Short for Computerised Maintenance Management System, CMMS Software is a digitised tool used to assist asset-intensive organisations with the management of their physical assets. As well as enabling maintenance managers to automate the scheduling of maintenance through preventive and predictive maintenance planning. With the help of various maintenance management features such as asset tracking, preventive maintenance scheduling, and work order management, maintenance teams can maximise asset reliability and eliminate the risk of unplanned downtime to mission-critical equipment.
What Is CMMS Software?
CMMS Software (short for Computerised Maintenance Management System) is a digital tool that simplifies a business's planned, preventative, and reactive maintenance management plans. It offers a common tool for office and field-based teams to plan, track, execute, and report on their maintenance activities.
The main role of a CMMS is to reduce asset expenditure and eliminate factors that can be damaging to a business’s bottom line, such as unplanned equipment downtime. As well as streamlining the repair and replacement processes of mission-critical assets, such as equipment and machinery.
A CMMS solution is most commonly implemented across industries that rely heavily on the upkeep of their physical equipment and infrastructure. Such industries include oil and gas production, the utility sector, manufacturing, engineering, construction, and transportation.
The functions of a CMMS enable businesses to gain a holistic view of their assets and maintenance tasks throughout their facilities. This includes:
- Maintenance and repair schedules
- Inventory and spare parts management
- Health and safety protocols
- Compliance standards
- Work order management
What Are the Benefits of CMMS Software and Why do Maintenance Teams Need It?
For businesses that rely heavily on the upkeep of their assets, digitising and automating maintenance management through the use of CMMS Software is essential. Not only can it help to reduce costly equipment failures through preventive maintenance scheduling, but it can also be integrated with automated data collecting tools to deliver a holistic overview of all business equipment and operations.
The functionality of a cloud-based CMMS tool provides businesses with a variety of different benefits, including:
- Reducing equipment downtime
- Providing asset and work order visibility
- Increasing operational efficiency
- Controlling inventory, waste, and running costs
- Reducing reactive maintenance approaches
- Ensuring compliance management
- Improving workplace health and safety
As well as using a CMMS to improve overall maintenance management tasks, it can also impact operations in various areas of a business. Most notably; technical, operations, and business.
Technical Benefits of a CMMS
- Plan maintenance activities based on the condition of assets and time intervals
- Create work orders and job instructions aligned with the technical competency of a maintenance team
- Collect data across all maintenance activities to plan and schedule maintenance programs based on equipment information
Operational Benefits of a CMMS
- Eliminate spreadsheets and paper-based methods that make it very difficult to drive a result-oriented maintenance program
- Create a single source of truth for planned, preventive, predictive, and reactive maintenance tasks
- Provide mobile access to field-based teams to reduce the time and effort required to complete work orders
Business Benefits of a CMMS
- Improve uptime of equipment by 4 to 11% to drive more profit per equipment
- Reduce the overall cost of maintenance by 6 to 22% by adopting preventative and predictive maintenance programs
- Share maintenance data and intelligence from maintenance programs to get business consensus on maintenance budget allocation
Essential CMMS Features to Help Meet Maintenance Management Goals
Although systems can be built around the different maintenance requirements of a business, there are multiple features that are common with every CMMS solution.
Work Order Management
Work order management is typically seen as one of the main features of a CMMS. By automating work orders, a CMMS provides essential capabilities to maintenance teams and enables them to create, track, complete, and analyse work orders throughout the organisation. This allows businesses to:
- Automatically schedule repairs and maintenance
- Assign skilled technicians to the right tasks
- Record and analyse costs
- Track and monitor equipment downtime
- Track root cause analysis (RCA)
- Reserve materials and tools
Preventive Maintenance (PM)
Preventive Maintenance (PM), also referred to as Preventative Maintenance, is a proactive maintenance strategy that involves regular and routine maintenance of equipment to reduce the likelihood of failure leading to unplanned downtime.
