Creating work templates from scratch is tedious when you’re setting up 50+ preventive maintenance schedules. Most templates share similar instructions, parts, and labor estimates—only the equipment, interval, or a few details differ. Add Similar in Antero copies an existing template or task completely, so you tweak the differences instead of retyping everything.
Why use Add Similar?
Let’s say you’ve created a detailed monthly motor inspection template: 10-step task instructions, 3 attached PDFs, 5 estimated parts, 2 labor hour estimates, and assigned to the Electrical Team maintenance group. Now you need to create an annual version with nearly identical details but a 365-day interval instead of 30 days. Add Similar copies the entire template in one click. You change the interval, maybe add one extra task for the annual deep inspection, and save. Two minutes instead of twenty.
How to use Add Similar on work templates
Open the work template you want to copy. Look for the Add Similar button (usually near Add New or Edit). Click it. Antero creates a new draft template pre-filled with all the details from the original: task list, attachments, parts, labor, maintenance group, priority—everything. Change the fields that need to differ: give it a new name like “Motor Inspection – Annual,” adjust the interval to 365 days, maybe add one additional task. Click Save. The new template is ready to generate work orders.
Use Add Similar for task libraries
When building a task library for common maintenance procedures, Add Similar speeds up the process dramatically. Create one “Filter Change” task with detailed instructions and safety notes. Use Add Similar to create “HVAC Filter Change,” “Water Filter Change,” and “Oil Filter Change” tasks. Each inherits the core instructions and safety warnings; you just tweak the specific filter model or location details. Now your task library has consistency across similar procedures without copy-pasting into a word processor.
Copy across similar equipment
If you have 10 identical pumps that all need monthly inspections, create the work template for Pump 1, then use Add Similar nine times. Each copy opens with all the same tasks, parts, and settings. You only change the equipment assignment from Pump 1 to Pump 2, Pump 3, etc. Save each one. In five minutes you’ve scheduled monthly inspections for 10 pumps with identical procedures. Without Add Similar, this setup would take an hour of repetitive data entry.
Modify inherited details as needed
Add Similar doesn’t lock you into exact copies. After copying, you’re free to edit anything. Maybe the annual motor inspection needs an extra step not in the monthly version. Add it. Maybe Pump 5 requires a different part than Pumps 1-4 due to a retrofit. Change the parts list. The goal is to start with 90% of the work done via copy, then customize the remaining 10% instead of building from zero.
Maintain version control with clear naming
When using Add Similar to create variations of the same template—monthly, quarterly, annual—use clear naming conventions: “Motor Inspection – Monthly,” “Motor Inspection – Quarterly,” “Motor Inspection – Annual.” This prevents confusion when operators see multiple motor inspection work orders. They know immediately which schedule each one follows. Clear names also help supervisors audit templates later to ensure intervals and tasks align with plant standards.
Use for new equipment with similar maintenance needs
When your plant acquires new equipment similar to existing assets, Add Similar lets you replicate proven maintenance schedules immediately. If you buy a second compressor identical to the first, open the first compressor’s work templates, use Add Similar on each template, assign them to the new compressor, and you’re done. The new equipment inherits the maintenance program you’ve refined over time on the first compressor, reducing setup time from hours to minutes.
Combine with template attachments
If your original work template includes attached PDFs—maintenance manuals, diagrams, safety procedures—Add Similar copies those attachments to the new template. This is especially valuable when the attachments apply to multiple pieces of similar equipment. You upload the manufacturer’s service manual once, use Add Similar to create templates for 10 similar units, and all 10 templates now link to that manual without re-uploading it each time.
Speed up initial Antero setup
Plants just starting with Antero often feel overwhelmed setting up dozens or hundreds of work templates. Add Similarcuts that time dramatically. Create 5-10 “master” templates for common maintenance types: motor inspection, pump service, filter change, belt replacement, lubrication. Then use Add Similar to rapidly generate specific variations for each piece of equipment. What might have taken weeks of setup now takes days.
Keep documentation consistent
When you build templates from scratch, instructions and formatting drift. One template uses bullet points, another uses numbered steps, a third is a paragraph of text. Add Similar maintains formatting consistency because each copy inherits the original’s structure. Operators benefit because similar tasks always look and read the same, which reduces training time and mistakes.
Why this feature matters
Setup is the biggest barrier to CMMS adoption. If configuring Antero feels like months of data entry drudgery, people procrastinate. Add Similar makes setup feel fast and achievable, which increases the likelihood your team actually completes the setup and starts using the system effectively.
Next Steps: Speed up Antero setup with efficient template management →
