Top Trends in CMMS Buying
Many businesses purchase a CMMS, Computerized Maintenance Management System, to help them in controlling equipment and inventory costs, while decreasing unexpected downtime. CMMS traditional features include modules for planning, scheduling and monitoring of work orders and maintenance issues. Instead of paper forms, all the process can be computerized and centralized. Once a CMMS is deployed, firms use it in many areas.
Government compliance
One buying trend is for companies to purchase Computerized Maintenance Management Systems to help with government compliance issues, including OSHA and safety concerns. According to an article by Maintenance Technology Magazine, the Angelica’s Chicago plant has used the CMMS to guide inspections, focusing on preventive maintenance and complicance issues. This business is one of the largest textile and linen rental companies in the U.S. and the CMMS has been guiding it in scheduling maintenance on all laundry and major equipment. One of the results is that the firm has lowered its OSHA case incidence rate to below industry average, which made it eligible to participate in the OSHA’s Volunteer Protection Program.
More Functions
The other trend is to purchase modules with more reports and functionalities to assist management in maintenance issues, such as mobile capabilities and web-based reporting. Wireless options and integration with smart-phones and PDAs are CMMS funcions that eliminate paper reports, allowing technicians to obtain current data from anywhere, a major plus when a firm has more than one location and plant. The concept of maintenance management has moved from reactive, to preventive to JIT-Just-in-Time to take advantage of existing materials and resources. As Facilities.net indicates in January 2011, “Today's CMMS solutions allow connection with networked assets, inventory items, and building equipment.” And management can utilize these links to provide maintenance at the right time, not too early and not too late, saving in costs and resources.
Energy Costs
A third trend is for management to buy CMMS modules to control energy costs. Modules are available to track energy efficiencies, such as scheduling special inspections of older equipment, deciding on acquiring more efficient machines or to stay with existing ones. Other uses are to identify energy leaks, and to provide firms with a solid basis for an effective energy-reduction plan. With the high cost of electricy there days, every penny counts and saving in this area has become a trend with many firms.
CMMS is here to stay and to help managers in their daily activities. Look out for better reporting and easy-to-use functions, so that anybody can understand and employ the system with minimal training. As firms realize the potential for control and savings, more and more systems will be implemented and used in the future.
