Partner Profile with Pontifexx

What makes Pontifexx and its services different?

We stand out not only by offering advice but also providing implementation and execution services. While many consulting firms deliver reports, we focus on pragmatic solutions and realization. Our hands-on approach is centered on creating value for our clients and avoiding waste. We prioritize sustainable results, from risk assessment and maintenance optimization to establishing efficient spare parts management.  

Pontifexx has a team with extensive knowledge of technology in industrial environments, making us an ideal partner to understand, explain, and implement technologies for the asset owner. By combining this technical expertise with years of experience across various sectors, we deliver tailored solutions that enhance our clients’ operational effectiveness. We aim for thorough integration into the client’s environment so that our work aligns seamlessly with daily operations. 

How is Pontifexx working with IFS Ultimo?

We have been collaborating with IFS Ultimo since 2013, back when it was still on-premise software. At Pontifexx, we have followed the product’s development but have also actively contributed with insights from our domain knowledge. From the beginning, we aimed to continuously enhance asset and maintenance management, knowing that all our improvements needed a solid foundation—and Ultimo provided exactly that.  

Over time, we have increased our services focus on Ultimo, as we consider it to be the most effective platform. It is fundamentally an excellent package, and we trust it will continue to lead in technological advancements. This aligns perfectly with our philosophy and brings us closer to our shared goal: maximizing customer value. 

Our headquarters in the Netherlands are only 40 km apart, which strengthens our cultural and operational alignment. Our organizations share the same mission.  

What were your takeaways from the Ultimo Partner Summit in September?

Nexus was a valuable networking experience for us, as it brought together the epicenter of asset and maintenance management. That said, there’s still much work to be done, because the industry lags behind the technologies that are now available. 

What I particularly appreciate is Ultimo’s commitment to new technologies, the improved UX, and the strong focus on the partner network. We’re more than willing to get on board with them to bring these advancements to our clients.

Why do you think you won the IFS Ultimo Co-sell Partner of the Year 2024 award?

In the Netherlands, we are the largest implementation partner for IFS Ultimo, with a team of 15 certified colleagues. Our consultants are not only trained in technical implementation but also in promoting effective usage, allowing the asset owner to derive more value from their Ultimo system. The variety of projects, expansions, diverse clients, and consultants provide us with a stable foundation from which we can make a significant impact. Our collaboration and co-sell activities are not reliant on a small group of colleagues but are widely supported across our organization. 

IFS Ultimo clients who choose Pontifexx as their implementation partner receive sharp advice and experience projects completed on time and within budget. This consistent quality is visible to Ultimo as well, and I believe this has been a significant factor in recognizing us as the co-sell partner of the year.

Tell us how you add customer value to IFS Ultimo, and how that impacts your business?

We operate under a one-stop-shop principle, implementing Ultimo to bring our clients to level two on our maturity model. Executing large-scale maintenance shutdowns, we approach the organization as a whole. This enables us to identify areas where improvements can be made using Ultimo. We provide not only business intelligence solutions but also in-company training for employees at various levels, from operators to maintenance engineers. Furthermore, we offer FMECA software and several artificial intelligence (AI) products to add further value. 

We are convinced that Ultimo will be integrating the best practices of AI in their solution to keep on improving the solution and enhance AI automation. Next to that, as we are a frontrunner in tech, we are also investigating and investing heavily in new developments like AI. We already work with specific client groups on tailored needs, deploying these AI solutions directly within their environments. We have four AI add-ons, including a document search tool that also searches in SharePoint, ensuring that clients never have to search for documents again. We’ve also developed a solution for article naming inconsistencies, which often hinder findability. With AI, we’re happy to solve this issue for them.

What are your future plans with Ultimo?

We look forward to continuing the exciting technological journey and focusing on growth in Germany. Many Dutch companies have branches there, and we see that Germany is generally lagging in maintenance maturity. The German industry needs to catch up to strengthen its competitive position, and as a neighboring country with extensive expertise in this field, we are eager to contribute. We know our approach works in the Netherlands, and we are determined to bring the same acceleration to Germany. 

At Pontifexx, we are also choosing to focus exclusively on IFS Ultimo. We won’t be doing configuration work for other enterprise asset management (EAM) packages because we believe the future lies in focus. We will of course continue to provide support for our large corporate clients still on SAP plant maintenance—although we appreciate that they may also consider switching at some point. But, working with SAP for a major shutdown feels like a runner sprinting through mud (SAP PM) rather than on a smooth track (IFS Ultimo). 

What else would you like us to know?

We look forward to an exciting future where we can leverage all available technologies for a waste-free world. We aim to work predictively while fully harnessing human potential. Our focus is on structuring our company to be the ideal partner for collaboration at both factory level and multisite operations. This approach ensures that our clients can always count on reliable, innovative solutions tailored to their unique challenges and growth ambitions. 

How do people find out more?

Head to the Ponitfexx website or find us on LinkedIn.