Asset Benchmarking
Create comparison groups between similar assets to identify which ones are below expected performance according to fleet KPIs.
Asset Benchmarking
In a plant with multiple assets of the same type — pumps, compressors, motors — knowing that motor M-07 has an AHI of 63 is not enough. The relevant question is: is 63 good or bad compared to the other 11 motors on the same line? The Benchmarking module answers exactly that question by creating comparison groups and calculating automatic performance rankings.
Benchmarking converts individual data points into fleet intelligence. Instead of reviewing each asset separately, you can see at a glance which assets are performing below the group average and which are the top performers. This enables maintenance decisions based on comparative evidence, not just absolute thresholds.
What is it for?
Identifying underperforming assets is the primary use of benchmarking. A piece of equipment can technically be "within limits" according to its alarms, yet consistently perform worse than its fleet equivalents — a signal that something is degrading before it reaches alarm level.
The Benchmarking module allows you to:
- Create comparison groups by type, model, area, or any combination of criteria
- Compare multiple assets against the same reference KPIs (reliability, availability, failure frequency)
- Get automatic rankings: best, average, and worst performance in the group
- Detect assets that consume disproportionately more maintenance resources than their equivalents
- Generate fleet insights for investment and replacement decisions
How does it work?
The user defines a benchmarking group by selecting assets based on criteria: equipment type, manufacturer, model, plant area, or manual selection. The system automatically calculates KPIs for each asset in the group and normalizes them for fair comparison.
Comparison KPIs include:
| KPI | Description |
|---|---|
| Availability | Percentage of time the equipment was operational |
| MTBF | Mean Time Between Failures |
| MTTR | Mean Time To Repair |
| Average AHI | Average health index over the period |
| Maintenance cost | Total cost of interventions in the period |
| Alarm frequency | Number of alarms per week of operation |
The system calculates each asset's position within the group (percentile) and generates a ranking. Assets in the bottom quartile of the group are automatically flagged as candidates for review.
Using from the Dashboard
Create a benchmarking group
- Go to Assets in the sidebar and select the Benchmarking tab.
- Click New Group.
- Name the group (e.g. "Screw Compressors — North Plant").
- Define the selection criteria:
- By equipment type (e.g. Compressor)
- By manufacturer and model (e.g. Atlas Copco GA 30)
- By plant area
- Manual selection of specific assets
- Choose the analysis period: last month, last quarter, last year.
- Save the group. The system calculates KPIs automatically.
View the group ranking
Inside the group, the main view shows:
- Ranking table: assets sorted from best to worst performance
- Radar chart: visual comparison of KPIs per asset
- Featured assets: the best and worst in the group with their metrics
Assets in the bottom quartile (worst 25% of the group) appear highlighted in orange — these are the priority candidates for inspection or root cause analysis.
Fleet insights
In the Fleet Summary view you can see:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Average availability | Mean availability of the group in the period |
| Best asset | The equipment with the best composite performance |
| Worst asset | The equipment that deviates most from the group average |
| Standard deviation | How spread out the group's performance is |
| Group trend | Whether the group as a whole is improving or deteriorating |
Benchmarking groups are automatically recalculated every 24 hours. You can also force a manual recalculation from the group menu by clicking Recalculate now.
Key benefits
- Immediate identification of underperforming assets within the group of similar equipment
- Automatic rankings that eliminate subjectivity when prioritizing interventions
- Fair comparison between assets of the same type, model, or area
- Consolidated fleet insights for executive reports and investment decisions
- Early detection of degradation before it reaches critical alarm level
- Evidence base for replacement decisions grounded in comparative performance
Common use cases
Scenario 1: Identify the most expensive compressor to maintain The maintenance manager creates a group with the plant's 6 compressors. Analysis of the past 12 months shows that C-04 has a maintenance cost of $8,400 — triple the group average ($2,800). Its MTBF is also the lowest in the group. With that evidence, they present a justified case for a full overhaul or replacement of C-04.
Scenario 2: Compare performance across shifts The plant operates in 3 shifts with 4 identical production lines. The coordinator creates benchmarking groups by shift to compare equipment availability. They discover that line 3 on the night shift has availability 8 percentage points below the average. They investigate whether it is an operator issue, a maintenance issue, or equipment condition.
Scenario 3: Validate effectiveness of a new maintenance provider After switching the maintenance provider for motors in area A, the maintenance manager compares MTTR before and after the change using the group history. The data shows that repair time dropped from an average of 4.2 hours to 2.8 hours. Benchmarking provides objective evidence of the impact of the change.