Maintenance issues can get pricy, especially when a mission critical piece of equipment goes down. It’s only sensible that companies would constantly be working to better their maintenance management system. After all, DuPont reported in the mid-nineties that “the largest, single controllable expenditure in a plant is maintenance, and in many plants the maintenance budget exceeds annual net profit.” A budget that spirals out of control is unacceptable, and that’s why we’ve worked so hard to help companies get their maintenance systems under control for years now.

At many organizations, the individuals who work in facility maintenance routinely have to operate in fire-fighting mode. They are constantly running around dealing with prioritized emergencies that must be dealt with in a hurry. The result is that they are left with virtually no free time with which to work on preventative maintenance. That’s no way to run things, but many managers and professionals are stuck in a never-ending cycle and it seems as though there is nothing they can do to break out of the rut and make time to prevent future disasters from occurring.

What they need is a streamlined maintenance management system — one that tracks all happenings relating to their firm’s facilities. The software we offer here at Maintenance Connection is designed to ease the flow of day-to-day management and keep you prepared for those inevitable emergencies that always seem to crop up at the worst time. Our professional maintenance management system will set you up with the tools you need to seemingly be everywhere at once and keep business running as usual. Forget about stomping out fires every time you turn around, and focus on preventing them from ever happening.

Listen, things are going to wrong on occasion and we know that; but it disaster recovery need not be a part of your everyday routine. Put our system into place and get back to being proactive.

Article source: http://blog.maintenanceconnection.com/2011/12/15/get-workplace-disasters-under-control-before-they-happen/

1. Take Inventory / Do Your Homework – this is a good time to take inventory by going through and listing your buildings, equipment, vehicles, and parts that you want to track in your CMMS. Consider any unique situations you may have – such as naming conventions for easy searching or determining how you will identify sections of linear assets. Many CMMS implementations fail because the database is improperly set up.

2. Pull Together your PMs – every equipment manufacturer has recommended maintenance schedules, but no one knows better than you what is necessary to keep your equipment up and running. Can’t afford unplanned downtime? Schedule PMs and inspections more frequently. Can’t access areas during peak use times? Schedule maintenance around holidays and breaks. Have major events at your facility? Schedule PMs 30-60 days prior to ensure you have time to take care of any issues. One of the main sources of cost savings from a CMMS is through managing PMs and inspections to reduce failures and emergencies and increase the usable life of your assets.

3. Consult your IT Department - even if you implement a hosted solution you may still need some support from IT to ensure your network can deliver good performance times at peak times. Are you using smartphones or other handheld devices? Who will provide support when issues arise? Understanding all the IT needs of your CMMS will help you isolate issues and avoid delays.

4. Prepare your Data – whether you are converting years of history from an existing CMMS or starting from scratch, the cleaner your incoming data is, the faster you will be up and running. Helping you prepare for, and then performing the data import is one area where you CMMS vendor can add significant value. Make sure you understand what is required of your new system before you promise a “go live” date. CMMS implementations are often delayed when parties don’t fully communicate data import requirements.

5. Test your Hardware and Software - the last thing you want to have happen is for your CMMS trainer to show up and have your new system not working, wasting valuable time. Every CMMS vendor has stories about arriving on site to train and having to start by taking the server out of the box. Make good use of your training dollars by having hardware in place and software installed prior to scheduled training.

6. Determine your Reporting Needs – before you start implementation and training for your new CMMS, sit down with your staff, managers, and accounting department and discuss the types of reports they would like to see out of the new system. Who will receive regularly scheduled reports? How often will you issue reports?  Which reports are the most critical to your organization? Thinking about reports ahead of time will help ensure that the system is set up, configured, and used in a way that will get you the information you need. This exercise will also help you determine if any customization is required. Set up your CMMS to automatically produce the reports you need.

7. Get Trained – when designing your training plan, make sure you consider both breadth and depth. You’ll want to get enough people trained so they can help each other with daily tasks and a few people trained on all aspects of the system and its administration. Also consider planning for future training, perhaps 6 months after you go-live, when you have experience actually using the system in your organization. Make sure you are getting the most out of your CMMS by adequately training all users.

8. Audit your CMMS – schedule a PM for your CMMS! Every six months plan to spend a few hours checking your CMMS. Use this time to make sure you have the latest version of the software, are getting the reports you need, and that you are taking full advantage of the your CMMS’s capabilities. This is also a good time to check in with users and see if anyone has questions or if there are new employees who would benefit from formal training. Performing periodic PMs on your CMMS protects your investment and maximizes the maintenance savings for the organization.

