Computerized Maintenance Management System - CMMS Software

What is a Computerized Maintenance Management System?
Any company or organization usually has a great deal of information related to its maintenance operations. In order to carry out smooth work production, this maintenance-related information needs to be filed carefully and must be easily accessible to company personnel as and when required. In the present technological age, most of the required information can be stored digitally and this storage is done with the help of a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software package. The Computerized Maintenance Management System, which is also known as Enterprise Asset Management, can be web-based or LAN based.

How can a Computerized Maintenance Management System software help an organization?
A CMMS software can help an organization successfully plan and implement its maintenance operations. This maintenance planning ensures the maximizing of equipment uptime, cuts down on the need for emergency repairs, reduces production costs and saves time, brings about better and more effective production and thereby increases company profits.

What does a Computerized Maintenance Management System software do?
A Computerized Maintenance Management System software stores maintenance-related information and keeps track of -

• work orders
• scheduled jobs
• on-going production
• personnel to be assigned
• assigned personnel
• equipment
• equipment histories
• stored spare parts and where they are stored
• materials to be reserved
• supplies to be ordered
• existing problems
• problems that could arise
• problem resolution details
• actions to be taken in future

With the CMMS software, an organization can efficiently manage preventive maintenance, asset management and inventory control. It can record costs, equipment data, equipment warranty, purchase date, shipment receipts and servicing information. The CMMS also keeps a record of work specifications, lists step-by-step instructions for maintenance procedures and creates check-lists of both accomplished tasks and to-be accomplished tasks. You can easily check up on the available in-house labor and the contracted labor that is required. You have the facility to quickly access stored CAD drawings, scanned documents and detailed summary reports. In fact, by facilitating access to accurate information, a good CMMS software makes work management easier, the execution of tasks simpler, and is practically indispensable to an organization nowadays.

What features to consider or look out for before buying a Computerized Maintenance Management System software?
You will find a wide variety of CMMS software in the market currently and there are new ones cropping up practically every other day. These can vary in price from the low-end to the high-end, depending on the vendor and the available features, which can be complex and customizable or simple. It is important to choose the one that fits both your requirements and your budget. If you are on a tight budget, you can select a CMMS software that meets your immediate maintenance goals like, for example, listing equipment, scheduling preventive maintenance and printing work orders, and which allows you to upgrade to better features like bar coding or customized reports later on.

Be sure to buy your Computerized Maintenance Management System software from a reputed vendor, preferably one that has been in business for a few years. This could reduce the chances of the vendor shutting shop over-night and leaving you with a software that has no technical support or upgrade possibilities.

Your software vendor should be willing to provide technical support in the event there is any problem with the software. The software package should be easy and quick to implement, and must be automatically updated periodically to keep up-breast with new, emerging technologies.

Always ask for a product demonstration before you buy. This way you can find out exactly what the program features are and see if they are what you require to meet your maintenance goals. Some CMMS software packages allow you to customize the program to meet your specific needs.

The CMMS software should have easy-to-use tools that allow information to be accessed without any trouble by even those without extensive computer knowledge.

Your Computerized Maintenance Management System should be compatible with different diagnostic systems and different interfaces.

The CMMS software package should comply with different regulatory standards like Life Safety, OSHA and JCAHO.