COMPUTERIZED MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMMS)

What is CMMS?     Issues     Solutions

A CMMS is a management tool for asset preservation, ensuring that production operates with maximum uptime. CMMS systems manage, capture and track information about inspection, maintenance and repair activities and costs related to equipment and materials. Typical functionality includes:

• Reactive and preventive work orders
• Resources and personnel management
• Labor & material cost tracking
• Planning & scheduling
• Budgeting (CIP replacement costs and Master Planning)
• Asset registry
• Asset condition
• Inventory management
• GASB 34 cost tracking
• CIS interface
• FHRS interface
• Purchasing
• Reporting

Some CMMS systems address specific needs. Plant-oriented CMMS systems are adept at managing vertical assets. Distributed-asset CMMS systems include GIS interface, CMOM tracking and linear asset association.

In a successful life cycle asset management program, a CMMS provides the bridge between asset strategies and maintenance practices. Managers and schedulers use a CMMS to prioritize work based on asset criticality. A CMMS also gathers information required for CIP planning, budgeting, asset condition assessments and short- and long-term replacement schedules. Finally, asset performance data supports modeling for use in capacity assessments and growth planning.

Issues
To be effective, a CMMS must move beyond simple work order management. Full system implementation will enable asset cost collection and allocation, predictive maintenance work orders, inventory planning, condition tracking and reliability-centered maintenance. Ten key indicators show that a CMMS is fully implemented and poised to become a meaningful strategic tool:

1. Work orders (maintenance materials and effort) link to assets (cost basis)
2. Total labor and materials costs are captured appropriately (capital, expense)
3. Labor effort (hours) is captured in a CMMS
4. Majority of work is planned and scheduled
5. Work order backlog is planned and prioritized
6. Materials are routinely kitted for planned work
7. Data within a CMMS can be shared across the enterprise
8. Purchasing and inventory modules are utilized in support of materials required for maintenance
9. Spare parts are inventoried and managed in a CMMS
10. Reports provide accurate, meaningful and timely information on:
    • Manpower utilization
    • Planned vs. unplanned work
    • Open work order aging
    • Asset work order/cost history

Solutions
Most CMMS systems can deliver all the functions listed above. Projects that achieve full implementation include the following attributes:

• Executives fully endorse the system and process changes as a way to improve business efficiency
• Each user realizes a benefit of implementing an automated system
• A system champion within the organization is committed to the solution
• Relationships between system features and business processes are clear
• Expectations for how and when staff will use the system are defined and communicated
• Role-specific training coincides with deployment (immediately prior to use)
• Data is validated, converted and/or migrated properly
• Reports provide useful information for both field crews and management analysis
• System support resources are adequate to keep the system tuned and functioning

Westin does not have marketing agreements with any CMMS vendor. As your trusted advisor, we take an impartial approach to help you determine whether you need a new system or a re-implementation of an existing CMMS. Re-implementing your existing CMMS may correct issues of business process flow, user training, system management, data conversion and migration and user buy-in. This streamlined approach can preserve your investment in software, services and training and save considerable time and expense compared with procuring a new system.

Whether selecting or implementing, Westin applies our proven SILC™ methodology to successfully plan and conduct a comprehensive program that delivers value. Our comprehensive and collaborative project approach develops management and user buy-in. To help you develop a complete solution, we apply a practical understanding of which “Best Practices,” processes and systems are appropriate for your organization. We use this experience to help you turn theory into reality so you can achieve your asset preservation goals.