Article source: http://www.micromain.com/2012/01/8-steps-successful-cmms-implementation/

During the week, eMaint connected with partners, customers, and prospective clients. The conference included Workshops, Plant Tours, and Best Practices information sessions. Both Gene Pargas and Lisa Williams represented eMaint at the conference and enjoyed attending various Best Practices sessions as well as conversing with show attendees. 

Thank you to all who stopped by the eMaint booth. Visit our Facebook page to view pictures and videos from Greensboro, and check back next week for more updates from the 2011 SMRP conference. 

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EmaintCustomerSuccessStories/~3/wAMeyaKj2_k/emaint-exhibits-at-19th-annual-smrp-conference.html

A few years ago, choosing the right CMMS
Software was a much simpler venture. With only a few
programs to choose from, you could do minimal research and
be on your way to implementing a simple and effective
system. But, with the explosion of the maintenance software
industry in recent years, selecting your software has become
a far more complex task. One that involves extensive
investigation and evaluation. Some of the most important
issues to consider when deciding which CMMS is right for you
are cost, stability of the vendor, program features, fast
implementation, support availability, and last but not least
availability of a demonstration program.

Cost is possibly the most important consideration in the
hunt for a CMMS. Quite simply, the most useful preventive
maintenance software in the world is of no use to you if
your company cannot afford the purchase price. For the
maintenance manager on a budget the key to finding the best
software is value. A great strategy for a company selecting
their first CMMS is to look for maintenance management
software that offers low initial cost, as well as
expandability, resulting in the delivery of the greatest
value for your dollar.

Another important factor that is frequently overlooked by
CMMS buyers is the stability of the vendor developing and
distributing the preventive maintenance software. It is
vital to ask how long the vendor has been in business and if
this is the only product that they sell. Choose a system
only from a company that has been in business for a number
of years and that sells only one line of products. This will
minimize the possibility of the company going out of
business or abandoning the product line for one of their
other ventures. After all, a new program or one from a start
up company may seem like a great deal, but if your support
system disappears your maintenance software investment will
quickly become worthless.

Program features are another important component of choosing
a CMMS. Determine what your maintenance goals are and look
for a program that will meet them. For the simplest of
operations you will need to list your equipment, enter
preventive maintenance tasks on that equipment and then be
able to generate and print work orders. For more complex
operations there may be a need bar coding for inventory and
customizable reporting. Some distributors offer a base
program with the option of adding modules, which are
available immediately or as needed in the future. This is a
great option to have as your maintenance operation becomes
more efficient and additional features and customizations
are desired.

Implementation must be quick and efficient. After all, a
CMMS that will be cumbersome to get up and running will only
tie up more time and resources. Features like wizards or
other automated entry will make implementation exponentially
faster and will have you on your way to maintenance
efficiency in very little time.

Technical support for implementation must be available and
personnel should be on hand on an ongoing basis for any
future challenges that may arise. Part of this support
should be periodic update releases to keep your technology
current in this fast paced digital age. Remember, CMMS is an
investment in the productivity of your maintenance
department. A maintenance software distributor should be
reputable and have been in business for a number of years to
insure that your software will serve its purpose for many
years to come.

A fully working demonstration of the program is probably the
most useful tool that you will have in your evaluation of
any CMMS. Install the program that you are considering and
begin implementing it. This will give you a solid idea of
all of the issues we have discussed in this article. You
will be able to find out what kind of time frame to expect
for implementation and may evaluate the usefulness and
availability of the features that you need. While evaluating
demonstration software you may call the distributor with
questions and see for yourself what kind of support is
available and if it will readily meet your requirements.

As you know, good Computerized Maintenance Management
Software can be the backbone of your maintenance department.
Be sure that you choose the right CMMS to fit your
department’s needs and start optimizing today!

Erin Ouellette COGZ Systems 203-263-7882 http://www.cogz.com/

Author: Erin Ouellette
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Does your company or facility have a need to grow in maintenance productivity? Managing maintenance operations more efficiently can help to lower your spending on maintenance costs. Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS Software) is designed to help businesses manage their maintenance operations more efficiently, enabling them to spend less on unnecessary costs.

CMMS software helps maintenance professionals get better connected to their operations, enabling them to improve upon how maintenance is being performed for their business. By improving how maintenance professionals are connected to their operations, they’re able to track maintenance costs, prevent equipment failures, improve upon labor productivity, minimize unnecessary inventory spending and overall, lower the total cost they’re spending on maintenance. CMMS software is beneficial for a wide range of businesses.