By utilising the Internet of Things (IoT), in the form of sensors and trackers, a CMMS helps to continually monitor and analyze the condition of each mission-critical asset. This enables maintenance managers and technicians to build preventative maintenance schedules based on dates, meter readings, times, usage, and triggered events.
For businesses without a proactive approach to maintenance, running an asset to the point of failure can cost them up to 10 times more in repairs and lost production than companies with a planned maintenance strategy.
Predictive Maintenance Scheduling (PdM)
Similar to a preventive maintenance approach, Predictive Maintenance is a proactive strategy that aims to eliminate breakdowns in mission-critical equipment. But, unlike preventative maintenance, PdM attempts to predict when an asset might fail through the use of IoT devices and sensors. This allows maintenance frequency to be as low as possible to avoid a costly reactive maintenance strategy.
Essentially, Predictive Maintenance tracks and monitors the condition and performance of equipment during their normal operations. By doing so, maintenance teams and technicians can identify possible defects and fix them. Resulting in a reduced likelihood of equipment failure, leading to unplanned downtime.
In fact, 91% of manufacturers who deployed a predictive maintenance program saw a reduction in repair time.
Asset Management and Tracking
An important part of ensuring the availability of equipment is through effective asset management. As part of a CMMS solution, asset management offers an effective way for businesses to track, store, organise, and share data regarding assets. This allows maintenance teams to:
- Build a detailed and accurate asset register
- Track assets from purchase to disposal
- Access historical maintenance data
- Calculate depreciation
- Generate custom reports and asset profiles
Another common form of asset management found in most CMMS tools is the ability to track assets with the use of an asset tracking system. This allows businesses to use asset tagging devices such as RFID tags and Barcodes to track physical assets in real-time.
Inventory and Spare Parts Management
The ability to track inventory and spare parts in real-time enables maintenance personnel to see what parts are available to them and help avoid any delays to equipment repairs. Having this data available on a centralised platform such as a CMMS, also means field-based staff can check inventory levels at any time when working away from the office.
Notifications can also be put in place to alert inventory managers when stock levels are low, as well as provide supplier information for purchasing processes. The purchasing process can also be automated, with the procurement of an item being triggered when its stock level reaches a specific number.
Key Factors to Consider Before Implementing a CMMS Solution
Based on the analysis of Comparesoft CMMS Software buyers, businesses are more than likely to choose a computerised maintenance management system that will last them three to five years. Considering this, it’s essential to invest time in making sure you choose the best CMMS solution that will form the basis of your maintenance program.
In a UK marketplace that is packed full of various solutions, finding the best CMMS Software that matches your maintenance requirements can be overwhelming and time-consuming. But, by following the 15 steps below, you’re able to identify what you need in terms of maintenance management. Allowing you to streamline your CMMS Software selection process.
1. Clarify Your Readiness to Adopt a CMMS Tool and Quantify Your Deliverables
Over 93% of new CMMS software buyers used both spreadsheets and paper-based methods to manage their maintenance tasks, before implementing a cloud-based solution. Data entry, maintenance workflow, and reporting are fundamentally different in a CMMS tool.
But, moving away from an existing manual approach to a more computerised system requires having a fresh perspective on your maintenance program. There is no point in replicating your current methods in a new CMMS tool. For instance, with a spreadsheet-based tool, most of the maintenance program is reactive or meter-based. Whereas using a web-based CMMS tool requires you to switch to a more preventative maintenance mode.
Leading maintenance teams assign maintenance-oriented targets to be achieved with a new CMMS solution. For example, you might have 500 pieces of equipment that generate a maintenance cost of £200,000 and have an average usable life of 4.5 years. With a CMMS tool deployed, your maintenance cost should come down to the range of £160,000 to £180,000 and the average age per equipment should increase by 7 to 16%.
| Maintenance Parameters | Current System | Targets for New CMMS Tool |
|---|
| Number of Equipment | 500 | 500 |
| Maintenance cost per Equipment | 6% per annum | 2.5 to 4% per annum |
| Equipment Life | 4.5 years | 5.5 to 7 years |
| Maintenance Costs | £200,000 | £160,000 |
2. Identify the Equipment and Maintenance Data You Need to Collect
The basis of a cost-saving and impactful maintenance program is being able to collect concise and correct data. Too much data becomes overwhelming for technicians and users, while too little data creates ‘not enough information’ scenarios.
