Is your maintenance team tired of using messy spreadsheets, legacy software, and heaps of paperwork to improve your team’s performance metrics? There is a solution that can put an end to all your miseries.
Maintenance teams around the world are now seeking digital solutions and breakthrough innovations to enhance efficiency, improve safety standards, and reduce costs. For numerous organizations, this digital solution is a CMMS — a computerized maintenance management system.
According to Verified Market Research, the CMMS software market is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2028, rising at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.41% from 2021 to 2028.
However, it is important to understand what a CMMS is and whether it is the right tool for your maintenance team. In this blog, we will cover what a CMMS is, its history, how it works, its benefits and types, and which industries can benefit from CMMS software.
What is a CMMS?
A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), also sometimes referred to as maintenance management software or equipment maintenance software, is a software solution designed to streamline maintenance operations and enhance asset management within an organization.
CMMS software enables maintenance teams to efficiently schedule, monitor, and analyze maintenance tasks, work orders, and inventory. By implementing a CMMS, organizations can increase the lifespan of the asset, minimize downtime, optimize labor resources, and improve the overall efficiency of maintenance operations.
Top CMMS features include work order management, asset management, preventive maintenance, inventory management, reporting and analytics, and a mobile app.
While it may seem like CMMS software is primarily used within industrial and manufacturing organizations, fundamentally, it serves as a tool for planning, scheduling, and tracking maintenance activities, which take place in almost every industry. Later in the blog, we’ll delve into which industries can benefit the most from a CMMS.
The History of the CMMS system
CMMS goes a long way back. Before its advent, it was challenging to achieve centralized, dynamic visibility, and automated management because maintenance information was typically stored in paper records, and much later, spread across various spreadsheets.
The early versions of a CMMS system first appeared in the 1960s and were primarily used by large organizations. Punch cards and IBM mainframes were used by the technicians to input computerized information and track maintenance activities. By the 1970s, punch cards were replaced with checklists, and technicians used them to input data into CMMS systems at the end of their work shifts.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, computers became smaller, cost-effective, and interconnected, allowing CMMS systems to gain greater prevalence among smaller and mid-sized organizations. Also, in the 1990s, CMMS systems started to share information across local area networks (LANs).
In the 2000s, the rise of intranets and web-based connectivity was witnessed which further expanded CMMS capabilities to a wide range of mobile devices, field applications, and operational sites.
The most recent generation of CMMS is cloud-based and highly mobile, offering improved functionality along with faster implementation, simplified maintenance, and increased data security.
Gone are the days when CMMS was only used by larger businesses. Today, even companies with modest maintenance budgets and internet access in their facilities can benefit from web-based, relatively affordable CMMS systems.
How does a CMMS work?
At its essence, CMMS software is a data-driven solution, with work orders being the primary source of this data. When a work order is finalized, the data is then processed by the CMMS system. These work orders comprise important asset maintenance data such as parts and costs, the repaired asset, wrench time, and time taken for completion.
Next, this data is transformed into reports that maintenance managers and other departmental heads can use for informed, data-driven decision-making.
Whenever a work request is submitted, maintenance teams make use of CMMS software to create an order. Moreover, recurring orders can also be created to perform preventive maintenance and inspections.
Some systems are also capable of automatically creating orders based on data derived from sensors. Once the technician completes an order, it is marked as closed, and the data is then fed into the system, making it available for reports and future planning.
A mobile CMMS can help streamline the maintenance process, enabling technicians to access and update work order information directly on-site. This can help them save valuable labor hours by minimizing travel time.
If accurate data is entered into the system constantly, technicians can also speed up processes such as maintenance planning, scheduling, root cause analysis, and more, making information easily accessible.
Also Read: Getting Started with EZO CMMS
What are the benefits of a CMMS?
According to a survey of 558 companies conducted by A.T. Kearney and Industry Week, 28.3% of companies reported increased maintenance productivity, 20.1% witnessed a reduction in equipment downtime, 19.4% reported savings in material costs, and almost 17.8% experienced a decrease in maintenance inventory.
Implementing CMMS software can significantly improve your organization’s efficiency, minimize downtime, and reduce expenses. Let’s explore more benefits of CMMS software:
– Cost efficiency
With the help of a CMMS system, you can reduce administrative work and enable more efficient repairs, leading to decreased labor and downtime costs and more efficient utilization of resources, such as parts and tools.