Facility management encompasses numerous tasks and responsibilities. From submitting requests and processing orders, to tracking costs and preventative maintenance, CMMS software can help you to improve upon them all. Implementing technology into your business infrastructure will not only increase your efficiency, but productivity as well.

Increasing efficiency and productivity translates into financial savings. The ability to prevent downtime by maintaining equipment allows your staff to continue working and meeting deadlines. By tracking inventory more efficiently you eliminate unnecessary spending on supplies.

There are a numerous benefits to CMMS software. If you’re looking to improve upon your maintenance productivity, implement a more efficient maintenance management system and start seeing the results for yourself.

Article source: http://blog.maintenanceconnection.com/2011/10/25/cmms-software-can-improve-maintenance-productivity/

Since then I have migrated into the world of maintenance management consulting.  This journey succeeded due to my learning maintenance software early on (DOS, remember that?), applying its power to my real world surroundings, and showing results to upper management with pretty pie charts and numbers that made them smile.

So when the creators of this CMMS blog asked me for advice on how it should look, I advised them to somehow show people that maintenance professionals can also smile, and be  happy, just like those upper management people who are easily dazzled by pie charts and excellent numbers.

So they took my advice and made the first blog branding logo a “dancing maintenance guy”.

You can watch this happy dude dancing all day long at the top right corner of this blog.  Sure, it can be puzzling to see him rockin’ that tool belt.  Does such a creature actually exist?  Is there anything besides the lunch buzzer or breaking away from work that really makes a maintenance technician happy?  And what about their supervisors and managers?  Ever see them smile (let alone dance)?

By our nature, maintenance people are motivated by a challenge to solve technical, mechanical, electrical issues.  Fix things.  And fix them well.

Motivation, of course, is to feel that rush of accomplishment (which can lead to a smile, and when it happens repeatedly, will certainly lead to a quick jig).

Here is how it can work:

The maintenance team will many times need to troubleshoot an issue to find the root cause.  Other times, the cause is pretty obvious.  In either case, the maintenance team will only need a few simple things to achieve  that goal to “fix it well”.

• We need spare parts.
• We need authority to make decisions that help speed the process.
• We need efficient access to information to help define the problem clearly (equipment specifications, repair history, backup plans, safety plans, troubleshooting guides).

So, I hate to state the obvious, but knowing that all we need are these (and possibly a few other simple items) to help us stay on track and be motivated, wouldn’t you think that the answer is yes, happiness can be achieved, and maintained.  All we need is a simple process that is understood and followed by the whole team.

However, companies tend to under-support their maintenance staff, which is not only a problem with less dancing, but also lower productivity overall.

1. Start with looking at managing all your maintenance data with a maintenance software system.
2. Next, go through every single minute of a typical day and determine how you can reach the perfect world of all issues getting fixed, and less issues coming up (preventive maintenance).
3. Then give the technicians the chance to take ownership of success and failure.

Next time you see a frowning maintenance person, realize that turning that frown upside down, and possibly even seeing them dance, is achievable and probably desirable.  Find out what’s missing.

If you feel that seeing your people dance is unachievable, here is another place to learn about resources available to you: EAM University

Typical CMMS Features

Improving maintenance efficiency and effectiveness can only occur when maintenance functions are planned, scheduled and monitored. Therefore, most CMMS solutions contain a variety of tools to help accomplish this including:

• The collection of asset/equipment detail such as description, location, serial number, install date and cost.
• A work dashboard to understand the workload and schedule accordingly.
• Automated work requests (no paper).
• Inspections checklist organizer and generator.
• The ability to schedule rounds on a daily, weekly, monthly or other periodic basis.
• Computerized generation, scheduling and tracking of all work management including work orders, preventive maintenance and repairs.
• The use of mobile handheld devices to remove paperwork as well as increase mobility.

How Does a CMMS Work

For those of us not IT oriented, a CMMS system can be run on your company computers or be hosted (web-based). Each method has Pros and Cons but generally speaking a web-based CMMS offers a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Once a CMMS solution is implemented with maintenance staff and management trained on how to use the program, work requests, work orders, inspections, preventive maintenance and repairs can be processed, scheduled and assigned.

Results are transmitted back to the CMMS using mobile handheld devices. Results are then stored and used to provide numerous management reports so that maintenance managers always know where their assets are and the condition they are in.

CMMS Financial Impact

By streamlining the work management process, maintenance staff efficiency and effectiveness are increased. when properly implemented, a 10-30% decrease in maintenance, repair and operational costs is common.