A key function of modern CMMS tools is the ability to import existing asset and maintenance data from previously used tools. That includes data you’ve collected from spreadsheets, accounting software, and asset tracking systems.
As well as this, it’s essential to have data regarding other areas of your business and maintenance tasks. This data can include work orders, inventory, health and safety protocols, office and field-based worker information, and material purchases.
3. Establish Your Work Order Types
As you decide to switch from manual to digital work orders, establishing your work order types is essential. For instance, if you’re migrating from a spreadsheet-based maintenance program, then your work order program will look much different with a CMMS tool.
Also, the level of information you can hold and analyse is substantially different with Computerised Maintenance Management Software. For example, asset data, skillset data, resource availability, equipment condition, place of maintenance, health and safety information, and previous maintenance history can all be reviewed from your work order setup.
Another factor to consider is who’s responsible for creating your work orders. It is not unusual for work order requests to be from end-users. In which case, you’ll require the work order fields to be simple, intuitive, and easy to use.
4. Identify Your Planned Maintenance Framework
There is a saying in the maintenance industry, “If you ask ten different maintenance engineers for the definition of planned maintenance, you will get ten different answers”.
We suggest you work with the framework that works best for you.
However, it is useful to be clear about your planned maintenance framework. Whether that maintenance is an inspection routine to decide on preventative maintenance tasks, or if it is condition and interval-based light maintenance activities.
5. Get an Idea of Your Preventative Maintenance Program
Preventative maintenance is a maintenance program aimed at each piece of equipment and is based on time, interval, meter reading, or regulatory compliance.
An example of a successful preventive maintenance plan is a business having to change the timing belt of your centrifugal pump. Whether this is timed for every 12 months, after a winter production run, after a reading of 60,000 cycle counts, or due to safety compliance. In effect, preventative maintenance is derived from understanding data from the mean time between failures.
Here’re some of the key elements that we suggest you investigate for your preventative maintenance program:
- Maintenance tools and equipment
- Skillset Required
- Location of maintenance
- A requirement of external contractors
- Equipment warranty
- Manufacturer’s instructions
- A requirement of leased equipment
6. Identify if You Need Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance is a maintenance program based on understanding the condition of the equipment using advanced condition monitoring techniques. These include vibration analysis, lubrication analysis, motor circuit analysis, visual inspections, infrared thermography, and ultrasonic analysis.
Manufacturer’s data, production runs, benchmarking industry maintenance plans, and behaviour of equipment are also taken into account to understand equipment condition.
Predictive maintenance is an advanced maintenance program mostly relevant to production or operation-critical assets. It is recommended to consider the suitability of predictive maintenance as it can have impactful changes to your maintenance, asset life, and cost optimisation parameters.
7. Understand That You Are Going to Address Reactive Maintenance Events
Even with a new CMMS tool, you are still likely to undertake reactive maintenance tasks. Speed of response and quality of failure information are crucial elements in handling reactive situations.
Typically, you will need to mobilise people and equipment. Quite often, temporary replacement equipment might be necessary. When choosing CMMS Software, it’s beneficial to know how you plan to deal with reactive situations.
In a reactive situation, modern computerised maintenance management systems will allow you to get an idea of the tools, people, and instructions required to address reactive tasks.
8. Take Note of Your Mobile CMMS Requirements
Whether you plan to rely on external maintenance contractors or your field-based team, your mobile CMMS requirements need to be planned in advance.
To start with, mobile hardware devices have access to compromises. Tablets can be difficult to carry, especially in space-limited maintenance zones. Some devices also have screen size limitations.
