December 19, 2013
How Computerized Maintenance Management Systems Can Make You Filthy Rich
I believe that there are many benefits to Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) - ranging from security and safety to compliancy issues, but perhaps one of the most important ways a CMMS can prove beneficial to your company is from a budgetary perspective. Whether you run a small operation or a Fortune 500 business, keeping on top of your maintenance is key to a smooth and properly functioning corporation. Running into improperly maintained equipment and systems can not only be expensive from a repair/replacement stance, but from a time standpoint as well. As the old adage goes, time is money. And the more time it takes for you to get that equipment back up and running, the more money you are going to lose. With the right management maintenance system, you can avoid all of these hassles and money pits, and vastly improve your revenue stream.
Avoiding Compliancy Issues
Making sure your equipment is maintained properly helps you to avoid compliancy and regulatory issues, which can, in turn, help you to avoid needless fees and fines. These fees and fines can range anywhere from a hundred dollars to thousands - in some instances they can even bring your business to a standstill, depending upon your industry. In a worst-case-scenario, those compliancy issues can cause a work-related injury, in which your company could be liable.
By incorporating - and properly running a CMMS, you can keep track of what equipment is up to code, what it takes to get it there, the cost, and the possible impact of being non-compliant.
Tracking Your Assets
Another way you can save money (and increase profit) with a management system is through the tracking of your various assets. You can create a database of information about your equipment and machinery, including specs, location, when you purchased it, last maintenance (or preferably a history of maintenance and service records), any warranty details, the location of on-hand or off-location spare parts in case of a breakdown (this will help you get back up running more quickly), and even the expected lifespan of a particular piece of equipment. By doing so, you can predict how long your machinery will run and prepare for the optimal time to purchase or replace the item.
By tracking equipment and spare parts, you also have a list if equipment at hand so you do not lose pieces or over-purchase when you have a ready amount of equipment at hand.
Preventative Maintenance
Technically a part of tracking your assets, preventative maintenance is probably the biggest part of saving money with a CMMS. Just as with a car, maintaining your equipment pre-emptively (and on a schedule) helps ensure that the item does not expire or breakdown prior to its shelf-life. Not properly maintaining your machinery is equivalent to tossing money out of the window. In many cases performing preventative maintenance can actually extend the life of equipment, which in turn, saves you money in the long run.
Labor Management
Knowing where parts are, having a maintenance schedule, having a list of suppliers, and tracking warranty information so you have it on-hand in the event of a breakdown or failure all save valuable man hours, which can add up over time. For instance, without a CMMS, an employee may need to locate warranty information for a piece of equipment. This could take quite a while, and in the worst instances, the employee may have lost the paperwork, making it so your warranty is (for all intents and purposes) void and null. On top of that, you had to pay the employee to track down the paperwork, which also costs money. With the right maintenance management system, you could have simply pulled up the item and got the replacement/repair underway.
These are just a few ways a computerized maintenance management system can save your money and make you "filthy rich".
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