Connecting the CMMS with the existing Information System
Communication with other departments of the company is a prerequisite to maintenance. Consequently, the CMMS, which is at the heart of maintenance management, must be able to easily connect and exchange data with the existing IS.
Why integrate the CMMS with other applications?
As the single repository for maintenance data, the CMMS offers support to all those affected by the maintenance function on a daily basis, which goes much further than the maintenance department alone. Indeed, other departments in management, production, procurement, management control, quality, human resources, or even safety frequently deal with maintenance-related subjects.
Decompartmentalization of information systems
Favored by the rise of new technologies, dematerialization, and the automation of business processes, decompartmentalization has become one of the essential pillars of Maintenance 4.0.
Interconnecting the software used by the different departments, which are supposed to work coherently with each other, facilitates the digitalization of the company, but in order to make the best out of data sharing, it is imperative to first establish operating rules and common repositories.
What data from other systems are useful for CMMS?
A cornerstone of the digital transformation of the maintenance function, CMMS, are more than a simple management tool and are on their way to becoming an actual tool for decision-making and assistance with maintenance works.
To gain time and productivity to meet major technical, human, and economic challenges, maintenance will rely on some data from the IS, mainly about:
Purchasing and inventory
Providers
Infrastructure and network plans
Technical documents
Human resources
Supplier catalogs
Asset data
In order to make your CMMS project a success, you will have to anticipate whether you need interfacing or not with existing ERP, CAPM, MES, EDM, management, human resources management, or purchasing and supply management software… and consequently choose the CMMS that best integrates with your information system.
Integrating the CMMS with the IS: what are the benefits?
CMMS software increase team responsiveness and productivity, reduce maintenance costs, extend asset life and optimize spare parts inventory management, provided it integrates seamlessly with existing systems.
If your CMMS does not communicate smoothly and easily with your accounting, inventory, human resources, procurement software, and other systems, it can reduce response times and increase the risk of errors.
Integration of the CMMS with the IS offers multiple benefits:
Promote intra and inter-departmental communication
Reduce maintenance costs
Anticipate breakdowns
Increase team productivity
How to interface the CMMS with the IS?
ERP, MES, supervision, HR information system… CMMS solutions are increasingly used to support other software. Consequently, CMMS today must easily integrate with other solutions. There are various ways to do so, with different levels of ergonomics.
Connectors
A connector is the result of a partnership between 2 editors who have chosen to build up over time a communication between their software.
DIMO Maint, for example, favors the development of connectors with the biggest players in the ERP market such as Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage 100, Sage FRP 1000, Microsoft Dynamics 365, CEGID XRP Flex.
The selection of a connector can be directly made from connector catalog proposed by the editor.
API
Unlike connectors, API (Application Programming Interface) create a standardized communication point to facilitate data exchange between applications.
Upon being called, an API is a catalog of functionalities in web services to retrieve or enter data from/into the CMMS.
Web Services
Like an API, a Web Service is a means of communication between several applications. In particular, a Web Service allows for interactions between two machines over a network following a “request/response” pattern, while an API serves as an interface between two different applications so that they can communicate and interact.
Web services are often used to call the API of another editor.
Choose a CMMS that can be easily integrated with your current IS
All our industrial customers strive to become more efficient and competitive.
To do so, they need to ensure the digital continuity of their data and rely on an optimal information system to gain flexibility, responsiveness, and productivity.
Discover a CMMS that easily integrates into your existing information system.
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