What is the purpose of a CMMS?
A Computerised Maintenance Management System is a solution that supports the maintenance departments in the administrative, human and technical management of their tasks. To do so, a CMMS provides the following tools:
- Asset management (inventory, status and categories, etc.)
- Management and monitoring of maintenance operations (tracking and history, generation and storage of associated documents, etc.)
- Human management (schedules, assignment, field monitoring, etc.)
- Material resource management (monitoring of part stocks and needs, placing orders, etc.)
- Cost management (labour, purchasing, equipment hire, etc.)
Capable of processing all the information necessary to implement better informed and more preventive maintenance in real time, a CMMS also provides important decision support: its analytical and reporting capacities facilitate the assignment of resources and rapidly improve performance.
Who uses the CMMS?
The CMMS is consulted by decision-makers, team managers and maintenance technicians and is a source of information and a management tool for the whole company. With very many features, the solution provides customised analyses that are easy to share between departments.
CMMS: what benefits can you expect?
Moving onto a CMMS solution is no trivial matter. Digitalising maintenance shakes up the company’s organisation and methods. But the advantages of CMMS software are worth the effort. Time savings, increased versatility, cost reductions and better compliance with standards: why have a CMMS? What are the benefits of using a CMMS on a daily basis, irrespective of the company’s profile?
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A CMMS’s contribution to the management of assets
For their maintenance, many companies still use multiple Excel files, with very heterogeneous monitoring and a lack of information reliability.
The CMMS unifies the view of assets and enables you to share information across all teams and sites with accuracy. Listed in full, assets may also be categorised, facilitating searching and monitoring.
This centralised management is very popular with large multi-location groups, but it also enables medium-sized organisations to free themselves from business software that is sometimes too complex, and small companies to operate more preventive and agile maintenance.
“It was […] necessary to put in place a unified knowledge database that was precise and easy to use and would be shared between the different facilities,”
Improving maintenance teams’ productivity
While lead times are reduced, resources — especially human resources — are lacking and organisation and anticipation are essential for maintenance departments.
The CMMS provides tangible and clear information on needs, breakdowns or stocks. It facilitates the assignment of teams according to need, in real time. The CMMS’s scheduling and ticketing systems enable you to monitor the progress of operations and the allocation of resources with precision. These are therefore employed to the maximum of their utility, without wasting time.
Furthermore, the CMMS introduces a real information culture in the company, and therefore sustainable practices, which affect performance in the long term.
“The CMMS enables maintenance to save time while having immediate access to comprehensive work requests with all the information necessary for their completion while there used to be lots of email and phone conversations.”
Thomas Addis, Manager of L’Incroyable shops Property Portfolio
Digitising part of the process
A large share of the maintenance process is still carried out in paper format. Digitising your processes considerably alleviates everyday management and makes information reliable. Purchase orders that are fully referenced by the tool can be linked to purchase operations and they are sent digitally. Time is definitely saved and real-time processing limits error rates.
In addition to digitalisation alone, the CMMS solution makes procedures simpler and more user-friendly. The tool’s scope and use adapt to users: superfluous or time-consuming processes are eliminated. Employees are better supported and can focus more on their core tasks.
“[…] purchasing used to be done solely with paper documents. Now, the process is completely digitised, we have purchase order numbers and these are sent by e-mail.”
Goh Chip Kian and Mark Louie Montano, maintenance specialists at Dovechem.
Changing from reactive maintenance to preventive maintenance… and limiting the costs
Cost control and the need for more preventive maintenance are strong challenges that are closely linked. Reactive maintenance is much more costly than when it is planned in advanced based on analyses.
With a CMMS, maintenance departments have levers for anticipation: the dashboards provide a precise view of assets’ statuses at all times. Most maintenance renewals and operations can be planned at the right time, when the financial and human resources allow it.
“The maintenance overview is useful. Since the solution was implemented, we’ve seen a reduction in breakdown in the plant thanks to more effective preventive maintenance.”
Romain Massé, Rivadis laboratory Infrastructure Technical Manager.
Observing the security regulations and requirements at all times
Following the regulations generally goes hand-in-hand with excellent maintenance traceability. A CMMS provides great visibility over all the assets and facilitates compliance. Administrative, technical and regulatory information is recorded and available at all times.
A CMMS also enables you to prepare for all the checks and audits, perform tests and regulatory asset maintenance, as well as to comply with the highest security standards in the most demanding sectors. Finally, more suitable use of assets enables companies to limit their impact on the environment, and comply with the legislation better.
“Today, we virtually have no more obsolete machines and the company can rely on the quality of maintenance thanks to their competent technicians.”
Mario Auletto, Operations Manager for the Chamrousse Cable Car Company
Creating customised reports and sharing information
Sharing information in customised formats is one of the great benefits of the CMMS. The comprehensive CMMS reports, adapted for senior management, supervisors and field employees, facilitate communication and accelerate the achievement of the company’s strategy.
In a few minutes, managers and decision-makers can create a clear and modular table that is easy to share with the contacts concerned. The analysis is within reach of all the stakeholders and promotes the involvement of the strategic and operational teams.
“Improved communication between departments has dynamised our method of operation,”
Yves Bernard, Operation Manager in charge of production, maintenance and quality at La Compagnie des Saveurs
