Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)
Read time: 3-5 minutes
A CMMS is a software solution that centralizes maintenance information, facilitates processes, and automates some tasks to improve efficiency. Computerized maintenance management system software optimizes the use, availability, and life span of equipment, machinery, fleets, infrastructures, facilities, or operations.
Computerized
Nowadays, everything is on computers. It was only a matter of time until the clipboard and pen of yesteryear were discarded for modern technologies. The best CMMS software providers will help you integrate your previous hard-copy, paper trail into the computerized interface. This way, no data is lost when migrating to a computerized maintenance management software solution.
Maintenance
No computer available has the function and capacity to complete maintenance as quickly, efficiently, and precisely as skilled labor. Performing preventive maintenance, or routine inspections, or ensuring a work order is completed is still a job for maintenance teams. Instead, a CMMS helps teams schedule work orders, gauge parts and supplies inventories, and make informed maintenance decisions.
Management
A CMMS helps front-line workers execute work orders. But it helps management plan, schedule, and report on work being done. It allows leadership to create forecasts as well as report back on completions, compliance, audits, or other maintenance KPIs.
System
Computerized maintenance management system software can’t replace workers. However, it can augment their current practices and improve the efficiency of labor completion. eMaint CMMS fits in with current maintenance practices and processes, allowing users to customize features to their needs.
Computerized maintenance management system software helps teams manage their day to day. It also helps teams integrate new maintenance solutions, such as condition monitoring.
How does CMMS software work?
In the end, a CMMS is a database and information within supports a variety of functions across different teams. Those in operations or finance can benefit from visibility into inventory status or costs, supply contracting, and other maintenance functions.
A CMMS can help organizations manage and streamline:
- Resources and labor
- Asset lifecycle
- Work order prioritization and scheduling
- Preventive maintenance
- Materials and inventory
- Audits and compliance tracking
- Reporting and dashboarding
- Mobile maintenance functionality
- Condition monitoring
- Customized training and support
Click image to enlarge
What are the benefits of using a CMMS?
There are many efficiency and lifecycle benefits from implementing and using computerized maintenance management system software. Overall, it allows teams to align their maintenance practices and activities with other departments and business goals. When you have a system that allows cross-departmental sharing of data, everyone’s job gets a little more efficient.
Some of top benefits of a CMMS software include:
Healthy and safe environments
In line with global, national, state, or local regulations, a CMMS can improve safety, health, and environmental issues. When assets are properly maintained and in a timely fashion, they’re less likely to have a failure that endangers workers. Get reports on incidents, defects, correction action histories, and process change management.
Workflow visibility and work order management
Work order software allows teams to visualize actions through dashboards and reports, helping every level of worker assess the current status and improve work order completion rates. Maintenance teams can quickly determine where an asset is, what parts are needed, and who should perform what work and when.
Mobile workforce
Keeping field workers on the go can be a difficult and pricey endeavor. However, the best software offers advanced mobility connectivity for users who rarely need to come back to the office. Deploy teams remotely using a CMMS that supports mobile workers.
Automation and processes
There are so many process that are prime for automation:
- Inventory reorders
- Scheduling shifts
- Assigning work orders by availability
Transitioning to a CMMS allows users to automate many processes. Automation saves time, reduces human error, and increases efficiency.
Asset lifecycle visibility
CMMS software allows teams to track and manage asset health and lifecycle from pre-installation planning and engineering to decommissioning. When you know what the active status is of your assets, you can better plan, schedule, and perform work.
The road to prescriptive maintenance
Software helps teams move from reactive through preventive and predictive maintenance to a prescriptive maintenance strategy. By integrating information from sensors, usage statistics, and more, maintenance teams gain visibility into asset health. Then, software can make AI-enhanced analytics on what actions to take and when.
Regulatory compliance and audits
With all the many local, regional, state, national, and global compliance regulations, it can be hard to keep up with audits. However, a CMMS creates that digital papertrail most compliance audits look for to determine how an organization has kept in standards.
Advice on selecting a CMMS solution
When selecting new CMMS software, it’s important to consider not just function and technology factors, but support. A maintenance management software solution should solve all of your functional needs immediately, of course. The technology should also be expandable to include other maintenance functions, such as sensors or online condition monitoring.
Solution providers should also provide robust training and support services before, during, and after deployment of software. Continuing to advance the adoption curve while experimenting with new features within software to improve efficiency.
It’s also important to ensure that legacy systems can be integrated into newer software. Supporting and migrating that historical data or system increases the integrity of databases.
What’s better: SaaS or On-Prem?
One of the major values in getting Software-as-a-Service is rapid experimentation and deployment. Partner CMMS companies can easily upgrade features without compromising data or current functionality. Conversely, on-premises software solutions require intense collaboration between IT and information security experts to ensure accessibility without data corruption.
What’s the difference between CMMS, FM, and EAM?
A CMMS helps maintenance teams optimize their daily maintenance management duties including assigning and completing work requests, performing preventive maintenance tasks and inspection rounds, managing spare parts inventory and labor resources to maximize equipment availability.
Facility Management Software encompasses CMMS functions and also automates additional aspects of facility management including budgeting and capital expense tracking and contract management.
EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) focuses on the entire lifecycle of an asset from design and installation through ongoing maintenance through to retirement or replacement.
What’s better: SaaS or On-Prem?
One of the major values in getting Software-as-a-Service is rapid experimentation and deployment. Partner CMMS companies can easily upgrade features without compromising data or current functionality. Conversely, on-premises software solutions require intense collaboration between IT and information security experts to ensure accessibility without data corruption.
CMMS Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best CMMS software?
The best CMMS software is one that supports training and deployment of software, while allowing for customization and mobility.
What’s the difference between CMMS and EAM?
CMMS is a computer software that supports maintenance functions. EAM is a strategy that often uses CMMS software or other EAM software to plan, manage, and execute.
Who uses CMMS?
Maintenance teams of every size use computerized maintenance management software. Users can be entry-level technicians, all the way up to senior leadership or corporate owners.
How do I learn about CMMS?
Learning about a CMMS often starts with having a conversation with a sales expert about your needs. With input on your needs, sales teams can help you learn about functions or features most important to your operation.
What kind of CMMS training is there?
CMMS software providers that offer continuing education are some of the best to go with. It shows that they’re willing to walk with you along every stage of your path to maintenance efficiency.
Can I get CMMS Certified?
Top computerized maintenance management system software providers will also have certification courses. This helps teams increase adoption and use, but also provides incentive for workers. Certification is the mark of a maintenance professional.
Reviews
“eMaint CMMS was really intuitive. I was able to figure out how to update my forms myself and just rely on eMaint to really double-check everything for us.”
“Now, the auditor comes in, and he says, ‘Show me your last cooling tower PM.’ I go to work orders; I filter on historical, I filter on the contractor who does the cooling towers, I pull up the last one, take him to the linked document, I open it up, he checks a box. Done. Next.”
“I’d definitely say Anaergia plans to implement the new eMaint X5 CMMS software in its upcoming project. Being a global company, acquiring parts from various regions of the world, whether it’s in pounds, euros, dollars, … being able to store the base price and follow that in multiple currencies will be a huge benefit.”
“The first year I was here after I put eMaint in, year-over-year we increased about 14%. The year after that we increased about 6%, and this past year we increased 8%. That’s over 20% in the last three years, and I would say a good portion of that is because we have our maintenance a little bit more in control now.”
“I really like the system. And the capabilities are seen by people and understood to be a benefit. What’s really been a big success for us is getting the information, [getting] what we need to know on how we’re operating.”
“World-class maintenance is what we strive for, and world-class maintenance programs use a CMMS.”