There are some challenges that a maintenance team faces on day to day basis such as missing parts, breakdown, backlog, etc. which causes losses by increasing the maintenance cost. What can be done to avoid the above situations? The best solution is using CMMS which is a computerized maintenance management system that eventually enhances the process efficiency by automating the repeated tasks. It is, in essence, software that can be implemented for machinery, infrastructures, operations, and facilities. It is also called CMMIS i.e. computerized maintenance management information system and is widely used in the oil and gas production sector, transportation, construction, manufacturing as well as other operations related to physical infrastructures.
It can be bifurcated into four parts to understand better
Computerized
Most of the processes can be computerized and this can be achieved by using CMMS which helps in dong maintenance quickly and in a better way. It is completely based on a web and App system that saves data on cloud storage to keep it safe and secured from unauthorised use.
Maintenance
Maintenance is an important aspect of any operation and it cannot be done completely by the computers so, it definitely requires manual intervention but if computers are used then the overall process becomes more efficient and the work can be done without wasting time and energy hence CMMS plays a major role here.
Management
Management of the task force for work execution is itself a big thing in case CMMS is applied then the overall process becomes smooth with higher and accuracy levels which also results in accurate report making, conducting audits, and completion of work on time.
System
Application of CMMS eradicates the manual workforce by following the existing practices in a better way and even doing customisation in the process. Overall the whole system becomes more productive by using new solutions to conduct maintenance in a better way after analysing the gaps in the existing process.
It is basically a centralized mobile or web software that stores and uses all sorts of information related to the process like work orders, maintenance schedule information, assets, logs, work history, vendor information, inventory management and report creation to easily manage the problems which occur during normal maintenance work. All the information is available on a real-time basis to keep the team updated about the current work as well as to decide the future course of action.
What are the benefits of CMMS?
CMMS is a simple concept that can be used on a vast variety of operations and systems to make them efficient and reduce the dependency on manual labor and take decisions on time to reduce the overall maintenance cost. Finance and operations are the fields where the maximum benefit of CMMS can be availed like clear visibility can be drawn by checking the inventory status, supply of material and other types of maintenance functions.
There are immense benefits of implementing CMMS in any system as it makes most of the process automated and helps the managers look at the complete inventory, workforce availability, asset status, automated reports, and analysis then planning can be done without depending on the manual reports of physically checking the available resources.
With the immediate application of CMMS, like Prism software any organization or group can instantly enhance the capabilities mentioned below.
Efficient labor management
It uses the available information from the database about the employees and then creates and assigns tasks accordingly.
Asset registration
It keeps the complete information about the existing assets along with registration of new assets into the system which obviously makes the whole hassle-free because it can literally keep a large amount of information about the asset like code, model, serial number, class, type, performance, location, IOT equipment’s, keeping of videos, photos, documents anything related to the devices and assets.
Work order management with CMMS
Work orders are very crucial to any business and even a small mistake can cost a huge amount so to get all the information rightly available it becomes necessary to implement CMMS as it helps in maintaining order type, codes, work order creation, labor assignment, failure reason codes and other related information. It further can be used to get the automatic order generation, material and equipment stock report, downtime tracking, shift scheduling and management, and verifying expected cost with actual cost.
Role of CMMS in preventive maintenance
It is one of the best ways to do preventive maintenance as it can automatically prompt to action by checking all the stats and records to take preventive actions before the loss is about the occur and preventive action can be taken.
Inventory management
There is no doubt that to run any business proper maintenance of inventory should be done to avoid extra costs. Here, CMMS tells about the available inventory and material on time even if it keeps the record of machinery which requires maintenance by tracking all available data in the system.
Analysis, reporting and auditing
To make any process or business profitable it is necessary to go through the reports, analysis and auditing. So, CMMS generates all kinds of reports related to stock availability, stock usage, the status of current assets and even supplier assessment can be done with it.
Real-time notification
Whenever, someone creates a work request, updates the work orders or assigned to any of the team members, a notification is sent each time. Similarly, if there are any kinds of failures related to reporting then also a notification is sent to the assigned manager who can work on making labour more efficient and adhere to timings.
Lower downtime
When CMMS keeps everyone updated then it becomes realistic to reduce downtime as it helps in taking preventive steps to avoid any kind of breakdown. It is greatly beneficial for any company to take steps in advance because at a later stage reactive maintenance increases the cost along with loss of production or disruption in the process. Lower downtime means more production and more profit which can be achieved by any industry with its implementation.