– Minimize downtime
A CMMS solution provides you with all the features to set up and implement a proactive maintenance plan, leading to reduced downtime and expenses.
– Enhanced productivity
By using the CMMS system, technicians can achieve more in less time through quick detection and repair processes, enhanced communication, automated documentation, and guided checklists.
– Inventory management
Maintenance teams can use CMMS to track the usage of spare parts over time, enabling correct forecasting and better control over inventory levels, leading to efficient utilization of resources.
– Comprehensive insights
A CMMS system helps you compile maintenance data into easily accessible reports, offering valuable information for making well-informed decisions about maintenance tasks.
Types of CMMS software
Generally, there are two types of CMMS software: on-premise and cloud-based. Let’s explore them in detail.
On-Premise
An in-house software system that involves maintenance and inventory management is known as on-premise CMMS. Usually, you make an upfront payment for the system installation and handle tasks such as setting up firewalls and IT infrastructure.
On-premise systems were prevalent before high-speed internet and software-as-a-service (SaaS) products became a thing. Nowadays, cloud-based solutions are more widely used.
Cloud-Based
Unlike an on-premise solution, a cloud-based CMMS is managed by the provider, allowing you to completely focus on using the product. As the software is hosted on the provider’s infrastructure, the updates take place automatically and you can access new features without having to install a new version of the software. On the contrary, on-premise systems require you to manage updates manually.
Another advantage of using a cloud-based CMMS system is the flexibility to enter maintenance data from anywhere, at any time. Technicians can use a mobile application to view and update work orders directly from the site or anywhere where they have access to an internet connection.
The mobile app syncs with the central server where all maintenance data is stored, minimizing the need to enter information from a desktop computer again.
What are the main CMMS features?
Modern CMMS systems generally have the following features:
– Work order management
With a robust CMMS system, you can generate, assign, and complete work orders and requests.
– Asset management
A CMMS solution lets you track assets, view their current status, and access detailed maintenance history.
– Preventive maintenance
By using a CMMS system, you can schedule recurring preventive maintenance for your assets, including maintenance tasks, procedures, and necessary parts. Advanced CMMS systems also offer a user-friendly drag-and-drop calendar for streamlined preventive maintenance planning.
– Inventory management
Implement CMMS software to allocate spare parts for work orders and associate them with relevant assets. You can also monitor inventory levels and receive alerts for reordering parts.
– Reporting and analytics
A powerful CMMS solution enables you to generate comprehensive reports on maintenance activities and construct dashboards to gain transparency into critical processes and key performance indicators (KPIs).
– Mobile app
The CMMS mobile app lets you manage maintenance activities on the go, from managing work orders to reserving parts. The premium CMMS apps offer offline functionality that syncs later.
Which industries use a CMMS?
Any industry that has equipment maintenance needs can use a CMMS system. Some industries depend more on asset functionality and their work environment than others.
The common industries using CMMS software include:
- Heavy industries such as manufacturing, construction, mining, aviation, and energy
- Facilities that require facility or property management such as hotels, hospitals, fitness facilities, restaurants, parks, and museums
- Fleet management industries such as trucking companies, car rental businesses, companies offering delivery services, farming businesses, and government organizations
- Field maintenance industries such as telecommunications and electrical grid maintenance companies
Conclusion
Implementing CMMS software can be a game-changer for your business as it helps you transform your maintenance operations. Whether you’re in facility management, fleet management, field maintenance, or heavy industries – EZO CMMS software is your best shot at streamlining maintenance processes, enhancing efficiency, and reducing downtime and costs.
It’s time to bid goodbye to cumbersome paperwork and spreadsheets and say hello to CMMS – the future of maintenance management.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What does CMMS stand for?
CMMS stands for computerized maintenance management system.
What is an example of CMMS?
An example of a CMMS is a software platform that empowers maintenance teams to manage the maintenance data and current status of assets. It then automates tasks such as maintenance scheduling, keeping track of inventory, completing work orders, and performing audits.
What is CMMS used for?
A CMMS solution is used to manage assets, schedule maintenance, track, and complete work orders.
