CMMS
A Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS software) is software that helps maintenance teams manage all maintenance activities in one place. This includes the ability to plan, track, measure and optimise everything from work orders to inventory and reporting. In summary, CMMS is a tool that maintenance teams in industrial and asset-intensive companies use to organise information, get work done and measure the impact of that work.
CMMS software provides the platform and workflow to manage your maintenance operation, including reactive maintenance, preventive maintenance, and predictive maintenance. A CMMS solution centralizes facility maintenance information, allowing you to automate any asset maintenance task.
CMMS also eliminates paperwork and time-consuming activities, allowing staff to focus on more important tasks and be more productive and proactive.
Who Uses CMMS Software?
- Maintenance Manager: A maintenance manager is heavily involved in selecting and implementing a CMMS. Once in place, maintenance managers can use a CMMS to create work orders, schedule, prioritise, prepare reports, purchase parts and more.
- Plant Management and/or Operations Management: Plant and operations managers view maintenance information, schedules, metrics and performance in a CMMS to plan production, create budgets, prepare for inspections and purchase inventory.
- Reliability Engineer: Reliability engineers use CMMS to collect and access data about the performance of assets and every activity that can affect performance. They can run reports to create processes that reduce downtime, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.
- Inventory Manager: Inventory managers use a CMMS to ensure that the maintenance team has the right parts, in the right place, at the right time. They do this by recording information about spare parts, setting minimum quantities, and sending purchase requisitions through the software.
- Health and Safety Staff: Maintenance software helps your health and safety team gather information for inspections, accident reports, risk analyses and more. They can organise and find certificates, policies, checklists and audit results in seconds.
- Technician Technicians are the most frequent users of a CMMS. They can view work orders, receive notifications, add information to asset profiles, and perform other tasks vital to the repair and inspection process.
- Production Personnel: Line supervisors and machine operators use CMMS software to submit work requests and add details to work orders so that problems are caught early and resolved quickly. Operators can also be assigned simple maintenance tasks in a CMMS, freeing up technicians for larger, skilled jobs.
- Subcontractors: Subcontractors use maintenance software to view work orders, task lists, SOPs and other resources, as well as to add notes and complete tasks.
- Managers and Senior Leadership: Business leaders use a CMMS to understand the performance and impact of maintenance across the business so they can make decisions about resourcing and capital expenditures.
- IT Department: Access to a CMMS allows the IT team to track integrations, software updates, and data storage and security tasks undertaken by the software provider.
Why Should I Use CMMS?
Computerised maintenance management software enables your maintenance team to function optimally. Maintenance strategies have evolved significantly over the years and there has been a shift in the understanding of the preventive maintenance process to extend the life of assets, increase productivity, improve overall efficiency and reduce maintenance costs compared to reactive maintenance.
However, the tools used to manage them have not always kept pace with this change. In the past, most maintenance teams relied on Excel spreadsheets, pen and paper and legacy maintenance software to document a work request, manage inventory and track overall facility management. Unfortunately, as competition in the marketplace increases and teams face demands for higher production quotas, these approaches are no longer sufficient.
There is more pressure than ever on maintenance teams to maximise production and maintain good employee morale while reducing costs. This is where CMMS software can help. CMMS software helps you plan, organise, track and optimise your maintenance tasks in one place, with a few clicks.
This is a high-level look at what modern, cloud-based CMMS software can do for your maintenance team.
Speed and Efficiency in Maintenance Processes
Mobile CMMS solutions send instant notifications to relevant users when a work order is created or updated. This allows technicians to easily prioritise emergency tasks. The full maintenance history for each asset is available on technicians’ mobile devices, reducing time spent on trial and error.
Reduce Equipment Downtime and Save Money
Technicians can perform routine preventive maintenance on assets and track their progress via their mobile devices. Even without an internet connection, you can achieve the full lifecycle of your assets with consistent work records via repairist’s mobile app.
Ensuring Consistency in Cost Records
Technicians track their time and costs whenever they open a work order or use any part. repairist’s mobile log is a source of truth for accurate records, so your team’s time is fairly compensated. By recognising when costs are going over budget, you can make quick changes before problems become serious.