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Breakdown maintenance is just one of your headaches!
Anyone who is responsible for maintenance in a commercial facility or manufacturing plant is keenly aware of the problems caused by equipment breakdowns. We may have thousands of equipment to keep in top operating condition. If one breaks down, the entire operation may come to a screeching halt!
But that’s just part of the story…
We also know that regular preventative maintenance management is important for reducing these breakdowns. However, this can be difficult to schedule and track. Computerized maintenance management software (CMMS software) can be an amazing asset for this. They can increase our efficiency in preventative maintenance scheduling, standardizing procedures and in lower time lost due to equipment breakdowns.
On the other hand…
Just having a CMMS program to schedule maintenance is not a magic bullet. First there are some things we need to do in our maintenance program as well as in the software to get the best results.
Five tips for better preventative maintenance with CMMS software
1. Be proactive vs reactive
We must make our maintenance management into a proactive rather than a reactive system. Above all, CMMS software is just a component of an effective maintenance management process. The process is unique to each facility. The software is refined and applied to fit your process. A team effort is needed to ensure that the CMMS software meets the needs of everyone involved – maintenance and engineering, plant operations, information technology staff as well as management.
2. Identify preventative maintenance goals
The maintenance management team should focus on three main goals. Firstly identify areas for maintenance process improvement. Secondly pursue better ways to allocate maintenance costs. Third and most critical, provide technicians with an effective method for scheduling and tracking preventative maintenance.
3. Identify preventative maintenance strengths & weaknesses
We must determine the specific and most pressing needs within the facility. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Consider the answer to questions such as:
a) How will the staff react to a different computer based approach to maintenance?
b) How is the current preventive maintenance plan implemented?
c) How is the maintenance plan tracked?
d) How effective is the current maintenance management system?
e) How much support do we have throughout the facility for these changes?
Knowing the answers to these will help make sure that we are not unprepared. We must try to address any items that can become a stumbling block to our plans. For example, insufficient support from staff will most likely cause the whole effort to fail.
4. Identify what we want from the CMMS software
Identify what we want to achieve with CMMS software. Starting with the end result in mind, we set goals and deadlines to meet them. Are they realistic? When we have clearly defined goals, everyone in the facility can focus on achieving the same outcome.
5. Establish standards for our maintenance program
Working with the maintenance management team, set standards for the maintenance program. These standards are important to create an effective maintenance management plan. With standards we can measure performance and improvements in efficiency. We can use these standards to establish detailed written preventative maintenance management procedures and schedules.
Just think about it…
After that with the CMMS software we can setup maintenance schedules and specify requirements. We can track and maintain data regarding these maintenance schedules, procedures, processes, and resource usage. We can monitor inventory levels and justify manpower. In addition, we can control costs by minimizing downtime and maximizing existing resources more effectively.
See “Eight CMMS/ Maintenance Software Setup Tips” as well as the additional resources section below for more information.
How do we find the right CMMS software?
Get a free guide that can help you evaluate different maintenance software to see how well they will fit your requirements.
Free CMMS Software Selection Guide
Additional Resources
1. Auditing Your Maintenance Management Program – 5 Essential Steps
2. 5 Tips To Improve Maintenance Work Order Estimates
3. Four Easy Ways To Setup An Equipment Maintenance Schedule
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