A computerized maintenance management system or CMMS as it is shortly called will be able to reduce maintenance costs which include labor and parts. CMMS makes use of predictive maintenance in order to minimize capital expenditures on important equipment due to wear and tear. If the CMMS solutions aren’t integrated properly, they become an added burden to the maintenance personnel. Let’s look at how we can successfully integrate CMMS in an organization.
The Selection process
Price shouldn’t be the only selection criteria for your CMMS system. Your selection criteria should look at required functionality like, runtime based predictive maintenance, industry standard reporting systems, and basic document management.
Select a CMMS systems (this is an example for a good CMMS system) based on existing resources and not over reach as it may end up hurting you more than you can imagine. You should think about the maintenance factor of the CMMS system itself. Do you need special personnel for it or will your CMMS vendor take care of it? Is the CMMS tool platform agnostic? Will the maintenance schedule of other software affect it? If you are using SAP or other similar ERP or MRP systems, will your CMMS vendor keep up with those changes so that the links between your CMMS and other business systems aren’t broken?
Planning
You’ve to Plan the implementation of the CMMS system ahead to reduce the burden on your maintenance team. Plan ahead so that the implementation process doesn’t affect operations. If you are bringing in resource personnel or providing overtime so that your maintenance team can learn how to use the CMMS tool without compromising ongoing production schedules.
Make sure that CMMS works as required in different use case scenarios. For example, a CMMS that asks to order a “table fan” or “fan serial number 4321” can lead to varied results when your purchasing department is confused. The problem will be multiplied when the CMMS system doesn’t give clear information on part numbers, serial numbers, cage codes and vendor names to your purchasing department. Make sure that the information in the CMMS system and your ERP/MRP system matches. Assign a person for taking care of this process.
One person will have to do routine data entry into the CMMS. Plan the workflow effectively to eliminate confusion. Do you want each personnel to enter their own completed work orders, or will someone else in dispatch take care of the data entry? Who will run reports for management? Who will review breakdown history from time to time and decide replacement schedules?
Integrate It Into Your Workflow
Using a CMMS system should be seamless. For example, it should be standard procedure to check CMMS before assigning work and logging of parts used in a task. CMMS shouldn’t be a standalone component but a part of the existing workflow, otherwise the CMMS system will be a drag on the produxtivity and reduce efficiency.
Slowly take paper based systems out of the equation and use only CMMS systems for labor scheduling process as well. Think about how new user manuals and repair guides will be uploaded to the CMMS system as and when new equipment are bought..
Training Procedure
Softwares are supposed to make your work easy and not the other way around. Your staff needs to learn the basic transactions with a CMMS like logging when they start and complete repairs and parts used. They should learn to report abnormalities, input user notes and creates repair requests. Learning how to bring up reference documents and old notes can be useful as well.
Staff should be able to re-assign work when they don’t complete tasks on time. Make use of industry standard failure codes and use them for record keeping. This will lead to diligent record keeping and proper documentation. Training for managers is as crucial as training for industry personnel.
Integration with existing MRP/ERP Software
For optimum benefits, a CMMS system should be integrated into your existing material requirements planning (MRP) / enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This will make sure that your CMMS system processes a planned maintenance schedule and make sure that the parts and supplies required for the maintenance are available in the inventory and produce a purchase request for additional supplies in order for them to arrive in time.This kind of seamless connect will reduce the burden on your maintenance staff.
Conclusion
Choosing a CMMS solution that fulfills all your requirements from day one and syncs well with your existing infrastructure is crucial. Think about how you can implement the software, its integration as well as its lifecycle. Make sure you provide necessary training to the concerned individuals. Do drop in comments if you have any doubts and we’ll be happy to clarify it for you