Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) helps make maintenance operations more reliable and simpler to manage – resulting in:
1. Lighter workload
2. Increased productivity with staff
3. Increased protection of assets against excessive wear and tear or unexpected breakdowns
A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) is also known as EAM, for enterprise asset management. CMMS allows construction, transportation and trucking organisations to automate the processes they use to monitor and schedule equipment maintenance. And in many ways that can have a positive effect on the bottom line.
How CMMS can reduce costs
Using a computerised maintenance management system can make scheduling of maintenance more efficient and reduce administrative labour. But the system pays dividends in other ways as well.
The traditional means of keeping these records – on paper, in logbooks – not only required a substantial amount of work, it increased the chance that important vehicle and equipment upkeep would be overlooked. Without a centralised system that managed all assets, manually keeping track of so many individual variables meant a high probability of error.
In contrast, CMMS can monitor maintenance intervals and provide automatic reminders when ordinary maintenance is due, for an entire fleet. This can prevent equipment failure -- and expensive repairs or replacement.
Get significant savings with CMMS
To understand how much a technology that helps avoid mechanical breakdown can reduce operating expenses, consider the potential losses associated with typical equipment repairs.
Industry publication Construction Business Owner says that comparing relative expenditure for planned and unplanned maintenance can be instructive. To take one example, “Estimates on the cost of planned maintenance have been as low as $3 per operating hour. That’s a small price to pay over an extended period of time compared to the cost of replacing a $5,000 pump that missed a hydraulic filter change.
On the road, unexpected repair costs can be just as unsettling. Trucking data and content forum Freightwaves reported in 2018 that according to one analysis, “maintenance costs have increased 50% over the past five years with 20% of those costs associated with vehicle breakdowns and unplanned service events
Additional economy gains with CMMS
As well as decreasing the number of work hours required by maintaining manual maintenance records, and reducing the potential for equipment failure, there are other ways that a computerised maintenance management system helps boost an organisation’s bottom line.
- Improve workflow
Centralised, automated maintenance scheduling allows fleet and equipment managers to allocate resources more efficiently, to coordinate required maintenance and ensure it’s carried out more productively. This systematised approach can decrease the number of staff and amount of parts inventory required to support the organisation’s maintenance requirements.
Automated tracking and reporting of work done also simplifies management of work orders and reduces paperwork. - Greater productivity
A maintenance workforce that receives work assignments through mobile devices can operate more efficiently in the field, for timely completion of required maintenance and repairs. With CMMS, electronic communication between offices, the road or job sites can provide a thorough summary of work required, parts necessary and other details that helps eliminate time-consuming troubleshooting and repeated trips between the site and the maintenance shop. - Better regulatory compliance
A computer maintenance management system that identifies potential problems before they occur can help make sure that assets pass inspection by public agencies, and at the same time provide solid documentation that the equipment is maintained according to required standards. - Increase safety
Helping to prevent vehicle/equipment failure protects more than profitability. Greater reliability and fewer incidents on the road or at the site can reduce the likelihood of accidents, to keep drivers and workers safe.
Sources:
“Control Costs with Planned Maintenance,” Construction Business Owner, May 15, 2015.
“How Blockchain can Advance Predictive Maintenance,” Freightwaves, February 8, 2018.