6/20/07 - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with some version of a CMMS, as there are hundreds of out there. Some companies even maintain their own "home-grown" version.

When I first started working in the maintenance field in the paper industry, we managed work orders by hand. A carbon form was used for requesting maintenance work. All the details were handwritten (I think we employed some wannabe doctors because I couldn't read their writing!). The originator kept a copy and sent the remaining carbon copies to the scheduler. The request was then entered into a spreadsheet. A backlog was created from which reports were printed and distributed to supervisors and maintenance coordinators for review. Ultimately the report was returned to the scheduler with another sheet attached with the title "Top 20". The "Top 20" was then scheduled for the following week using again, another spreadsheet requiring manual entry. A simple system, but not very efficient.

Then came our first CMMS. This program was used to manage our maintenance information such as work orders, planned work packages, labor and material costs, preventive maintenance information, equipment information and much more. In the "early" days, our system was not linked to Purchasing, Accounting or Stores. When requisitioning parts for a planned job a Purchase Requisition form was filled out (by those infamous wannabe doctors) and then sent around the horn for written approvals. At some point the Purchase Requisition ended up in the Purchasing department, but oftentimes after the parts had already arrived. Sound familiar? Eventually, as time would have it, these systems did become integrated with each other. This improved workflow efficiencies, made managing the maintenance of equipment and other assets easier, improved productivity for maintenance and operations and reduced costs. If you want to learn more about how a CMMS (no matter which system you use) will improve your reliability, sign up to attend one of our 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review workshops.

As I mentioned in a past article, I will be highlighting tips relating to Maximo in the upcoming months. You will be able to access these tips via our Nobreakdowns.com website, Blog or Discussion Board. Feel free to post questions, comments or even answers to other users' questions. I look forward to chatting with you soon.