CMMS: Efficient Preventive Maintenance for Your Company   by Don Mccray

in Business    (submitted 2012-01-31)

For any business to operate the way its founder intended, all of its operational assets must be functioning optimally. If any single component is malfunctioning, the overall function of the company is then impacted, which could result in loss of productivity and, in turn, profits. For these and other reasons, having a well-performing CMMS along with a highly qualified maintenance department could mean the difference between a company's success and failure.

The letters CMMS stand for Computerized Maintenance Management System; CMMS is also frequently called EAM, or Enterprise Asset Management. To keep a thorough analysis of the health and function of its various production assets, a company uses a CMMS or EAM to manage the intricacies of its maintenance observations. Essentially a computer system integrated with the company's production equipment, the CMMS monitors the state of each component, checking oil and fluid levels, documenting any signs of deterioration and malfunctioning parts. From the various records and analyses, the company's maintenance crew is then more efficient and effective in its jobs, being able to take care of issues as soon as they happen, if not before.

When it comes to maintenance processes, a CMMS is valuable for both conditional maintenance and preventive maintenance needs. If the CMMS happens to notice a major potential problem and alerts the maintenance department to address it, this is what is called conditional maintenance, as maintenance is being performed in response to a specific condition or pressing malfunction. By keeping tabs on various other things, like oil pressure or overheating, the CMMS helps the maintenance crew address issues before thy become problems, through what is called preventive maintenance. Because it is often very difficult for people to know what is going on with the internal processes of various pieces of equipment, the CMMS helps the maintenance crew fix problems as soon as they arise, or else fix problems before they occur by recognizing the signs of deterioration or malfunction.

Actually, its assistance in preventive maintenance alone surely makes a quality CMMS valuable and worthy of investment. Upon this point, when buying a CMMS you should stay away from those that do not have tools or other capabilities for preventive maintenance. As it is, the CMMS could cost a significant amount upon purchase. Without having to incur huge replacement and repair costs, that initial investment into a quality facilities contract management will ultimately help your company save money, adding to your bottom line.

As you continue to tweak and refine your company's operations to make them more efficient and profitable, making an investment in a cmms system should be part of your primary strategy.

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Computerized Maintenance Management System