Why a Computerized Maintenance Management System is Not a Nice-to-Have But a Necessity

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Businesses into construction, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, and logistics depend a lot on their equipment.

Construction companies, for instance, need various types of equipment to build houses, buildings, and other infrastructure. Businesses in the hospitality and food and beverage industries use different machines to provide topnotch services that will satisfy their guests and customers.

Transportation and logistics companies, on the other hand, would not be able to provide their services if they do not have properly functioning vehicles and machines.

For companies that rely heavily on machines for various operations, including providing services to customers, ensuring all their equipment is fit for use all the time is a must.

Following the right preventive and corrective maintenance practices and always having sufficient spare parts inventory are crucial for keeping machines functional. These two will help preserve the life of these assets as well.

However, with various operations to manage and monitor, staying on top of all machine preventive and corrective maintenance requirements and replenishment of spare parts can be challenging. Even if all these are documented manually and electronically, employees may forget to check these records, thus failing to maintain equipment at the right time.

This delay can cause the machine to malfunction, which further translates to the loss of money on complex, expensive repairs. In case the faulty equipment accident happens in the workplace due to the defective equipment, the company will have more problems to deal with.

Since using traditional methods to record the preventive and corrective maintenance history of each machine is not reliable, investing in computerized or cloud-based asset management software is a must for companies that depend on various types of equipment for their operations.

Asset maintenance and management software explained

A cloud-based or computerized maintenance management system or CMMS is a software program that streamlines and manages the maintenance activities of all company-owned assets. It keeps detailed maintenance records of all equipment and inventory within the facility or office and the entire organization.

A CMMS program records the history of each asset, schedule preventive maintenance tasks, track equipment usage, and repairs, and automatically generate and dispatch work orders.

Today, this type of software is considered a must by most businesses due to the many benefits it provides. The most noteworthy of which are:

1.     Faster documentation of and access to asset history

Since every machine requires a substantial amount of investment, each one should be documented appropriately upon purchase. The best computerized maintenance management system allows users to input all the essential details of each asset in only one system wherever the equipment will be assigned or used.

This, in turn, will enable other users to access the same information and update it when necessary. Because of this, all users can input and monitor hours of usage and the downtime of the equipment, if any. Repair and maintenance activities can all be recorded in the system as well.

As a result, all employees can track these activities without the need to rely on their memory.  The easy-to-access up-to-date information will be useful as a reference when someone is troubleshooting equipment breakdowns. It will also reduce the time lag needed to get this person entirely up to speed.

2.     Easier planning and scheduling of preventive maintenance

CMMS software automates the scheduling of inspection and maintenance of all equipment. Because of this, there is no excuse for forgetting or neglecting to do these necessary steps.

As a result, the organization will effectively prevent the occurrence of maintenance problems, costly repairs, and possibly safety-related issues.

Additionally, the system will improve workflow and efficiency since it permits users to schedule, assign, track, and close work orders quickly.

3.     Reduced downtime

When operations are hampered because of a malfunctioning machine, the effects can be costly in terms of revenue and brand reputation. Moreover, the disruption will impact the productivity of employees.

Since a CMMS allows users to plan and schedule preventive maintenance, equipment downtime is lessened. And because all machines are regularly maintained, they will be less prone to breaking down, saving the company money on repair costs and loss of output.

Additionally, employees can schedule preventive or repair work at a time and place that will not disrupt other workers.

4.     Improved safety in the workplace

With all equipment inspected and maintained regularly, organizations can be sure that these machines meet the safety standards that will prevent malfunction and critical failures.  As a result, loss of or reduced work output due to accidents can be avoided.

More importantly, the equipment will be safer for all operators, the people around them, and the environment.

Users can also input injuries caused by the use of certain machines and how they can be avoided. Because of this, operators will have access to critical information that will allow them to operate the equipment safely.

5.     Lower repair costs

The regular maintenance of machines does not only mean fewer breakdowns; it also translates to longer lifespans. Because of this, companies using CMMS can save companies money by preventing the
premature replacement of equipment.

Since all machines are well-maintained, they will require fewer repairs allowing organizations to save money this way as well.

In addition, the scheduled maintenance works will allow employees to pre-plan the purchasing of parts. Companies can then avoid paying top dollar for last-minute purchases and the speedy delivery of
essential supplies.

With all these remarkable CMMS functions and features, a computerized maintenance management system is something that all companies that depend greatly on machines should have. It is an essential element that everyone in an organization will find useful and valuable.

About the Author

Mohammad Daudi is the Chief Revenue Officer at SGE Group International, a multidisciplinary group of companies with core business interests in Asset Lifecycle Management, Land Development, and Software. Aladdin is SGE’s proprietary Asset Lifecycle Management software, designed to empower FM, Maintenance and Asset teams across multiple industry sectors.

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