Remote Site Management: Expert Insights from Fiix Webinar with Tom Dufton

On March 24, Fiix’s “In Conversation With” series featured maintenance veteran Tom Dufton, who shares how he kept Perth County Ingredients’ egg‑based production running from home during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Key takeaways for remote plant management

• Prioritise work orders. Tom builds an “essential” list of high‑impact tasks and shares it with leadership to guide staffing decisions.
• Leverage mobile CMMS. Technicians log work on smartphones, giving managers real‑time visibility and allowing staff to stay on the shop floor in minimal numbers.
• Embed safety information in every job. Manuals, PPE requirements and safety procedures live on the work order, fostering a culture of compliance and enabling remote training.
• Track parts in real time. The parts & supplies module shows quantity and location, so workers can retrieve the right parts without a supervisor on hand.
• Maintain daily communication. Tools like WhatsApp keep the team connected, reduce burnout, and help managers balance workload remotely.

Tom also explained how he transitioned from reactive to proactive maintenance, secured CMMS buy‑in from his team, and used data to justify new hires. Watch the full recording here (timecodes below for quick navigation).

Suggested viewing times

• 5:00 – COVID‑19 impact on operations
• 8:00 – Production changes
• 9:38 – Essential work‑order list
• 11:40 – Existing tools that helped the transition
• 14:58 – Supporting staff mental & physical health
• 18:29 – Communicating wins to leadership
• 20:26 – Backlog report justifying new staff
• 22:15 – Joint H&S team’s use of Fiix
• 23:02 – Gaining team buy‑in
• 25:34 – Lessons from multiple site implementations

Audience questions & answers

• 28:40 – New COVID‑19 safety procedures
• 29:50 – Installing Wi‑Fi throughout the facility
• 31:05 – Overcoming mobile‑app adoption resistance
• 32:45 – Integrating health & safety into CMMS
• 34:40 – Connecting Fiix to IoT devices
• 37:00 – Starting small with CMMS roll‑out
• 38:36 – Assigning work to contractors
• 40:32 – Standardising Fiix across sites & audit facilitation
• 42:57 – Enhancing team flexibility
• 44:28 – New Fiix work‑request portal rollout

Tom Dufton
Maintenance / Project Manager, Perth County Ingredients
Maintenance Improvement Manager / Continuous Improvement Initiator, L.H. Gray & Son Ltd.
Licensed Red‑Seal electrician (309), 20+ years in Food & Beverage, specialising in automation.

Since 2017, Tom has led CMMS deployments across multiple L.H. Gray facilities, driving operational excellence and digital transformation.