Maintenance Manager supports runtime-based maintenance intervals that can trigger work orders when a machine reaches a defined number of operating hours. For equipment linked to a work center or machine center in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, runtime values are updated automatically as production orders are posted. For equipment where hours come from an external source, such as a PLC or hour meter, that value can be updated manually or fed into BC through an integration.
Runtime Intervals in Maintenance Manager
Within a maintenance task, the interval type can be set to Runtime, which uses hours or minutes as the trigger unit. When the cumulative runtime on a piece of equipment reaches the defined threshold, the maintenance task is flagged as due and a work order can be generated. For equipment tied to a work center or machine center in BC, this runtime accumulates automatically as production activity is posted against that resource, so no manual entry is required in most manufacturing environments.
Integrating External Hour Meter Data
For equipment where runtime is tracked by a PLC or physical hour meter rather than by Business Central’s production posting, the integration path typically involves an intermediary. The most common approach is to have the PLC write to a database, which Business Central then reads to update the runtime or interval value on the maintenance equipment item. Insight Works has partner relationships with automation providers who offer OPC-to-SQL type connectors to facilitate this flow. If the organization already runs an MES platform, that system likely captures PLC runtime data already, and the integration becomes a connection between Business Central and the MES rather than directly to the PLC. In either case, once the runtime value is current in BC, Maintenance Manager uses it to evaluate whether maintenance is due.
Considerations for Hour Meter vs. Work Center Runtime
There is a practical distinction between using the runtime that BC captures automatically from production posting and using an external hour meter value. The automatic runtime from a work center reflects the time BC believes the machine ran based on posted production orders. An external hour meter reflects actual elapsed engine or motor runtime regardless of what BC has recorded. For equipment where these values can diverge, such as vehicles or standalone machines not tied to BC production orders, an external data feed is the more accurate approach.
Relevant Tools
Maintenance Manager by Insight Works handles runtime-based maintenance intervals and work order generation. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central.
mxAPS by Insight Works can schedule generated maintenance orders alongside production orders to minimize disruption when maintenance falls due during active production periods.
Runtime-based maintenance triggering is well-supported in Maintenance Manager. The cleanest implementation connects external hour meter data through an integration layer so that BC always has a current runtime value, allowing Maintenance Manager to fire work orders at the correct intervals without manual tracking.