CMMS is an acronym for Computerized Maintenance Management System, but can be also referred to as a CMMIS or Computerized Maintenance Management Information System. In essence, it’s a software program that has a computer database that organizes and tracts an organization’s maintenance operations (2). These systems were created to simplify maintenance workflow and audit an organization’s maintenance health at a mere glance (1).
Focused on particular sectors of asset and work management, systems such as asset management, asset life cycle management, asset performance management, asset reliability and condition monitoring are those systems necessary for organizations to increase equipment availability and performance, as well as product quality to reduce maintenance expense. A CMMS software will ensure these goals are reached.
Components of a CMMS
1. Equipment data management
2. Preventive Maintenance
3. Labor
4. Work order system
5. Scheduling/Planning
6. Vendor Management
7. Inventory Control
8. Purchasing
9. Budgeting
Do We Really Need One?
If your goal is to have a list of assets and parts for accounting, CMMS is a bit heavy-handed (1). Yet, if your purpose is to reduce unproductive time spent searching through file cabinets, then what you need is a CMMS.
But how do you know if you need one? To know whether or not a CMMS software is needed for your company, you should reflect on some commonly asked maintenance questions.
If the following questions sound familiar, you will likely need one:
1. What did we spend on preventive maintenance last year? Reactive?
2. Where did we buy this particular part last time we needed it? Do we have their phone number?
3. When was the last time we worked on this asset? And what was the issue?
4. Do we have a substitute part in the storeroom? If so, where is it?
5. How much does all the repairs on this piece of equipment cost? Should we replace it?
6. When was the last time a part was used? Is it outdated?
7. Is this asset under warranty? Have we performed the required warranty maintenance task?
What Kind of Software is Right for Our Needs?
Hopefully, after evaluating your organization’s needs using these questions as a guideline, you can decide whether or not a Computerized Maintenance Management System is the right pathway for you. If you do see that a CMMS is needed, you need to decide what kind of software best fits your company needs.
Luckily, at Alpha Simplicity Software Technologies, we have two CMMS applications—one basic, the other complex. If you’d like to find out more, I’d suggest you check out the product pages for PM Coordinator (basic) and Maintenance Coordinator (complex) to find out which one benefits you.
With that being said, we hope this article assists you in finding the information you were seeking and cleared any fogginess surrounding CMMS. We wish you the best of luck in finding a program that best suits your organization’s needs.
Sources:
1. Crain, Mike. The Role of CMMS. N.d. A white paper on the selection and implementation of computerized maintenance management systems. Northern Digital, Inc. 4520 California Ave, Suite 200, Bakersfield, CA 9330 < www.northerndigital.com>.
2. Cato, William; Mobley, Keith (2002). Computer-managed Maintenance Systems: A Step-by-step Guide to Effective Management of Maintenance, Labor, and Inventory. Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 33. ISBN 0-7506-7473-3.