierarchy and documentation are created in one go. Documents are immediately available when the facility is commissioned and maintenance begins.”
All data is stored on product cards throughout the facility’s lifecycle – and under the owner’s control, not the design firm’s.
While DocALMA is strongly built around structural asset management, its other key function is ensuring documents are easy to find and use in daily operations.
“Document management – especially findability – remains a key development area for us. Good document management means information isn’t scattered across hard drives or personal folders, but is systematically classified and linked to assets,” Häkkilä says.
DocALMA uses keywords and metadata according to industry standards, but classification alone isn’t enough for managing technical data. DocALMA’s core strength is that every document is directly linked to an asset and its structure.
“In practice, this means that when a user views a document, they immediately see which device, system, or process it belongs to. That context is far more valuable than just a file name or keyword. It makes the information truly usable and reduces unnecessary searching,” Häkkilä clarifies.
Improving the user-friendliness of document management remains a priority for Vitec ALMA, and technological advancements are expanding the possibilities.
“Of course, we’re exploring how to leverage AI in the future. Searching for documents is easier for AI than for humans, because AI can process large data volumes and perform broader database queries.”
“Another exciting development area is integrating ALMA with 3D models. In the future, maintenance personnel will be able to view devices, data, and instructions directly within the facility’s digital model – speeding up work and significantly improving safety,” Häkkilä envisions.