While a web-based or cloud-based mobile CMMS solution is responsive, flipping across multiple screens to find and input information requires consideration.
9. Clarify Your Service Management Requirements
From a definition viewpoint, service management is an agreed maintenance plan put in place with your customer. Quite often, there also tends to be a service level agreement (SLA) with your customer too. Service management often involves light maintenance activities such as inspections, oil changes, consumables replacements, and cleaning. The one area that makes this different from maintenance management is tracking vehicle/fleet status. However, this requirement can be addressed by most CMMS tools.
10. Identify Your Field Maintenance Requests
As stated, “who is going to log your maintenance requests” is a crucial topic for your CMMS selection. Quite often, service or breakdown requests are logged by end-users of the product. So, it is vital to understand where and how the requests are going to be logged.
For instance, there are two to three types of users who log breakdown and failure requests. Mode of logging requests includes email, maintenance portals, calls, or help desks. These are important to note as they will help you in asking relevant questions and identifying the suitability of a CMMS solution as you try free trials and demos of various products.
Another key factor to consider is the requirements of your maintenance team on the roads. They’re likely to require restocking of tools, flexible inventory delivery points, vehicle servicing, and access to a printer for work orders amongst other things. It is highly recommended to note these details as they will help you identify a CMMS tool that fits well in your maintenance workflows.
11. Establish Your Framework to Monitor Maintenance Activities and Reports
Most CMMS tools will have hundreds of standard inbuilt report templates. We suggest you identify five to ten reports that will be most useful to you. Typically, they revolve around:
- Key Maintenance Trends
- Over Maintenance or Under maintenance
- Track Labour and Material Usage
- Work Order Book by Status
- Resource Availability and Skillset
- Critical Assets
- Weak Assets
One of the biggest benefits of moving from a manual spreadsheet-based maintenance program to a computerised system is the insight and maintenance intelligence that your system can develop. Quite often, reports are not viewed as part of the developing maintenance intelligence of your organisation.
12. Map Out Your Maintenance Plan
Maintenance is a key part of managing the complete life cycle of your assets. There are activities linked to maintenance such as initial capital planning, procurement, asset appreciation, and the final disposal.
As you are planning to deploy a new CMMS solution, it would be advantageous to take pre-maintenance and post-maintenance approaches to your maintenance. Total asset lifecycle management typically has a considerable effect on total equipment effectiveness and can therefore positively impact your maintenance program.
You are likely to deploy a well-accepted CMMS tool if you collaborate with different teams that benefit from your maintenance management initiatives.
13. Review and Benchmark Maintenance Programs From Your Industry
Although each business is different, there are numerous areas that can overlap between businesses within the same industry. For example:
- Retail Maintenance Management Solutions require a special focus on managing different types of refrigerators
- The facilities sector quite often use a combination of internal and external maintenance contractors
- Maintenance systems in the manufacturing sector always require strong planning and scheduling features
14. Identify if Your Equipment Transmits Data About Themselves
Over the last five to seven years, there has been a five-fold increase in the number of equipment that has advanced sensors and thermostats that can emit data about their activities. For example, a compressor can emit data about its operating conditions like temperature, pressure, meter readings, and cycle counts.
If you plan to buy internet-enabled equipment then ensure that your new CMMS tool can import and handle data emitted from different equipment.
Equipment that emits data can help enormously with predictive and planned maintenance schedules. In most cases, equipment is capable of informing you about potential maintenance and failure issues.
15. Be Aware of Cognitive Maintenance
There are CMMS tools that can develop patterns from historic maintenance plans, correlate with equipment performance, manufacturer’s data, and industry benchmarks. All of this is possible using machine learning algorithms.
As of now, most of these systems apply to CapEx heavy and asset-intensive industries like Oil and Gas, Energy, Power, Aviation, Defence, and Manufacturing. If you are looking for advanced CMMS software, then it might be useful to investigate cognitive, machine learning, or Industry 4.0 features.
What Are The Top Rated CMMS Software Products?