Long life of assets
When assets are services on time then it is obvious that their lifetime increases which again save the business to invest more in new machinery or equipment. CMMS makes it possible by storing all sorts of logs and information which is sent through notification reminders to the concerned teams and members.
When to use CMMS?
We have told you about the advantages of using CMMS and requirements of CMMS. It would be good to find out whether there is any need to implement CMMS to your business or operations or not. Hence, there are some important points that would help in identifying whether your business can avail the benefits of using CMMS software.
Your business involves working on industrial equipment
Industrial equipment require regular maintenance due to breakdown
Operations related to large machinery or processes like sports arena, hotels, utilities even shopping malls and schools
Requirement to meet ISO standards for hygiene, quality and safety criteria
Dependant on paper or working on excel spreadsheets for scheduling, rosters, keeping information about labour or machinery
Inefficient maintenance team which needs to be organized for better working
Communication gap within maintenance team, between production and maintenance teams
CMMS Implementation
There is a long list of industries where CMMS application can be implemented as it is suitable for almost all types of processes and operations involving physical as well as online working. As mentioned above it not only helps in making the overall system more efficient and effective but it also helps in making more profit. One thing is very much clear that when CMMS is used the overall productivity reaches new levels which are not possible in normal circumstances and situations.
Furthermore, it can be implemented in those industries wherever companies and process involves:
Planning of equipment/assets along with their maintenance works by the maintenance staff
Need of reducing the maintenance cost which may lead to the closure of process in future
Regular interruptions in smooth running of processes and operations
High maintenance cost especially in the scenario where it is always more than 20% involving manual efforts related to physical check-up of equipment/machinery, report making and regular inspection cost.
Urgent need to reduce the paperwork as it becomes quite difficult to circulate the files which waste lots of time
Digital record maintenance about staff and equipment
Want to maintain standard operating procedures across multiple locations
Greatly reduce the energy expense for a profitable business
Instant shutting and starting of the whole process becomes easier when CMMS is implemented
Enhance mobility profitability and efficiency in the overall system
CMMS has not been fully utilized so far and still can be used in multiple places and processes but for now it has been successfully being used in the following industries.
Hotels
Manufacturing units
Stadiums
Hospitals
Energy plants
Utilities
Ports
Telecommunications and cable
Facility management and building
Universities
Amusement parks
Mining, oil and gas
However, the use of CMMS is not restricted to above industries but a highly customized version can be used almost anywhere without facing any issues. It is made possible because it has some important components which help in tracking and organizing information digitally which can be accessed by any authorized user anywhere. With CMMS it becomes a lot easier to do asset management, vendor management, purchasing, planning, scheduling, preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance and much more as per the industry.
Is it difficult to implement CMMS into the existing system?
Applying CMMS to the existing system is not an easy task but our proficient team of professionals work hard to align it perfectly to enhance the reporting and maintenance system. We carefully understand the nature of business and its requirements then make customized changes as per the need to make it a best fit for the company’s requirement.
All efforts are made for easy integration of CMMS and employees are also trained about using CMMS to give a better understanding about its usage.
Undoubtedly, it stores sensitive information about the working of the system and equipment but there is no need to worry as there are multiple layers of security features applied to make it completely safe and secured software.
Hence, the applicability of CMMS in multiple industries and processes is an easy task for us. It takes very less time to integrate it into any business!
How Prism CMMS does works?
To make it easily accessible to anyone anywhere it is developed as a cloud-based solution that is completely safe and secured. All the data and information are stored in a cloud-based storage system that can be accessed from any part of the world that too on multiple devices which support the Internet.
Managers who are responsible for the maintenance work get the right to access CMMS on their smart devices and use the available information to check the information about the processes and take action or decide the future course of action by reviewing work orders, inventory maintenance, or check any kind of maintenance failure.
Technicians, maintenance staff, or operators can also access the CMMS through the web or Apps for completing their work orders and following the instructions. Equipment manuals, documents or any other communication can be seen while the person is physically inspecting the machinery or equipment.
Furthermore, there are different kinds of reports, and documents that can be accessed by using the unique KPIs in the App on the web.
Also check how Prism CMMS increases the maintenance efficiency
Conclusion
CMMS is important software that has a major impact on the operations and lowering the maintenance cost on the real time basis. Whether its report management, inventory or stock calculation or a simply creating a shift schedule for the workforce it can do almost all sorts of work without any hassle. The best part of using CMMS like Prism software is that it can be used at multiple locations and devices to instantly take action or make decisions to greatly reduce the maintenance cost of equipment’s, operations, processes and analysis.