Maintenance Team Recognition is Long Overdue
Last month, Thomas, a young maintenance tech at a local school district, saved someone’s life. Literally. He was in the right place at the right time with the right training (in CPR). He got a lot of local recognition, all of which was well deserved. And as the news spread about his heroics, more stories emerged about everyday things that Thomas did that also deserved recognition—the smaller, but still important, ways that he makes his workplace a safer and more efficient place. It was refreshing. Maintenance techs know when things go wrong, the maintenance department often gets the blame. But the maintenance teams often don’t get the credit they deserve when things go well. Recognizing the contributions of the maintenance professionals is long overdue. So, how do we change that? It’s Time to Raise Awareness Maintenance often gets overlooked until there is a failure. To combat that problem, maintenance professionals themselves need to raise the level of awareness of what they provide to the organization. We can’t wait for others to notice. We need to advocate for ourselves. [related-content] Tell your story. Look for opportunities to share your projects, goals, accomplishments, challenges, and results. Make sure the people in positions of influence understand what your department does and the benefit your team brings to the organization. Do you want other people to understand the real value of your maintenance personnel? Start by asking what they’re worth when a breakdown has your production line at a standstill. As one MPulse Facebook follower said, “Maintenance is like an insurance policy. You don’t know why you pay for it until you wreck your car.” It’s Time to Reach Out to Others No one understands maintenance like other maintenance professionals. So, we need to work together. Join or start a chapter of a professional association (like the Association for Maintenance Professionals or the International Facility Management Association) in your area. Find out what’s going on at other plants or facilities. Get your staff involved in service clubs and organizations. Encourage your team members to give back to their communities. These outreach activities are great ways to promote what maintenance technicians do and how much people rely on them. Maintenance professionals often complain they don’t get the respect they deserve. So, let’s change that, starting in your own organization. Leave a comment or contact us to share how you make sure your maintenance team gets the credit they deserve.
CMMS Software Security Must-Knows
CMMS data is an organizational asset, and it needs to be protected like any other asset. You don’t hand the keys to your office over to just anyone—and you don’t want unauthorized access to your CMMS software either. As a maintenance professional, your goal should be to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, modification, unintended deletion, or malfunction of your data. Modern CMMS software can help you achieve that goal. Here’s what you should know about CMMS software security. Network Security Security starts with the network. If your CMMS software is hosted internally, your IT team will be responsible for ensuring the security of your network. However, cloud-based CMMS software runs on external servers. If you have cloud-based maintenance software—or you’re thinking about buying it—be sure your CMMS data is backed up and secured in a professionally managed environment. [related-content] MPulse provides a SSAE 16 Type II certified cloud hosting and recovery service. Our goal is to offer solutions that combine certified production deployments with fully tested, disaster recovery services to provide the highest levels of availability, security, responsiveness, and recovery. Single-Sign-On (SSO) / Active Directory Integration for Cloud-Hosted Customers SAML SSO enables cloud-based CMMS software to integrate with security directories that determine who gets access to what computers, networks, applications, and services. SSO offers many advantages for organizations that want to streamline and control access to cloud-based software. For example, with our SSO option, MPulse users can log into their computers once and have immediate access to their hosted CMMS from MPulse. MPulse’s SSO option extends an organization’s internal Microsoft Active Directory to the MPulse cloud environment. This feature supports multiple identity providers (including Microsoft ADFS and Okta) as well as user self-provisioning and custom claims for populating user data. Access Control Within your CMMS database, you’ll want to protect sensitive information by limiting which records your employees see depending on their role in the organization. In other words, you want the right people to have the right access to the right records. MPulse Maintenance Software’s Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) was designed for this purpose—enabling you to reduce errors in data entry, prevent unauthorized users from viewing or editing data, gain tighter control over data access, and eliminate the “data clutter” of unnecessary information. Have questions about CMMS software security? We have answers. Contact us.