The decrease in costs using the tools featured above is because a CMMS solution essentially eliminates paperwork, organizes work management and enables maintenance management become increasingly proactive. Having a proactive maintenance operation enables facilities and maintenance managers to:

• Lower labor cost by having fewer untimely emergency repairs.
• Lower energy bills as better maintained equipment requires less energy to operate (think HVAC and dirty filters).
• Increase useful lifecycle of assets through better preventive maintenance (think about how cars need oil changes).
• Lowers capital expenditures as assets need replacement or need major repairs less frequently.
• Establish standard maintenance procedures and accountability for the quality of work being done.

So what does a CMMS solution do? In short, it gives facility and maintenance managers the controls they need to make maintenance management a visible, well run function within their organization.

Stuart Smith writes about Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) Solutions for Mintek Mobile Data Solutions. Learn more about EAM/CMMS features that can help your business navigate through tough economic times.

Author: S W Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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As any successful business owner can tell you, it’s impossible to stay profitable without ensuring that daily operations are running smoothly. The biggest, most successful companies on the market today can attest to this simple fact, as can be seen with the recent meeting of the Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA) in Dubai. These companies, which impact the global marketplace on a massive scale, know something which other businesses should take note: the key to success lies within facility management software.

Proper facility management will allow your company’s day-to-day operations to run without a hitch and allow you to focus on the rest of your business. To the casual observer, the driving force behind any business endeavor appears to come from the production end of the company. Yet production cannot be easily maintained if you’re wasting time, manpower, or resources on trying to constantly fix your basic business needs. Whether your focus is on sales, car parts, or any other marketable field, the fact remains that you are going to run into critical production problems and snags in your plans if your core operations are giving you trouble. The moment your company begins to expand with new locations, hire more employees, or even add new branches, you’re going to need to take the proper steps to reinforce the efficiency of your business.

Facility management software gives the savvy business owner a streamlined and accessible way to manage every detail of even the most expansive companies. When on the fast track to success, it can become quite easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of your company’s needs. Cleaning, maintenance, workplace utilities and the other thousand responsibilities your workface will have to handle on a daily basis can be difficult to keep on track. By implementing the right management software, you’ll not only have a means by which to keep an eye on these operations but also an up-to-the-minute account of daily tasks.

Regardless of what your business’ short or long-term goals may be, you’ll have an incredibly difficult time reaching them if your basic operations aren’t running smoothly. If you’re serious about blazing a trail in the business world, set your company up to succeed with top quality facility management software. Once those daily responsibilities are squared away, you’ll be able to focus on the part of your business that matters to you.

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Article source: http://blog.maintenanceconnection.com/2011/10/28/keep-your-business-running-with-facility-management-software/

A company is certain to achieve ROI using real-time asset inventory management software. Due to the fact that the productivity of any enterprise is perpetually tied to how well its key physical assets are being managed. Being knowledgable and aware of inventory is available, where it is at any point in time and what its’ operative position is, are all discerning diagnostic elements that have weight on the bottom-line.

Currently many enterprises have difficulties when it comes to effectively tracking their assets. This is often due to the fact that much of the data regarding assets is piled in databases and spreadsheets where it goes without updates for long periods of time. Using such methods takes a lot of man power to update and track, while also leaving a lot of room for error. When the data isn’t current, the assets are difficult to track. This causes a huge loss in time and energy that could be used for productivity.

Often money is spent unnecessarily for assets that the company already has, but cannot locate when needed. It is vital for any enterprise to be able to account for assets at a moments notice. An asset management network automates the laborious job of tracking inventory with high-tech radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors, tags, readers and software. These systems are high-tech but with the evolution of technology, very affordable. When you consider the elimination of error, and the end for the need of excess manpower to track and inventory assets then the ROI is a highly desired and marketable advantage for any industry that want to run more efficiently and see higher profits.

The goal of asset status tracking is to give enterprises the ability to view the real-time status of all critical assets and their impact on associated business processes from anywhere. Today up-to-date mobile-asset tracking by aggregating information about an asset’s location and status are collected from RFID tags, sensors and other data sources. Asset inventory management software collects and correlates information about your critical data graphically so you can track the state of your assets and how they impact your business as changes occur.

