Warehouse management is an accumulation of different important tasks. These tasks include managing warehouse assets, employees, and practicing preventive maintenance. In the past, these things were done manually, but today, with the advancement of technology, organizations are implementing computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) to manage these tasks more effectively.
In the past, distribution centers (DCs) used to be similar to warehouses in terms of management, but today it too has become more automated with things like automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), conveyors, and sorters. CMMS is used in these facilities to improve the amount of uptime, support higher volumes, and conform to tighter delivery requirements.
By incorporating a CMMS in either one of these facilities, everyday processes will be automated, meaning, it will run smoothly. Automation means less admin and more productivity which eventually leads to a bigger revenue and increased market competitiveness, to name but a few benefits. Let’s have a look at some of the others.
Source: G2, 2021
1. Effective inventory control
A CMMS provides a place for storeroom, purchasing, and vendor management. It makes it easy to keep track of orders and approvals, equipment, shipping costs, and storeroom levels. With a CMMS inventory control function, work order completion pace and response times are improved and equipment downtime is decreased.
2. Increased productivity due to cloud management
The cloud is a wonderful tool to help with management and organizing, and luckily, most modern CMMS platforms operate through the cloud. Why is this so beneficial? Managers can manage their organization and address issues without being at the physical location 24/7. Mapping inventory, tracking merchandise, or checking warehouse capacity can all be methodically done via the cloud. On top of that, communication between manager and employees are quicker and more direct, as reports and work orders can be sent to employees’ mobile devices.
3. Decreased equipment downtime
A lack of equipment maintenance can lead to sudden equipment failure, which means operations have to be stopped and repairs must be done, leading to ‘downtime’. By collecting data about equipment and assets, documenting repair history, and tracking trends, a CMMS helps managers to predict equipment issues before they cause a stop in production. By monitoring equipment conditions, together with analysis of past data, warehouse operations are left uninterrupted, meaning less downtime and more revenue.
4. Improved labor productivity
Not all employees always know what to do. A CMMS is designed to remedy this issue. How? All repair and maintenance information needed to get the job done can be stored on the CMMS and easily accessed by employees. This information includes things like nameplate data, operating procedures, information about spare parts, and repair history. With information such as this easily accessed, usual delays caused by the absence thereof, are eliminated.
5. Longer asset life
Any asset could last longer if its properly maintained throughout its life. With a CMMS, you can schedule equipment maintenance in between production cycles. This maintenance, therefore, doesn’t interfere with production or output.
6. Audit and inspection control
All DC’s and warehouses are regulated by different organizations. Each organization has its own requirements and keeping track of all of these is nearly impossible, or at least that is if you don’t have a CMMS. Things like quality assurance, meter readings, and safety inspections can all be uploaded onto the CMMS in real-time. Therefore, should one of these organizations visit your warehouse or DC unexpectedly, you can access the data immediately and give the inspectors a complete report with all that they require.
7. Preventive maintenance scheduling
A CMMS allows you to schedule work orders and maintenance requirements to ensure your organization’s equipment is checked consistently. This means no one (because we are only human after all) will have this huge responsibility of keeping track of every piece of equipment and its preventive maintenance requirements. Using Proteus MMX with integrated software applications and web services you will be able to receive notifications when certain environmental issues occur in or around buildings and equipment. These notifications will trigger your CMMS system, which will create a work order and delegate it to the correct technician, meaning, the problem is detected, corrected, and prevented in no time.
8. Fulfilling modern warehouse needs
Warehouses are getting bigger and more complex. Many are multi-storied and are built closer to cities and population centers. Others have to maintain a cold supply chain. All these factors contribute to the need for a comprehensive system like a Proteus CMMS. How?
Bigger facilities have more equipment and assets to maintain, warehouses close to cities want to attract workers through a higher automation selling point and cold supply chains need to run smoothly and avoid downtime to prevent the spoiling of fresh produce.
9. Covid-19
Ever since the pandemic has made its appearance and lockdown became a reality, e-Commerce has become increasingly popular. As the retail sector moves more and more towards e-commerce, the need for more and greater sophistication and automation in warehouses increases too. E-Commerce often requires a 24-hour non-stop delivery protocol, meaning, everything needs to be up-and-running at the warehouse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, otherwise, operations cannot continue. By using a CMMS to schedule maintenance, downtime will be reduced significantly and operations will remain uninterrupted.
With a CMMS an extreme situation like lockdown is also not a huge concern. Why? Because with a CMMS warehouses and on-site staff can be managed remotely through the online delegation of assignments.
Covid-19 has also put pressure on the need to dynamically change processes and checklists based on emerging government and safety guidelines. Proteus CMMS is the ideal tool to keep track of such safety standards and checklists, as it has an advanced tracking function that allows users to track each task and set recurrences to never miss preventative activities.
Implementing a CMMS in your warehouse or distribution center holds many benefits. Benefits that could significantly reduce complications and increase productivity. To be as productive and successful as possible is extremely important for any organization in today’s competitive environment. For an affordable, next-generation CMMS system, call Eagle at 262-241-3845, send us an email or schedule a demo to learn more about Proteus MMX.