Attract Younger Employees to the Maintenance Field
Maintenance is an aging field. With many long-time employees retiring at a rapid rate, finding younger people to fill positions is one of the biggest challenges facing today’s maintenance managers. So, we asked our customers what they’re doing to attract younger employees to the maintenance field. They gave us three great suggestions. Embrace New Technology The younger generations have spent their entire lives surrounded by technology, and these employees have a greater understanding of its capabilities. As such, these workers will not only embrace new technology in the workplace, but they will also expect it. While much of the resistance to new technology common in older generations is nonexistent with these team members, it’s replaced by expectations that the company will keep its technology up to date for these workers to do their jobs. That includes everything from tools to mobile technology to CMMS software to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. Value Maintenance Work Younger employees are looking for meaningful work where they feel like they make a difference. Employers need to emphasize the contributions of the maintenance team, making sure everyone understands the important role they play in the organization. Employers need to raise the level of awareness of their maintenance program. Look for opportunities to share their projects, goals, accomplishments, and results. Don’t be afraid to self-promote wherever you can, both internally and also in the local media or national trade press. Invest in Your People It’s hard to pick up all the skills maintenance workers typically need on the job. So, our customers recommend working closely with local high schools and colleges to find people with the right aptitude, even if they don’t have the skills right away. Employers should create a professional growth/training program for the maintenance staff. Professional growth programs are a great recruiting tool. Work with management to provide compensation for tuition, books, and fees. Reward strong work performance with additional opportunities for education. It’s tough to find the right people for maintenance positions. Thinking outside the box can give you the advantage you need. How has your organization tried to attract younger people to the maintenance field? What’s worked? What hasn’t? Leave a comment or contact us.
MPulse Software Now Integrates with Virtually Any Other Software or System
As part of its continuous efforts to significantly reduce the complexity of efforts to share data between critical business systems, MPulse Software, Inc. is pleased to announce the completion of several customer projects integrating MPulse Maintenance Software with other leading software programs. These recent projects used MPulse’s cutting-edge DataLink Integration Adapter to connect MPulse with a broad range of other applications, files, databases and systems, including Microsoft Dynamics Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software Infor M3 ERP software Oracle Peoplesoft Enterprise ERP software Explorer Eclipse Construction Software StarRez higher education housing software NexTraq vehicle and asset tracking software Zonar fleet management software Micrsosoft SQL Server Comma-separated value (CSV) files Text (TXT) files Microsoft Excel files (XLS and XLSX) Web Services XML files Numerous custom APIs, and Many more. DataLink Integration Adapter is designed to meet virtually any data integration need, and it’s compatible with a wide array of file and data exchange formats. By using MPulse DataLink Integration Adapter, customers can quickly and easily move data into and out of MPulse using a familiar, intuitive interface. According to MPulse president, Jason Johnson, “DataLink makes it possible for users with much less technical expertise to successfully synchronize external data with MPulse’s market-leading maintenance management software. You no longer need to spend the big bucks for systems integration consultants to get your systems talking to each other.” DataLink Integration Adapter enables MPulse customers to… Import data to MPulse from files, databases, or other applications Export data from MPulse to other applications, files, or databases Schedule imports and exports based on time or file changes Save unlimited “mapping profiles” to your data sources and targets For more information or a free CMMS software quote, contact MPulse at (800) 944-1796 (USA and Canada) or +1 (541) 302-6677 (outside of USA and Canada), or visit the MPulse website at www.mpulsesoftware.com.
People Skills in the Maintenance Profession
Maintenance professionals are known for their technical skills—it’s at the top of the list for any job posting. But another skillset might be almost as important. For employees who spend a lot of time with machinery and equipment, people skills contribute significantly to success in the maintenance field. Why Do Maintenance Professionals Need People Skills? People skills are related to interpersonal communication—including the ability to actively listen, explain issues in a way someone else can understand, build trust, show patience, make suggestions, work with others, and display empathy. [related-content] Sooner or later, everyone needs the maintenance team—from the operator on the phone calling about an emergency breakdown, to the vendor working on a warranty job, to the manager asking for an update on a repair. These are a maintenance team’s “customers,” whether they are people paying for services (like building tenants) or internal departments that need something done (that’s everyone, from accounting to production to the executive team). And people skills are key to working with customers. Sometimes these interactions are challenging, because maintenance professionals often work in highly stressful situations where they need to discuss unpleasant information. They also typically need to explain details to other people who might not have the same technical background, as well as educate users about the assets in their care. So, it’s important that maintenance professionals prepare by developing—and refining—people skills to work in this demanding environment. How Can I Help My Team Develop People Skills? Some people are naturally good at people skills. And others need training. Just like you train your people to repair equipment, you need to make sure they have the training and support to develop these “soft” skills. It’s also vital to give your team the tools they need to make communication effective. For example, CMMS software enables maintenance teams to improve customer service by streamlining communication and increasing access to information. Those two things make it easier for your maintenance team to provide quick response times and detailed answers to questions and/or problems. Technical skills will always be a priority for maintenance technicians. But don’t overlook the importance of people skills as well. What’s your experience? What have you found that works? Leave a comment or contact us.
