Technology giants IBM have today announced that they are working with the Louvre Museum, Paris to update maintenance and running practices with a single, streamlined database 
for museum staff.
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The Louvre will use their updated technology to protect both facilities and world-famous artwork, replacing paper-based managed repairs and maintenance works with a shared software solution for staff.
The Louvre covers over 650, 000 square feet and first opened in the 18th century; it houses thousands of valuable pieces such as the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. Its artefacts date from prehistory to 1848 and it is Europe’s most popular museum, having played host to a record 8.8 million visitors last year.
Opening each of its galleries every day represents a huge task for museum staff as it’s necessary to schedule more than 65, 000 repairs and maintenance visits annually. The museum recently recognised that in order to remain open on a daily basis, it would have to make the make the corrective and preventative maintenance system more efficient. In order to carry this out, it was necessary to bring the museum into the 21st century by installing computerised systems by IBM.
The Louvre used IBM’s Maximo Asset Management software to streamline certain processes and improve customer service, as well as organise the day-to-day operation and management of the museum effectively. This was carried out with the engagement of IBM Business Partner SQLI who created a single database in order to help the attraction visualise certain processes.
“Managing thousands of repairs, cleaning and maintenance visits per year to preserve the facilities and artwork while keeping the galleries available and accessible to visitors is a daunting undertaking, ” said Metin Pelit, department manager of computerized maintenance management system, The Louvre Museum.
“Thanks to IBM software, we’re able to visualize our entire infrastructure and make better, more informed decisions about when and how to respond to problems – and about when to proactively address a potential problem that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen coming.”
The smart system can now collect information from various systems around the Louvre and give staff and vendors real-time data on each asset. Maximo also predicts performance and reliability on the museums equipment, helping staff to decide which asset is due for replacement or repair.
“Buildings are massive systems of systems, and these systems need to talk to each other for a building to become smarter, ” added Pelit.
“In the Louvre’s case, there’s the added challenge of being home to thousands of irreplaceable pieces of art which must be carefully preserved while trying to accommodate millions of visitors annually.”
“By using Maximo software to monitor the condition of assets across the museum’s facilities in one single database, these systems begin to talk to one another, allowing staff to preserve artwork and facilities with more ease and efficiency. As a result the Louvre is now able to keep the majority of their galleries open to customers on a daily basis while simultaneously reducing costs and energy consumption.”
The use of the IBM technology will give the museum clearer insight into existing assets and will enable staff to better manage their upkeep. The upgraded Maximo software will automatically match tasks to available contractors and keep track of costs and work carried out.
“Technology today can make it possible to “listen” to the abundance of information from buildings, ” said David Bartlett, vice president, Industry Solutions at IBM. “The Louvre Museum has created a fabric of intelligence to better manage and preserve their art and infrastructure for the world to enjoy.”
IBM Smarter Buildings initiative was launched in February 2010 to enable all kinds of buildings to save time and money whilst reducing carbon footprints and ensuring infrastructures can perform at peak performance.
The cross-industry solutions that IBM provide integrate real-time software solutions with the latest in hardware technology which help managers reduce expenses whilst improving asset management and reliability.
