How much can unplanned downtime cost? A recent report, The True Cost of Downtime 2022, says that these figures annually amount to 11% of the annual turnover of the companies surveyed. In the automotive industry, it was more than $2 million for every hour of downtime. These figures indicate that maintenance is becoming indispensable in a world where production is increasingly automated. Not only the efficiency of production but also the safety of employees depends on the smooth operation of machinery and equipment. How can CMMS software help with this? We answer later in the article.
What is maintenance?
Maintenance is all the activities and processes to ensure that the operation of machinery and equipment remains undisturbed. It includes maintenance activities, ongoing repairs and preventive actions to avoid failures.
Maintenance – how does it work?
Maintenance activities can be divided into two main groups:
- Conservation – activities to keep machines in good working order. This includes:
- ongoing service of working tools (cleaning, lubrication, parameter adjustments, replacement of worn parts),
- periodic technical inspections (determining the degree of wear on the equipment),
- Repairs are to restore equipment to full working order. It includes activities such as:
- installation of new components,
- removal of malfunctions and ongoing failures.
In addition to this, maintenance personnel must inspect and maintain basic technical records of equipment.
How to improve maintenance?
According to the aforementioned report, The True Cost of Downtime 2022, the cost of unforeseen downtimes is increasing year after year for every industry. Efficient maintenance therefore means saving money. The chart below shows how the amount of incurred losses has changed over several years. The report presents approximate amounts and these also appear in the chart.
There are various proposals for solutions to improve the operation of company maintenance. Some suggest assisting with the Internet of Things (IoT). This is supposed to allow a network of connected devices to quickly collect data and perform analysis on the condition of machines in real-time. However, some solutions are easy to implement and the results are quickly noticeable. We are talking about CMMS systems. What is hidden under this mysterious acronym (and at the same time is not a nut drenched in chocolate)? Read on!
What is a CMMS system?
CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) is an IT system that supports maintenance management. It allows the collection and processing of machine and equipment data, as well as the planning and tracking of maintenance activities.
What capabilities do CMMS systems provide?
- Reporting defects and prioritizing them.
- Entering new machines into the system and labeling them with QR codes.
- Receiving notifications about important matters concerning the machine (such as the date of inspection or conservation).
- Monitoring machine maintenance costs.
- Tracking the process of repairs, conservation and parts orders.
- Finding available machines instantly.
As we mentioned, the CMMS program makes work easier and, above all, helps save money. However, this is only possible if the return on investment pays off. So, which system should you choose to get the benefit?
Which CMMS maintenance system to choose?
There are many CMMS-class systems on the market. It is worth spending some time to get oriented on this issue and select a solution tailored to the specifics of the enterprise. What should you pay particular attention to?
- Functionality – the system should have all the functions a company needs.
- Price – it is closely related to the return of investment. Some companies offer a calculator that allows you to quickly calculate what the cost of implementing a CMMS system will be.
- Ease of use – it should be remembered that the system is intended primarily for employees from the maintenance department. The solution should therefore not require knowledge available only to IT specialists.
- Availability of support – the system should be supported by the manufacturer or a partner. This promotes faster resolution of problems.
All these criteria are met by Archman’s CMMS application (the so-called Polish CMMS). You can read more about its features here.
Summary
Maintenance is a key component of business operations. Implementing the right system (e.g. CMMS for managing breakdowns) and procedures can significantly improve this process and bring such benefits as:
- increased production efficiency,
- reduction of costs,
- improved safety,
- environmental protection.
So which maintenance software is best? We leave it to your judgment. The topic is certainly worth taking an interest in now because every hour of downtime matters. American psychologist James Kalat claims that movement is the main reason why humans and animals developed brains. So don’t let the traffic stop at your company.
Sources:
1. assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:3d606495-dbe0-43e4-80b1-d04e27ada920/dics-b10153-00-7600truecostofdowntime2022-144.pdf
2. przemysl-40.pl/index.php/2019/01/09/jak-usprawnic-utrzymanie-ruchu-korzystajac-z-iot/
3. Kalat, J. W., Kaiser, J., Binder, M., Jarmocik, A., & Kuniecki, M. J. (2012). Biologiczne podstawy psychologii. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
He feels best creating, that’s why he is in charge of creative marketing at the company. He writes a lot – mostly popular science articles for Holistic.news but other times fantasy "drawer novels". He also designs tabletop games and likes to treat it as a "break from digitization".
