A Computerized Maintenance Management System, or CMMS, is maintenance software that streamlines and articulates your organization’s maintenance operations, making it simpler and easier to track and manage. Different businesses will have different specific objectives for their CMMS program, but in general, these systems are designed to save businesses time and money by optimizing their maintenance processes. Let’s take a look at some of the more common objectives of a CMMS.
Reducing downtime
One of the main objectives of a CMMS is reducing unscheduled downtime. Unexpected equipment failures can cost businesses hundreds or even thousands of dollars per hour in lost productivity, so it’s crucial to have a system in place that can quickly identify and fix problems before they become full-blown disasters. A good CMMS will allow you to track your equipment history and predict when certain pieces of equipment are likely to fail so you can schedule repairs and replacements in advance.
Improving communication
Another key objective of a CMMS is improving communication between departments. In many organizations, the maintenance department operates in a silo, with little or no communication with other departments such as production, accounting, or purchasing. This lack of communication can lead to finger-pointing and blame-shifting when things go wrong, which waste valuable time and resources that could be used to fix the problem. A CMMS can help improve communication by providing a central platform where all departments can access shared information about equipment, work orders, inventory levels, etc.
Increasing efficiency
A well-designed CMMS should also help increase the overall efficiency of your maintenance operation. By automating routine tasks such as work order creation and scheduling, generating reports, and collecting data from various sources, a CMMS frees up your maintenance staff to focus on higher-priority tasks. In addition, a good CMMS will provide features such as an asset library that allows you to quickly locate equipment manuals, schematics, etc., so you can resolve problems more quickly.
There are many reasons why your business might benefit from implementing a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), but ultimately, these systems are designed to save businesses time and money by optimizing their maintenance processes. Some of the more common objectives of a CMMS include reducing downtime, improving communication between departments, and increasing overall efficiency. If any of these sound like areas where your business could use some improvement, then a CMMS might be right for you.