Often times, the CMMS (Computer Maintenance Management System) is not truly considered the first step to cost reductions and Asset improvement. If utilized correctly as a tool to managing work, it can provide a dramatic return on investment for reducing overall maintenance costs as well as improve overall productivity for the “Availability” portion of the OEE equation. If tracked correctly, the data from your CMMS can and should easily match up to data pulled form your OEE or production tracking system.
Consider the amount of money spent on installing and maintaining any form of CMMS. It can range from hundreds of dollars to millions. Many organization’s only tap into a relatively small portion of this investment. There is a tendency to continue to perform many tasks regarding work management and asset performance utilizing personal mental processes as opposed to routine data extraction and evaluation. Thus typically is based on the typical phrase “you just can’t trust the data”. Consider the possibilities if you could actually trust the “data”?
Computer systems are heavily relied on for production management and inventory tracking. Your Maintenance Management system should also be considered in the same light. It should be considered a vital artery in your organization. Utilizing it should also be considered a mandatory part of the organization.
The typical refrain from utilizing the CMMS to its fullest, is the fear of the trades being able to keystroke and maneuver around in it. The key to this success is twofold.
1) System configuration, set up, and function should be in the most logical way possible for the system being utilized.
2) The training guidance for utilizing the system should be considered close to the level of importance as safety training.