Ideas looking for testers and sponsors

LK Up guide · for maintenance managers · 6 min read

LK Up is free because we built it for our own plant. The list below is what we would build next if a plant needed it enough to test it, or to pay for the weeks it takes. Some items are months away, some are probably never. Each one says which.

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Free maintenance system on your own Mac or Windows PC · phones use the web app, offline too · the user manual

How this works

Everything already in LK Up stays free, for everyone, and a sponsored feature joins it the same way: the sponsor gets it first and shapes it; every plant gets it in the next release. A tester gets a build before the release and a direct line to the people who wrote it, in exchange for trying it on real machines and saying what hurt. Neither costs you a licence, ever.

To test or sponsor an item, write to us with the item's name, the number of machines and technicians, and what you track today. We answer with a plan and an honest date, or an honest "not yet".

In development now

  • Native iPhone and Android apps. The web app on a phone already does the work, offline too. The native apps add a camera that opens faster, a scanner that reads a label from further away, and a store icon the plant's IT recognises. Looking for: plants with ten or more phones on the floor to run the test builds. Likely: months, not years.
  • A Linux server. The same program, for plants that already run a Linux box or a NAS. The code is shared; what is missing is a plant to run it on for a month. Looking for: a plant with a Linux server on the plant network and an administrator who will send logs. Likely.

Planned, waiting for a plant that needs it

  • The LK On link. LK On, our backup touchscreen for the machine, already logs stops and alarms. The plan is for a stop the device saw to become an incident on the right asset in LK Up, and for stops over a threshold to open a work order. Looking for: a plant with a machine that stops often and no one who records it. Likely once a plant runs both.
  • A hosted copy. A read-mostly copy of your plant on our servers, so a maintenance manager at home or a second building can open it without a VPN; optional, priced flat per plant, never per seat, and the plant's own server stays the master. Looking for: a company with two or more sites and a manager who travels between them. Likely, but after the apps.
  • A wall board. A screen in the maintenance shop or at the line that shows machines down, open and overdue work, and who is on what, with no login, like an andon board. Most of it is the dashboard already; the rest is a kiosk mode. Looking for: a shop with a spare TV. Likely and cheap.

Ideas we like and have not committed to

  • AI that answers from your manuals and your history. "What did we do the last two times the filler jammed?" answered from your own work orders and the pinned PDFs, on your own PC, with a key you bring. The records already have the structure; the question is cost and whether a plant trusts it. We would start read-only. Unlikely to be free to run; likely free to use with your own key. Looking for: a plant with a real manual library and a sceptical manager.
  • Voice problem reports. An operator holds a button on the public report page and says what is wrong; the text, the machine and the stop time are filled in. Worth doing only if transcription runs on the plant's own PC. Looking for: a loud hall and a shift that will try it. Uncertain.
  • Failure forecasts from meters and history. A meter's rate and a machine's failure history already give a next-due forecast; the step beyond is "this bearing fails every 1,400 hours, you are at 1,320". Honest only with enough history, so it would stay quiet for a year on a new plant. Looking for: a plant with two years of history to import. Plausible, not soon.
  • Connectors to SAP, Dynamics and other ERPs beyond CSV and webhooks. The REST API, webhooks and the ERP export script exist; a named connector needs a plant with that ERP and an IT person on the other end. Looking for: exactly that. Likely if sponsored; never speculatively.
  • Barcode guns and NFC tags next to the QR labels. For plants that already own the scanners. Small. Looking for: a storeroom with a gun on the counter.
  • SMS and voice-call notifications for crews without smartphones, and a daily digest on paper from a shop printer. Low tech on purpose. Looking for: a plant where half the crew has a flip phone.
  • A company roll-up over several plants. Several sites exist already in one server; a corporate view over several servers in several cities does not. Plausible together with the hosted copy.

Things we will not do

  • Charge per seat, per technician or per phone. Not for anything on this page.
  • Move your data off your PC without your choice. The hosted copy, if it comes, is a copy you turn on.
  • Control a machine. LK Up records maintenance work; the PLC and its safety program are not its business. Writing to a machine is LK Go's job, with a person's unlock.
  • Publish the source code without saying so here first. The licence question is open; the FAQ on the LK Up page will change the day it is decided.

What is in the current release and what is already scheduled, by version: What works today and What comes next on the LK Up page, and Feature status inside the app.

Why it is free. We are maintenance people and built LK Up for our own machines, so it is free for every person in your plant, with nothing held back. Missing something this guide should cover? Write to us; the things that save a technician time tend to get built. What LK Up is →

Questions about testing and sponsoring

FAQ
What does a sponsor actually pay for?

The weeks of work for that item, as a flat sum agreed before we start, not a licence and not a subscription. The sponsor gets the first builds, decides the details with us, and the feature ships free to every plant in the next release.

What does a tester commit to?

To run a test build on real phones or a real server for a few weeks and to tell us what hurt, in a message or a short call. Nothing else, and you can stop at any time.

Can we ask for something not on this list?

Yes, and most of the current feature list arrived that way. Say what you need and how you work today; the things that save a technician time tend to get built.

Ask about your plant

A maintenance person answers

Say how you track this today and what gets in the way. We answer with concrete steps in LK Up, or an honest "not yet" and a place on the list.