HelpFab

Preventive maintenance software built for small plants

A maintenance queue that shows what's broken, what's overdue, and what you can knock out during the next downtime.

Start free

No credit card, set up in an afternoon

See it work

Maintenance queue

HelpFab maintenance queue sorted into Breakdowns, Overdue, Available, and Coming up, with each PM showing its machine, frequency, estimated duration, and parts availability.

PM detail with linked parts

A maintenance plan editor showing the machine, frequency, estimated duration, early-start window, and the parts and consumables linked to the PM with quantities.

Machine reliability

A machine's reliability page showing availability, MTBF, MTTR and failure counts for the selected date range, with a monthly trend chart of failures against availability.

Sound familiar?

  • Your PM schedule lives in a spreadsheet nobody opens until something breaks.
  • The CMMS you priced wants $50 per user per month and a six-week rollout.
  • Techs do PMs when the line is already down, but the calendar says they're not due yet.

How it works

  1. Set up each machine once: PM tasks, interval, estimated duration, parts used.
  2. HelpFab builds a queue sorted by Breakdowns, Overdue, Available, and Coming up. An early-start window (default 25% of the interval) makes PMs available before they’re due.
  3. Techs complete the PM from a phone, scan the parts they used, and the next one schedules itself.

Features

  • Maintenance queue instead of a calendar: Do what's ready, when the machine is free
  • Early-start window per PM: So opportunistic maintenance counts as on time
  • Parts and consumables linked to every PM: With scan-to-deduct at completion
  • Breakdowns created from the downtime log: No double entry
  • Per-machine history: With MTTR and MTBF
  • Works on any phone or tablet: Installs as an app, no IT required

Who it's for

Plants with 5 to 50 machines and one or two people responsible for keeping them running. If you're replacing a spreadsheet or a whiteboard, this is for you. If you need multi-site asset hierarchies and purchasing workflows, you want an enterprise CMMS.

Common questions

Is HelpFab a CMMS?

It covers the parts of a CMMS a small plant uses: PM scheduling, work orders, parts tracking, and machine history. It skips purchasing, multi-site hierarchies, and contractor management.

How long does setup take?

Most plants enter their machines and PMs in an afternoon. There's no implementation project.

Does it work without internet on the floor?

It needs a connection to sync, but the installed app opens and loads fast on plant Wi-Fi.

What does it cost?

The Free plan includes one app. Basic is $24/month for three apps, and All Access is $49/month for unlimited apps. See Pricing.

Can I import my existing PM list?

Yes, from a spreadsheet. Email support if you want help.

Related Guides

CMMS vs downtime tracking software

Andon systems for small shops

Track changeover time

Stop maintaining the spreadsheet. Start maintaining the machines.

Start free

See pricing