Shutdown software
Mining Shutdown Software for Mill Relines and Plant Stops
Mining shutdown software plans a processing plant stop around the mill reline. In MaintWiz the reline sets the critical path and other plant jobs fit in its float, readiness gates check liner kits, tools and permits before the window opens, heavy lifts and shared tools are scheduled by crew and day, and every shift hands over with a note and an as-left summary on the work order, so the next crew picks up an unfinished lift safely.
How MaintWiz helps: MaintWiz is a comprehensive shutdown solution for mines and concentrators. It has the reline kits, lifts and crews ready before the window opens and carries every job across the shift change.
- Scope, plan, schedule, execution and close-out in one module
- Critical-path Gantt with float and baselines
- Seven readiness gates, signed off by name
- Integrated ePTW: permits and LOTO isolations on every work order
- Earned value: planned, earned and actual, with cost and schedule indices
- Spares needed, in stock and short, with SAP status
- Mobile work orders, offline on transaction screens
- 15 AI agents propose each day; your people approve
By Jai Balachandran · Technical review: Murali Nerur Pasupathy · Published · Last reviewed
What MaintWiz adds:Reline on the critical pathLiner kit readinessShared lifts by crewHandover on every job
The reline
What makes a mill reline shutdown hard to hold to the hour?
A short window, repeated often, with one critical job and shared heavy lifts.
Liner and tool readiness
Liner kits, bolts and relining tools must be staged before the stop.
Heavy-lift clashes
The reline and other jobs need the same cranes and access.
Shift handovers
A lift left unfinished at shift change is the riskiest moment of the stop.
Early liner failure
An unplanned reline arrives before the plan is ready.
US surface-mine rules require repairs or maintenance to be done only after the power is off and the machinery is blocked against hazardous motion. 1 UK HSE notes that many accidents at shift handover involved planned maintenance work. 2
MaintWiz
How does MaintWiz run a mill reline shutdown?
The shutdown superintendent's problems, each with its screen.
| Your problem | What MaintWiz does |
|---|---|
| Heavy-lift clashes | Shared tool pools, availability by week and the look-ahead by crew |
| Shift handover | Shift handover lists, and a handover note and as-left summary on every work order |
| Liner and tool readiness | Readiness gates for materials, tools and permits, and kit readiness by package |
| Critical path and float | Gantt, driving path and float flag, with the reline as the path |
| Inspections in the window | Inspection packages planned with permits and gates |
Repeat relines
How does MaintWiz handle relines that come round every few months?
Each reline is a project in the same history, so the next one starts from the last.
Last reline on record
Duration, crew hours and lessons from the previous reline.
Against earlier ones
Compare this reline with the last on duration and incidents.
Early failure
Bring an unplanned reline forward from the last plan and re-check the gates.
Kits staged
Kit readiness by package shows what is still missing.
Measures
What should you measure in a reline?
A few measures tell you whether the reline went well; MaintWiz reads them from the same plan the field updates.
Reline hours against plan
Mill back on feed against the planned hour.
Mill availability after return
Running time in the weeks after the stop.
Liner life
Hours or tonnes achieved by the liner set.
Incidents
Lifting and isolation incidents and near misses.
Kits ready at the start
Liners, bolts and tools staged before the window opened.
Worked example
Worked example: an unfinished lift at shift change
ILLUSTRATION: an 18-day concentrator shutdown with the SAG mill reline as the critical path; flotation and thickener work fits in its float.
- 1Kits checkedLiners, bolts and tools pass the gates
- 2Reline startsCritical path; other jobs in float
- 3Shift ends mid-liftLift rigged, not landed
- 4Handover on the jobNote and as-left summary on the work order
- 5Next crewPicks up the lift with the facts in hand
One system
Why run the reline inside the CMMS?
The reline uses the same equipment, spares and permits as everyday maintenance; keeping them in one system removes the re-keying between tools.
Work orders and history
Every reline job is a work order on the same equipment record, so findings and repairs stay in the asset's history.
Spares and SAP
Needed, in stock and short come from the same stores data, with the SAP request or order behind each short part.
Permits and isolations
ePTW permits and isolations sit on each work order, and a package cannot close while one is open.
AI agents with an approver
AI agents review scope, estimates and the schedule and write daily summaries; each proposal has a named person who approves it.
Who uses it
Who uses MaintWiz in a reline?
Each role sees its own part of one plan, so nobody works from a copy.
| Role | What they see | What they decide or record |
|---|---|---|
| Site general manager | Restart hour and cost | Decisions on extensions |
| Maintenance superintendent | Critical path, lifts and readiness | Daily priorities and crews |
| Shutdown planner | Float, kits and the last reline | Sequence of other plant jobs |
| Reline contractor | Their jobs and the handover notes | Progress and as-left state |
| Operations | Isolations and permits | Release and restart |
Getting started
How do you start from your last reline plan?
Start from the last reline and the hours it took.
- 1
Load last stop's job list
Import the last reline's job list from Excel, or the schedule as Microsoft Project XML; MaintWiz is interoperable with Primavera P6.
- 2
Fix the restart time
Set the date that cannot move and let the critical path, float and baselines show what drives it.
- 3
Set the gates
Configure the seven readiness gates to your rules: materials, resources, predecessors, tools and scaffold, permits and isolations, scope and engineering, and go.
- 4
Bring the crews in
Planners, supervisors, technicians and contractors get role menus and the native mobile app, with offline work on transaction screens.
- 5
Close and keep it
Close-out records handover, lessons and deferred items, so the next stop is planned against this one.
MaintWiz is shutdown management software built into an AI CMMS, so the stop shares work orders, spares, ePTW permits and maintenance history with the rest of the plant. For the sector background, read mining shutdown planning.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does mining shutdown software do?
It plans and runs a processing plant shutdown around the mill reline: the critical path, readiness of liners, tools and permits, shared lifts by crew and day, and the handover of every job between shifts.
Can MaintWiz plan a SAG or ball mill reline?
Yes. The reline is the critical path of the shutdown project, with its kits, tools, permits and crews checked by readiness gates before the window opens.
How does MaintWiz fit other plant jobs around the reline?
The Gantt and float map show which jobs have float, so flotation, thickener and conveyor work is scheduled around the reline without touching its path.
How are heavy lifts shared between shifts?
Shared tool pools and the look-ahead by crew show who has the crane and when, so clashes are seen before the shift starts.
How do shift handovers work in MaintWiz?
Each work order carries a handover note and an as-left summary, and shift handover lists show what passes to the next crew.
How are liners, tools and crews checked before the stop?
Readiness gates for materials, tools, permits and resources, and kit readiness by package, show what is ready and what is missing.
What happens to the plan when a liner fails early?
Bring the next reline forward from the last plan, re-check the gates for kits and crews, and the float shows what else must move.
Can we import a reline plan from Microsoft Project or Excel?
Yes. MaintWiz imports Microsoft Project XML and Excel task lists and is interoperable with Primavera P6.
How is MaintWiz priced?
MaintWiz is a subscription that grows with your users, sites and modules, with a fixed implementation fee; ask for a written quote at a demo.
Can MaintWiz use the equipment records we already have?
Yes. Equipment lists and job lists load from Excel, schedules from Microsoft Project XML, and where the plant runs SAP, assets and their codes sync from SAP PM or MM.
Sources
Sources
Public sources read on 7 November 2026. Worked examples are for illustration.
Have the reline ready before the window opens
Book a demo and bring your last reline plan. We will show the kit gates, the lift plan and the handover on your own mill.