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CMMS maintenance software has been around since the 1980's. It is commonly used in factories and facilities that maintain equipment, buildings or vehicles. CMMS stands for: computerized maintenance management system. It is sometimes referred to as a work order maintenance management system or work management system. This software provides a computer database to assist maintenance personnel, managers and board members of an organization to accurately track, plan and provide maintenance work within the facility.
There are hundreds of different CMMS software packages. Many are specialized for various types of industries like trucking, manufacturing and healthcare facilities.
CMMS Software In Use
All types of CMMS software generally have the same essential elements.
Work orders
The heart of all CMMS software programs is the maintenance work order. A work order is used by the facility to communicate the need for the repair of a piece of equipment. The manager can input a description of the problem, the location of the equipment and a priority rating for the requested repair. The CMMS software generates a summary of the request, what parts and equipment will be necessary to complete the job and where the maintenance personnel can find those parts and tools in the facility. The work order can also track the amount of down time each piece of machinery incurs in a ceratin time frame.
Preventative Maintenance
Schedules can be created in the CMMS database that help a facility comply with regulations by insuring that routine inspections are performed. Oil changes, tire rotation, wiring inspection and cleaning are all examples of preventative maintenance that the CMMS software can track. The recording of preventative maintenance schedules can be very useful in the unfortunate event of a personal injury lawsuit against the facility that involves any serviceable materials.
Asset Management
Asset management is another time saving feature of CMMS software. Essential information about the equipment, such as the purchase date, purchase price, warranty information and the manufacturer’s contact information, can all be recorded in the database and quickly recalled by maintenance personnel
Inventory Control
The inventory control aspect of CMMS software can allow an employee to avoid endless hours of searching for tools and parts in a company’s storage department. The software tracks how many items are in stock and provides quick summaries of materials needed for purchase. It can regurgitate the exact location of a 3/4 inch bolt in storage building #3, row 7, shelf 5, bin #4.
Inventory control works with the work order aspect of the program to alert the employee if a work order requires a part that is not available. This quick alert allows the employee to immediately call to obtain the part from an outside source, decreasing the down time of the broken equipment.
CMMS software and EAS
Many CMMS software packages are now incorporating EAS software as well. Enterprise asset management software operates in a manner similar to CMMS software. It allows for the integration of a facility’s financial information, customer information, billing department and human resources systems. EAS works in conjunction with the CMMS software to provide a company with detailed information about the projected depreciation of existing equipment.
By estimating when materials will need to be repaired or replaced, a company can better prepare a long term budget. EAS can be used to identify excessive tread wear on a particular vehicle’s tires and predict the life span of a replacement tire.
CMMS software provides easy access to data, streamlined organization and generates summaries and analysis reports to help a company save time and money. The widespread popularity of maintenance software systems is a testament to the effectiveness of these types of programs.
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