IBM Maximo CMMS Software
The IBM Maximo Computerised Maintenance Management System app is best suited to manage complex maintenance management requirements within asset-intensive industries. From line maintenance to complex assembly maintenance, Maximo is a proven CMMS solution with over 100,000 users. Its top users are from the Utilities, Oil and Gas, Nuclear Power, Transportation, Aviation, and Life Sciences industries.
IFS CMMS Software
IFS CMMS Applications offers you a best-in-class Computerised Maintenance Management System, as well as maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), field service management, reverse logistics, and more. IFS CMMS Solution manages preventive and predictive maintenance and ensures the required service work is performed.
Maintenance Connection CMMS Software
Maintenance Connection is a powerful CMMS solution with comprehensive work order management capabilities. With this CMMS solution, Planned, Preventative, and Reactive Maintenance of complex assembly, individual components, and equipment in a production line can be effectively managed. This product is best suited for maintenance programs within Industrial Manufacturing, Healthcare, Facility Management, Construction, and Government organisations. It can be deployed as either an On-Premise or a Cloud-based product. The average price for a 3 user system, with 5 days of implementation and First Year’s support is about £10,000. This CMMS solution can also be accessed via its Mobile App.
Ultimo Maintenance Management Software
Ultimo’s CMMS Software is a cloud-based Computerised Maintenance Management System used by over 1750 asset-intensive businesses. The system is available as a CMMS app, as a web-based system, and as an on-premise solution. The core features of the product include Asset Management, Word Order Management, Contract Management, Planned Maintenance, Preventative Maintenance, and Cost Management. Ultimo’s CMMS App is used by large enterprises, as well as small and medium businesses (SMBs). The system is widely used in Energy, Business Services, Care, Education, Environment, and Logistics industries.
Hardcat Maintenance Management System
Hardcat’s Computerised Maintenance Management System is available as an on-premise, web-based, or cloud-based solution. Hardcat is best suited for small and medium businesses (SMBs) looking to manage standalone equipment, complex assembly, and individual inventory components. The starting price point is £3000, which includes a basic system for 2 desktop users and 1 smartphone/mobile user. As well as 4 modules of your choice and 12 months of free support. Top users of Hardcat CMMS software are from Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Defence, Healthcare, Education, Hospitality, Telecommunications, and Financial Services.
vx Maintain Asset and Facilities Management
Accruent’s vx Maintain is a cloud-based SaaS CMMS solution that is mainly used for managing work orders and assigning jobs to internal employees and external contractors. One of the best features of the vx Maintain Computerised Maintenance Management System is the ability to create quick work orders with ‘just enough’ information. Top users of vx Maintain are from facilities management and retail sector including Tesco, Co-op, John Lewis Partnership, and Trevis Perkins. Its starting price point is an annual fee of £60 per unit.
Support Desk Pro Maintenance Service Management System
Clockwork IT Support Desk Pro is a service management solution with powerful Computerised Maintenance Management System capabilities. It is available as both a desktop application and a mobile CMMS software app. The product takes a service-centric approach to maintenance management. The starting price point of this product is a monthly fee of £40 per user. It is payable monthly which is a cash flow and budget-friendly price plan.
FMIS Equipment Maintenance Management Software
Equipment Maintenance Software from FMIS is available as an on-premise and web-based system. It is most suited for small and medium businesses (SMBs) with simple equipment management requirements. FMIS is a strong solution for leased equipment management both from a financial (IFRS 16 and ASC 842 compliant) and rental management perspective. Best users of FMIS's CMMS Maintenance System are from Education, Equipment Leasing, Government, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, and Non-Profit Industries.
Cascade Maintenance Software
CASCADE CMMS software from DNV is a technical utility asset management software that is specifically designed to understand the condition of electrical assets in such a way that you can plan maintenance based on the condition of your electrical utility assets. Globally, over 100 energy utilities use the CASCADE Computerised Maintenance Management System for their technical asset management. The mobile module of CASCADE offers convenience to field-based staff.
