Computerized Maintenance Management Software: The Tool that Keeps Your Tools Working

If one of the key business success factors for you is ensuring the operational health of your equipment, then Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) may just be exactly what you need. A good CMMS system will maintain a computer database of information about your organisations operations. The system is intended to help maintenance workers do their jobs more effectively; improving productivity, lowering the overall cost of maintenance and to helping management make informed decisions. CMMS data may also be used to verify regulatory compliance or to properly control the maintenance of a facility, which manually does require a tremendous amount of effort and time.

Key Features

A good CMMS program should offer multiple core maintenance functionalities such as; Vendor Management, Inventory Control, Purchasing, Budgeting, Asset Tracking and equipment data management to prevent un-necessary maintenance. It can help lower the amount of labour needed by offering work order systems with scheduling and planning. CMMS packages may be used by any organization that must perform maintenance on equipment, assets and property. Some packages can produce status reports and documents giving details or summaries of maintenance activities. The more sophisticated the package, the more extensive analysis facilities have available. Some CMMS providers focus on specific industries, such as Vehicle fleets or health care facilities, while other aim to be more general. It’s all about finding the right Computerized Maintenance Management System for you.

Benefits of CMMS

The Benefits of a CMMS software package are industry specific, however many apply globally.

• Greater Visibility – providing facility managers greater transparency and control when working with a maintenance team.
• Increased Labour Productivity – system can help plan and track work without distracting employees.
• Automated Scheduled Maintenance - Shifting focus to planned maintenance leads to less downtime and less disruption, making keeping track of scheduled maintenance critical. Rather than trying to rely on memory, the CMMS will automatically notify the facility manager when systems require servicing.
• Guest Request Portal - With no CMMS in place, chances are you are knee deep in a repair when a call comes through for some unimportant issue. One of the best-loved features of a CMMS is the work request portal where unregistered users can log work requests when something needs to be repaired. The facility manager can then review the requests in his/her own time and assign the jobs based on priority.
• Accessible Asset History - It is impossible to rely on human memory so a CMMS details what work has been completed on a system in the past. Each asset has its own unique record that details parts used, labor hours spent, reliability, and downtime. By tracking maintenance activities in a CMMS, when employees leave, this knowledge does not leave with them. This information remains in the CMMS and can be useful as a reference when new employees are troubleshooting the breakdown. It reduces the time lag needed to get the new employee fully up to speed.
• Quick reporting and analysis – Data can be pulled quickly and effortlessly from the CMMS for analysis. The data can help identify chronic equipment problems and unacceptable levels of downtime so solutions such as regular inspections, preventive maintenance, or spare parts can be put in place to proactively reduce downtime going forward.
• Easy to track costs – As parts, labor, and other miscellaneous expenses are logged when maintenance work orders are being completed, the CMMS becomes a central database for all maintenance related expenses. Rather than trolling through receipts and dockets at the end of a year, the facilities manager can simply run a costing report in the CMMS to see where the budget was spent.
• Purchasing - Most CMMS systems come with a purchasing module where purchased parts and supplies can be tracked in one system, ensuring no duplicate purchases and excess parts. The purchase records also help the facility manager quickly reorder the part when it is required again.
• Instant Notifications – Real time alerts can be sent from building control-monitoring systems through the CMMS when operating limits are breached. If alarms spike, the CMMS triggers corrective maintenance and notifies the facilities manager immediately so they can initiate a proactive inspection before the issue develops into something more serious.
• Audit and Compliance - A CMMS can help an organization become more safety compliant in a number of ways. Safety procedures can be included on all job plans. Safety checks, such fire equipment inspections, can be scheduled and tracked in the CMMS ensuring the organization is compliant and ready for those audits. A CMMS is a useful tool to help facilities managers get more organized by reducing the dependence on memory and by automating many mundane daily activities. The CMMS will help facilities managers free up additional time to focus on improving reliability and reducing maintenance related expenses further. It makes facilities management more efficient and more effective, reducing costs and delivering additional revenue to an organization’s bottom line.