Beginner’s Guide to Understanding CMMS Software

Featured article by Nikita Hatch, Independent Technology Author

Many businesses and organizations require machinery, tools, property, and assets to keep their operations running smoothly. However, after acquiring equipment, most companies overlook—and even forget—the importance of asset maintenance. An effective maintenance program can make a huge difference on a company’s operations, especially if they heavily rely on these pieces of equipment.

Importance of Equipment and Asset Maintenance

Without a proper and consistent maintenance program, you can’t guarantee that your assets and equipment will run seamlessly and not cause any problems in the future. In a worst-case scenario, equipment issues that aren’t detected and resolved during maintenance can lead to occupational hazards and overwhelming expenses.

If your company manages several types of machinery, equipment, property, and assets all at once, it can be overwhelming to track their maintenance schedules and details consistently without any risking human error. Thankfully, CMMS software can assist organizations in handling their maintenance program.

What is CMMS Software and What is it Used For?

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a set of tools that provides real-time proactive control of maintenance operations. CMMS software can be defined as a suite of software products for controlling the management process of physical or non-physical assets.

Typically, CMMS solutions are utilized by industries encompassing construction, transportation, oil and gas production, metalwork manufacturing, agriculture, mining manufacturing, and more.

In the management of major facilities such as airports, mines, power plants, and hospitals, this software makes life easier for maintenance work supervisors, reduces costs, and prevents accidents. It also facilitates the sharing of information between the facility managers and other personnel involved with maintenance activities, such as supervisors, maintenance scientists, and engineers.

Moreover, CMMS software can be used in a wide variety of business applications including scheduling, asset tracking, asset management, repair and manufacturing processes, and project management. This software has been proven to be very useful in all areas automotive, where customer relationship management is essential, as well as in the financial and insurance services industry. It also plays an important role in the postal, warehousing, and utility industries.

Features and Advantages of CMMS Software

As CMMS software possesses a variety of uses and applications, organizations using this for the first time may get confused about how to incorporate it into their existing maintenance programs and overall operations. Hence, it’s important to analyze the usual features and functions of CMMS software in order to understand how it’s advantageous to your business:

Work Order Management

First and foremost, a company should set up the CMMS software first by adding work order entries, along with their schedule, frequency, contractor, and other categories. Once they’ve set this up, the software will automatically manage and organize these work orders, and then pop up a notification about a work order depending on its established schedule.

Predictive Maintenance

As the software monitors the operation of your equipment, it also collects real-time data and uses it to predict any potential issues that may emerge later. This way, you’ll be alerted to solve these problems before they actually occur and worsen.

Asset Management

Most programs used by companies today are based on the cloud, and CMMS software is no exception. Through this software, you can manage your assets and equipment anytime, anywhere, and on any device that supports this software.

Also, CMMS designs information that helps in the management and utilization of your company’s assets, such as service contracts, safety procedures and certifications, maintenance schedule and records, asset location and configuration, downtime, history of equipment failures, and others.

Equipment Breakdown Analysis and Reports

Along with predictive maintenance, maintenance managers can easily identify problems in their equipment as soon as it malfunctions. CMMS software can generate reports and analyses regarding the equipment breakdown through accessing historical records and statistics. Thanks to this feature, you can reduce the possibilities of experiencing other equipment failures in the future, thus reducing repair costs and equipment downtime.

Inventory Control

Managing your inventory is crucial in order to make the most out of it. However, there are times when you suddenly run out of items in your inventory without knowing beforehand, causing a great delay in your production. CMMS software can increase the efficiency of your inventory workspace by determining an item’s availability and informing your personnel about items that are currently low in inventory so you can restock.

Bottom Line: Choosing a Reliable CMMS Software

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) will become an integral part of your daily operations, so you should be careful in choosing the right CMMS software. You want software that fits your needs accordingly and satisfies your company’s preferences. Initially, it’s important to define your desired goals and needs while using software of this kind. Do you already have an existing IT infrastructure? What type of maintenance reports do you expect from the software? Should all your work orders become trackable?

Most importantly, you should witness the CMMS in action by requesting a demonstration from the company provider as this trial will dictate if it’s the perfect fit for your company. After all, you won’t achieve these features and advantages mentioned if your chosen CMMS software isn’t the right pick for you.

Nikita Hatch

Nikita Hatch considers herself as a techy person and regularly spends her time reading articles about the latest trends in technology. She then shares her insights about the industry in her blog as an attempt to connect and educate more people.