When it comes to maintaining facilities, machinery, and equipment, the task can get pretty difficult. They need to be cared for properly with routine check-ups and updates, otherwise, their functionalities may erode and do more harm to your business than help.
In that regard, computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) has come as something of a savior for the facility and maintenance management teams in various industries.
Unfortunately, most facility and equipment maintenance teams are not equipped with reliable software that can help them do their jobs better. In fact, a 2018 research found that 44% of maintenance facilities are still using a paper-based record system to keep track of their maintenance needs, leading to many inefficiencies in the process.
CMMS, on the other hand, has not only revolutionized maintenance and facility management, but also has been an efficient tool used by maintenance teams of large, medium, and small enterprises across multiple industries. In this post, let’s discover 7 of the most amazing benefits of using CMMS that can help your firm. But before getting into that, let’s try to understand what CMMS really is!
What is CMMS?
A CMMS is a software used by organizations to digitally keep track of all things related to maintenance. That means they can be used by maintenance teams to predict and take preventive maintenance steps, keep inventory, and plan accordingly to ensure that all equipment is performing optimally.
A top-notch cloud-based computer maintenance management system (CMMS) can be used for scheduled maintenance, to manage & dispatch work orders, and for enterprise asset management among various other functionalities. So without further ado, let’s explore the advantages of CMMS that can help your business.
1. Take Care of Preventive Maintenance
CMMS software basically automates the process of scheduling inspection and related maintenance activities. As a result of this, the number of maintenance problems is reduced in your organization, thus saving your firm a lot of money that would otherwise be needed for repairs.
This proactive measure is also a good practice instead of waiting for something to go wrong – and due to that, the life of your machinery and equipment is prolonged, and the cost of operation of the maintenance department decreases.
2. Inventory Management of Spare Parts Made Easier
An organized approach is crucial for any maintenance team, otherwise, the team may not find the spare parts they are looking for at the right time. Unfortunately, keeping track of spare parts inventory and reordering stock is not an easy task.
CMMS, thankfully, automates the process by maintaining a record of inventory and can forecast which spare parts will be required in the upcoming maintenance of any machinery and/or equipment. Not only that, but the software can also reorder spare parts that are running low in the inventory. Therefore, when the time comes for scheduled maintenance of any particular machinery, the team is already equipped with the necessary parts.
Do you know what the best thing is? The CMMS can also inform you where any particular spare part is stored so you won’t even have to waste time searching!
3. Work Orders Can be Managed More Efficiently with CMMS
CMMS software can be used by facilities & maintenance management teams to manage work orders more efficiently by enabling teams to schedule the work orders, assign them, and complete them quickly. The team can choose the relevant fields to be displayed on their device, and the CMMS will keep track of all of the work orders and can also show you the history of procurement, maintenance dates, and descriptions for each equipment in the facility.
4. Downtime is Significantly Reduced
Downtime of equipment is never desirable as it can equate to loss of revenue due to the delay in the production process and may subsequently cause a loss of business as well. According to Deloitte, unplanned or unscheduled downtime causes industrial manufacturers to incur a cost of $50 billion every year!
Equipment downtime can be reduced by a properly planned approach to preventive maintenance. With the help of CMMS, the task of a planned and preventive maintenance approach becomes an automated reality. Due to this, unplanned downtime of your equipment is significantly reduced, and that, in turn, decreases the repair cost and loss of revenue from unplanned downtime.
5. Reduces Paperwork to Zero
As mentioned in the beginning, many companies still use a paper-based record system for maintenance purposes. With CMMS, the need for such manual paperwork is eliminated as the software can track that data. And since maintenance teams can easily view records of work order on the CMMS dashboard on their computer or mobile device, they won’t have to go through the hassle of navigating through a file cabinet. A few clicks and an easy search can show them all of the records in a matter of seconds. So the manual record-keeping system on paper is essentially reduced to zero altogether.
6. Compliance with Standards is Ensured
Facility management and maintenance teams need to maintain various local and international regulatory standards, which may vary from industry to industry. Depending on the local rules, a regulatory officer may randomly visit to check if your team is complying with the aforementioned standards.
Since CMMS has a comprehensive record, it can help your maintenance manager to prove to the regulatory officer that your facility is complying with the standards, including all of the details of maintenance work done on any equipment.
This also saves time so that the manager doesn’t have to frantically find all the paperwork for the audit. This kind of transparency can also save your firm from unwanted regulatory penalties.
7. Overtime Is Lowered
Due to the predictive maintenance nature of CMMS, emergency maintenance requirements are reduced, which means that the employees don’t have to work past the end of their shifts for maintenance. Not only does this save your firm’s money on overtime, but it also makes for a great workplace practice as employees get to go home on time, satisfied with their jobs.
Final Thoughts
For any maintenance or facility management team, a computerized maintenance management software is probably the most significant and useful tool to have. As part of your organization’s preventive maintenance strategy, CMMS can help keep track of the assets and prevent unexpected downtime, thus saving the company from unnecessary cost incursion.
Therefore, take into consideration the importance of CMMS in light of the benefits discussed above and make your maintenance team more efficient and effective!
