A broken piece of equipment can mean unexpected delays and expenses for your company. As a result, you lose productivity and money in the process. Always ensure that all your assets are in top form by implementing a Computerized Maintenance Management System or CMMS into your operations.

What is CMMS software?

CMMS is software that digitizes and centralizes your maintenance information and processes within a single system. It allows you to track and manage all your assets’ performance and productivity through your devices.

A good CMMS software can also optimize the use and life span of your equipment, machinery, facilities, fleets, and operations. It provides you with tools to automate and streamline maintenance processes to ensure everything is working smoothly.

Key features of CMMS

There is no such thing as “perfect” CMMS software. Nonetheless, these are four core features of a maintenance management software you must look out for.

1.    Work order management

Work order management is a crucial element of CMMS. It allows you to create, track, and complete work orders or requests. It also gives you a clear overview of scheduled, in-progress, or finished maintenance tasks.

2.    Asset management

Effective asset management is another key component of CMMS. It compiles information on all your equipment and infrastructures and makes data more accessible for everyone. This makes it easier to track and analyze your assets’ performance to ensure optimization.

3.    Inventory management

A CMMS software can help you manage and organize your inventory. It monitors stock levels and notifies you if it is below a certain quantity. Likewise, it automates purchase to vendor sync inventory records, helping you prevent out-of-stocks or overstocks.

4.    Analytics and reporting

Your CMMS software is also a powerful tool for analytics and reporting. It automatically collects and analyzes data to discover trends in your maintenance metrics. This gives you insights on how to reduce maintenance costs, resolve potential issues, and improve overall operations.

How does a CMMS work

A CMMS is essentially a database that supports and organizes various functions for your maintenance management needs. It optimizes and automates processes such as:

  • Tracking employees and equipment certification
  • Assigning tasks and managing maintenance teams
  • Organizing and responding to work orders
  • Managing asset registry
  • Monitoring inventory
  • Scheduling and triggering preventive maintenance
  • Reporting and auditing

Its various features ensure you have the right equipment with the right work orders scheduled for your maintenance team. You can set it up to be reactive, letting your teams know immediately when something goes wrong and receive feedback.

Most modern CMMS examples are often cloud-based. This allows you to store all your maintenance data and processes within a centralized system accessible through any device online.

Benefits of CMMS

Having the best CMMS software for your business can empower your operations and maintenance teams. It offers benefits such as:

1.    Control maintenance costs

Equipment and facilities can wear and tear throughout time. But without proper maintenance, it can happen too suddenly and unexpectedly. This will cost you more in repair expenses and loss of productivity.

Fortunately, CMMS can give you more control over maintenance costs and help cut down on unnecessary expenses. A study by McKinsey shows that leveraging automation like CMMS can increase your savings and productivity by 20%. It optimizes the use of your assets and ensures preventive maintenance so you won’t end up paying for last-minute repairs or replacements. It also allows you to lower labor costs since it assists your technicians in working more efficiently and effectively. 

2.    Automate processes

Maintenance management is tough work. It requires constant monitoring of all your assets on top of other administrative duties involved in the operation. As a result, this can put a strain on your maintenance teams’ productivity and efficiency.

Hence, one of the biggest benefits of CMMS is automating your maintenance processes. It allows you and your team to eliminate manual tasks such as scheduling, tracking, purchasing, auditing, and data analysis. It also standardizes your maintenance processes, reducing the chances of errors. This allows your teams to work faster and focus on maintenance tasks rather than administrative ones.

3.    Increase visibility

CMMS provides accurate records of all your maintenance data and processes. But most importantly, it makes it accessible to everyone who needs it.

Through its dashboards and visualizations, you and your technicians gain in-depth insights into your maintenance operations. It allows you to virtually track and assess status and progress in real-time. Likewise, it lets your team know where an asset is, what it needs, who is working on it, and when.

This increase in visibility paves the way for more effective collaboration within your maintenance team. It streamlines communication and makes sure that everyone is aware of their roles and assignments. Just make sure that you conduct proper CMMS training to make sure that everyone within your team knows how it works and how to use it.

4.    Reduce downtime

As equipment and facilities age, breakdowns, and downtimes are unavoidable. It only becomes a problem when these instances become more frequent and severe. This can impact your productivity and the quality of your service. Thankfully, CMMS software can reduce these downtimes and prolong your assets’ life span.

According to Statista, 58% of businesses claim that CMMS has helped them reduce downtime. Instead of waiting and notifying you of a problem, it analyzes daily activities and assesses history to enable preventive maintenance. It then triggers alerts before an asset breaks down completely or when it starts to underperform. This enables you to transform your maintenance operations from a reactive to a proactive approach.

5.    Improve health and safety

As much as you want your team to work quickly and efficiently, you must also make sure that they are safe and healthy. Handling types of machinery and equipment can be dangerous. And the chances of accidents could increase if your facilities lack proper planning and aren’t well-maintained.  

Using CMMS can reduce risk in your maintenance operations. Since it focuses on preventive maintenance rather than reactive, it ensures your team operates in a safe environment. It also allows you to outline safety requirements and procedures to guarantee your technicians do their jobs correctly and safely.

Moreover, CMMS software can make it easier and faster to prepare for an audit. It helps facilitate inspections rounds, manage maintenance records, and assess compliance.

Keep your operations in shape

By working hand in hand with your technicians, a CMMS can become a powerful tool in improving your maintenance operations. Nonetheless, it can only be as good as the people who use it. Hence, you must recruit the right people to your team. For example, hiring professionals with an electrical engineering degree is imperative if you are in the industrial field. With such a background, they can work effectively with electrical machinery, control systems, and equipment.

As more businesses strive towards digital transformation, it is high time you explore what CMMS has to offer to your business. This type of software allows you to embrace a proactive approach to maintenance management rather than a reactive one. To give you a head start, check out Proteus CMMS and try it out yourself.