Why Computerised Maintenance Management Systems?

Weakened western economies drive senior executives to examine every inch of corporate life to identify ways of meeting profitability targets. Companies need to get much more out of existing assets without spending any more money - and effective maintenance is integral to this success.

The maintenance team holds the key to maximising assets, minimising downtime and controlling costs. CMMS software provides the foundation to deliver efficient, effective maintenance regardless of the size and complexity of your maintenance team. CMMS software has evolved over many years to meet the needs of contemporary maintenance management, and they continue to do so by delivering more functionality, ease of use, greater mobility and visibility.

Five Key Benefits of Employing a CMMS:

• Process Improvement - eliminating the use of paper-based maintenance schedules and shortening lead times.
• Minimised downtime - achieving a balanced schedule of preventative and corrective maintenance to reduce equipment downtime and increase productivity.
• Maximised assets - intelligent reporting modules ensure that data isn't lost into a black hole, but is used to inform and actively improve all aspects of asset management.
• Reduced risk - managing compliance and support your client audits and demonstrate the effectiveness of your maintenance program.
• Enhanced morale - improving the visibility, professionalism and reputation of your team.

Towards TPM

There is a requirement in many organisations to develop strategies for Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) as a step beyond Lean Maintenance and Manufacturing. TPM aims to reduce all forms of 'waste' in the process to as small as is economically possible or, ideally, Zero. TPM IT is integral to these revolutionary cases and CMMS packages are excellent enablers for most initiatives with functionality including business intelligence, dashboard reporting, sophisticated notification and alarms, workflow capabilities, and highly configurable forms and report management. CMMS integrated with OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) Systems have already enabled continuous improvements across multiple sites.

Environmental Targets

Large corporations are compelled by share-holders to account for the triple bottom-line: profitability, social responsibility and environmental impact. Recent reports indicate that 85% of SME's in the UK, driven in part by rising fuel prices, are also focusing on strategies to reduce environmental impact. Increased energy efficiency helps reduce carbon footprints and deliver financial savings. There are big wins to be made with the aid of a CMMS as minimising planned and unplanned downtime has been shown to have an enormously positive impact on energy saving.