Asset inventory management software is intuitive and dynamic in design. The software platform includes key features such as:

- Up-to-date centralized view of your company’s assets RFID
- Track and trace functionality
- Correlating asset data from repositories
- Customizable and controlled RFID tags
- Sensor and software asset history
- Leverage your existing enterprise investments
- Workflow and performance alerts
- Correlates data entering the system to generate activity

To learn more about Inventory and Asset Management Software- Asset Tracking Strategies With Proven ROI, visit: Asset Inventory Management Software or RFID Tracking Systems.

Author: Jerry Wilks
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Another alternative, which has been around for some time and is now gaining in popularity, is to implement a formal IT Asset Management solution to more effectively manage prior and future capital investments in technology.

A consolidated asset management solution will aid in optimizing the business and in maximizing shareholder value, by:

Achieving Capital and Expense Targets

• Hardware and Software Maintenance – With a consolidated enterprise view of hardware and software assets you will be better able to apply the correct coverage to the correct devices and eliminate maintenance coverage for non-existent or non-essential assets.
• Software License Compliance – With a consolidated enterprise view of software assets you will be better able to avoid audits and litigation and assure that compliance is consistently maintained.
• Hardware and Software Acquisitions – With a consolidated enterprise view of hardware and software assets you could better avoid acquiring unnecessary capital acquisitions when inactive or redeployed devices are available in your inventory.
• Application Rationalization – With a consolidated enterprise view of the applications that run on your computing assets you could better determine the total cost of ownership impact or benefit by eliminating particular applications.  This will lend support in reducing asset and labor overhead improving organizational efficiency.

Optimizing Cost Structure

• Scaling – Due to ineffective controls, most organizations have too many hardware and software assets to get to where they need to be.  These companies will need to significantly reduce the number of assets and improve utilization of each to compete effectively.  Having effective control and knowledge of what is in your environment will aid tremendously in necessary tasks such as application rationalization, decommissioning of unnecessary assets, and eliminating costs associated with these unnecessary assets.
• Labor Efficiencies – Many organizations have no centralized control of their assets and often times have too many employees conducting manual data entry across multiple tools.  A consolidated asset management solution will significantly diminish this wasted labor and improve quality of information to make better informed business decisions.
• Software and Contract Controls – Another common control issue is in the area of overspend of software license and maintenance fees due to inaccurate inventory information.  Furthermore, many companies must rely on vendors to provide entitlement information.  A consolidated asset management tool would significantly decrease these vulnerabilities.
• Tracking Assets – In an organization that does not have a centralized solution or organization for managing their assets through the entire lifecycle (acquisition through decommission and disposal) there are additional risks associated with discontinuing payment of maintenance and property tax, and being able to produce proof of proper disposal to ensure EPA regulations are not violated.

Providing Agility, Simplicity & Improved Availability

• Agility – If your IT shop is similar to most, in order for you to further reduce expense and capital costs, it will be necessary for you to move to a provisioning and fulfillment model.  Most IT organizations can no longer rely on a “one application per server” approach. Utilizing products such as VMware will require that you have the ability to accurately and efficiently manage applications and data across “farms” of servers, processors and storage.  A consolidated asset management tool is absolutely necessary for managing in the virtual server world.
• Availability – Currently, there is no enterprise view of the IT asset portfolio (i.e., servers, storage, desktop, network, software, etc.). A consolidated asset management tool would provide this enterprise view.

Mitigating Privacy and Compliance Risks

• Risk Management – With a solid plan and repeatable asset management processes you will be able to convey a proactive position for your organization to manage licensed products per the contract terms thereby avoiding the risks associated with violation of Federal Copyright laws or fines levied by third party auditing firms such as the Business Software Alliance or the Software & Information Industry Association.  Your asset management solution will maintain compliance artifacts as proof that licensed products were legally acquired, configured, and are being utilized in accordance with contract terms.

Improving Stability and Launch Readiness

• IT Projects and Deployments – Minimize the risk of missing or delaying a product or infrastructure launch by having sufficient information about the assets deployed across your enterprise so that you can make a timely, fact based, and cost effective decision about your needs to accomplish a deployment or future capacity adjustments.

Now that you are armed with high-level asset management opportunities and benefits there is no reason for you to continue to manage an inefficient and high cost IT operational environment.  In fact, you now have an opportunity to step outside of the box and apply non-traditional methods to streamline your business, improve efficiency, and significantly lower your operational costs.

Rick Calligaris is a Certified IT Asset Manager (CITAM). He has 20 years of expertise in IT management, business operations, cost cutting, continuous improvement and process engineering.

View Rick’s Professional Profile! [http://www.visualcv.com/rixstuff]

Author: Rick Calligaris
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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