Computerized maintenance software or CMMS is a widely used software to manage maintenance processes. Let us take a deeper look at the reasons behind the increased popularity of this software by maintenance service providers.
Maintenance management is a challenging process. If not done properly, the resulting impact could be increased downtime, potential loss of revenue and profitability, and reduced productivity. One of the most challenging aspects of the maintenance process is service delivery. It is because usually machines are deployed at client locations or at sites far off from the office premises.
Servicing those machines requires scheduling and dispatching of field service technicians who must be skilled and equipped with tools to remove the faults in the machine. Field technicians are a key resource in the entire maintenance management process. Most companies fail to manage this resource effectively and thus face severe consequences including loss of profitability.
But the face of maintenance management has changed extensively over the years due to the use of next generation technologies, such as Cloud, mobility, IoT, AR and VR, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
These technologies are often conflated to build incredibly powerful computerized maintenance software solutions. The CMMS software solution enables maintenance service providers to process data collected from the equipment and raise automated service requests based on the anomalies and patterns detected by the software.
Here we will dive deeper into what is CMMS, how do you define it, and what are it’s benefits, starting from understanding how it came into existence, the factors behind its exponential rise in the maintenance service industry, and its key features and functions.
What is a Computerized Maintenance Software (CMMS)?
CMMS is designed to enable effective planning, tracking, and managing maintenance operations with transparency, visibility, and efficiency. CMMS has in-built capabilities to automate work order management, preventive maintenance, scheduling and dispatching, and overall workforce management. A computerized maintenance software solution enables defining, maintaining, and measuring KPIs and performance metrics.
Maintenance service providers improve wrench time, reduce downtime, and help in managing more productive maintenance teams and achieve operational excellence. The key objective behind using computerized maintenance management software is getting 360-degree visibility into maintenance operations, inventory management, vendor management, purchase requisition, and PO management.
CMMS solutions facilitate end-to-end visualization of work order management to improve accountability and ownership in the maintenance process. It interprets data in multiple formats to help leadership teams better understand overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and make informed decisions about reducing downtime, improving asset availability, and maximizing field teams’ productivity, and reducing operations costs.
A brief history of maintenance and how CMMS has changed
Automated maintenance management and real-time visibility into maintenance operations were major challenges before the CMMS era. Operational tasks were overwhelming due to the extensive use of paper files and spreadsheets. The whole process was not only scattered but was error-prone and required regular manual intervention.
According to IBM, the earliest versions of CMMS were launched in the 1960s for large enterprises. To maintain a computerized record of maintenance tasks, technicians used punch cards and IBM mainframes. A decade later, punch cards were replaced by checklists submitted to CMMS by technicians at the end of their shifts.
By the 1980s and 1990s, computerized maintenance software system witnessed major improvements with the introduction of faster, affordable, connected, and more distributed computers. In the 2000s when web connectivity saw exponential growth, CMMS began to transform into a product of today, with enhanced capabilities to track and monitor field service operations and equipment statuses.
The core functionalities of CMMS have not changed a lot from the earlier history of CMMS. However, modern CMMS systems are built upon next-generation technologies such as IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, AR and VR, digital twin, Cloud, and mobility solutions. The software is highly capable to track the real-time condition of the equipment as well as predict future issues, which is helpful in planning and management of maintenance operations.
What is CMMS used for?
CMMS find a place in companies with maintenance operations but what is CMMS used for? Generally, asset-intensive industries used maintenance management systems to plan, track, and manage their maintenance operations. Typical maintenance operations include scheduling preventive maintenance tasks, dispatching service technicians, inventory management, and inspection.
CMMS software automates these processes, thus providing 360-degree visibility into operations, enables real-time tracking of field activities and stock levels in inventory, including the availability of specific equipment, and provides a dashboard with data analytics capability to translate data in charts and understandable statistics.
view source: https://www.fieldcircle.com/articles/ultimate-guide-to-cmms/
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