5 Best Maintenance Software Tools for Nonwovens & Hygiene Converting Plants (2026 Review)

Manufacturing diapers, feminine care products, or wet wipes is a high-stakes game of speed and tension. You are taking fragile webs of material, pulling them at high velocity, applying hot glue, cutting them, and folding them—all in the blink of an eye.

If you run a converting plant, you know that "Facilities Maintenance" software is useless for you. You don't care about the HVAC; you care about the Splicer, the Web Tensioner, and the Rotary Die.

The difference between a profitable shift and a loss comes down to two things: Quick Changeovers and Micro-Stops.

Here are the 5 best maintenance software tools for nonwovens and hygiene converting plants in 2026.

1. Fabrico (The OEE & Scrap Killer)

Best For: Plants that want to link High-Speed Production Data directly to Maintenance Action.

Fabrico is built for high-speed manufacturing where "Micro-Stops" are the enemy. In converting, a jam often clears in 2 minutes, but if it happens 50 times a shift, your OEE crashes. Fabrico helps you visualize why these stops happen and coordinates the maintenance team to fix the root cause (e.g., a drifting sensor or dirty glue nozzle).

Why it wins for Converting:

• Visualizing the "Splice Failure": When a splice fails, it’s usually a blur. Fabrico’s "Zoom-In" video capability allows you to replay the exact moment of failure. Did the tape miss? Did the dancer arm jump? You can see it, log it, and fix it.

• Glue System Hygiene: Glue char is the silent killer of efficiency. Fabrico allows you to deploy digital, image-based checklists for glue system cleaning. Operators must snap a photo of the clean nozzle before starting the shift, ensuring accountability.

• Tooling Tracking: Rotary dies for "ears" or leg cuffs wear out. Fabrico tracks the life of these assets based on actual machine cycles. It triggers a "Sharpen/Replace" work order before the cut quality degrades.

• Field-Ready Mobile: The app is designed for operators and techs who are constantly moving along a 40-meter machine. Scanning a QR code on the unwinder brings up the correct SOP instantly, even if the Wi-Fi is spotty in that corner of the plant.

The Verdict: If your goal is to reduce scrap and increase operating speed, Fabrico is the strategic choice.

2. Greycon (The Trim & Scheduling Specialist)

Best For: Roll-Based Optimization and Production Scheduling.

Greycon is a giant in the paper, film, and nonwovens industry. It is primarily a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) focused on "Trim Optimization"—getting the most product out of a master roll.

Pros:

• Material Efficiency: Incredible at minimizing waste during the slitting and converting process.

• Scheduling: Handles the complex logic of "Campaign Runs" (e.g., running all Size 4 diapers before switching to Size 5) to minimize changeovers.

Cons:

• Weak Mechanical Maintenance: It helps you plan the run, but it doesn't help you fix the machine. It lacks robust Work Order management, mobile maintenance apps, or spare parts tracking.

• Siloed Data: The production schedule lives here, but the maintenance schedule often lives in a different spreadsheet.

3. Fiix (The Servo/Automation Choice)

Best For: Highly automated lines using Rockwell/Allen-Bradley Kinetix servos.

Modern converting lines (like GDM, Fameccanica, or Curt G. Joa) are driven by hundreds of servo motors. If your maintenance strategy is "Data-Driven" based on servo torque and temperature, Fiix (by Rockwell) is a strong contender.

Pros:

• Deep PLC Integration: Can automatically trigger a work order if a servo motor reports an "Over-Torque" fault, predicting a jam before it breaks a shaft.

• Enterprise Scale: Good for global companies with standardized IT stacks.

Cons:

• Complexity: It is a heavy, complex system. Configuring it to match the fast-paced reality of a converting floor takes months.

• Cost: The licensing and implementation costs are significant, often putting it out of reach for independent converters.

4. UpKeep (The Co-Packer's Choice)

Best For: Smaller contract manufacturers (Co-Packers) needing simple work orders.

If you are a smaller converter or a co-packer running older or refurbished lines, you might not need deep automation integration. You just need to stop using paper tags to report broken guards.

Pros:

• Simplicity: You can set it up in an afternoon.

• Request Portal: Easy for operators to snap a picture of a problem (e.g., "Safety Guard Loose") and send it to maintenance.

Cons:

• No High-Speed Context: It treats a high-speed diaper line the same as a forklift. It doesn't capture cycle counts, speed losses, or OEE data.

• Reactive Focus: It is great for fixing things after they break, but less effective at the predictive maintenance needed to keep a line running at 800 ppm.

5. Tietoevry (The Pulp & Paper Legacy)

Best For: Integrated Mills (Making the nonwoven and converting it).

If your facility is a massive integrated site that produces the nonwoven fabric (spunbond/meltblown) and then converts it inline, Tietoevry’s TIPS suite is a common legacy solution.

Pros:

• End-to-End Tracking: Tracks the mother roll from the extruder all the way to the case packer.

• Quality Lab Integration: Good for managing the huge amount of quality data (tensile strength, absorption) required in hygiene.

Cons:

• Legacy Interface: The user experience is often dated and clunky. It is not "mobile-first."

• Maintenance Module: Like Greycon, the maintenance module is often an afterthought compared to the production and quality modules.

Comparison Matrix: Fabrico vs. The Industry

Summary: Speed Requires Precision

In the hygiene industry, OEE is the only metric that matters. If your machine runs at 50% efficiency because of constant small stops, you are burning cash on labor and overhead.

• Choose Greycon if your primary problem is raw material waste (Trim).

• Choose Fiix if you have a massive budget and want deep Rockwell PLC integration.

• Choose Fabrico if you want to eliminate Micro-Stops, digitize your Glue System Maintenance, and give your technicians a tool that matches the speed of your production line.

Ready to stop the jams?

Stop relying on paper logs and guesswork. [Request a Demo] to see how Fabrico visualizes your high-speed converting lines.