MPulse Software Launches Single-Sign-On (SSO) / Active Directory Integration for Cloud-Hosted Customers
As part of its continuous efforts to advance CMMS technology, MPulse Software, Inc. is pleased to announce improved secure access with its new Single Sign On (SSO) option. MPulse now supports SAML SSO, enabling its cloud-based CMMS software to integrate with security directories that determine who gets access to what computers, networks, applications, and services. No other third parties are required. This new feature supports multiple identity providers as well as user self-provisioning and custom claims for populating user data. “SSO offers many advantages for organizations that want to streamline and control access to cloud-based software,” explained Randall Brous, MPulse’s Chief Technology Officer. “With our SSO option, MPulse users can log into their computers once and have immediate access to their hosted CMMS from MPulse.” MPulse’s SSO option extends an organization’s internal directory to the MPulse cloud environment. This ability offers many advantages to current and potential customers, including… Improved security for user authentication Simplified user experience Streamlined implementation for large user bases Better control over user access and authority The new SSO option continues MPulse’s dedication to system security, scalability, and compliance for its hosted CMMS software. It’s available on all MPulse Editions of our cloud-based software. Current MPulse customers can enable SSO on their cloud-hosted MPulse software by contacting our support team. For more information or a free CMMS software quote, contact MPulse at (800) 944-1796 (USA and Canada) or +1 (541) 302-6677 (outside of USA and Canada), or visit the MPulse website at www.mpulsesoftware.com.
CMMS Helps Improve Capital Planning
Capital planning is an extension of two other key elements of maintenance management—creating and monitoring budgets. Like any budgeting process, accurate information significantly improves the ability to plan. And CMMS software gathers maintenance information with every work order, inventory item, or subcontracted repair—making it a treasure trove of data when you need it. With CMMS data, you’re basing your plan on hard numbers instead assumptions. That’s how CMMS software makes capital planning easier and more accurate, helping your organization stay efficient and competitive. What’s Capital Planning? Capital planning typically includes physical assets like equipment and machinery, but can also include product expansions, research & development, property, and other major capital expenditures. While creating a capital plan usually involves multiple departments, maintenance will likely be a big part of the process because you work closely with an organization’s key assets. And that’s where CMMS software becomes essential. How Does CMMS Software Help? The first step to developing a solid capital plan is knowing what you have. You can use CMMS software to create an asset list and gather data on each of those assets. This data includes key information like purchase date, life-to-date (LTD) maintenance expenses, and other key financial details. Often CMMS data can spot potential trouble, which helps with long-term planning. For example, if your CMMS reports indicate an increasing number of emergency repairs to a key asset, it’s time to take a closer look and what’s really going on. That includes determining if it’s better to replace it, rather than repairing it. This information also helps you prioritize your organization’s capital expenditures, so you know what you should focus on first—and what can wait until later. How Can I Use My CMMS Data? CMMS data helps you verify and justify capital expenditures as well as prepare for them. The process creates better visibility into your maintenance operations, as well as the documentation to back up your plan. That’s important when you need to explain your decisions. Capital planning with CMMS software is another example of data-driven management, which means your decisions are backed by reliable data. Technological advances like CMMS software help make more and more detailed, relevant maintenance data available. You can use that to your advantage. What challenges do you face with capital planning? Contact us. We want to know.
Quick and Easy Budgeting with CMMS
Many maintenance departments create annual budgets based on prior expenses. It’s a simple process—pull all the expenditures, check to see if something unusual happened during that time, and increase the budgeted amount by other planned expenses you see coming. But CMMS data goes far beyond just showing expenses. You’ll also find valuable insights into how your department is functioning, and what you can do to improve. And that information can make your budget process easier and much more accurate. Creating Your Maintenance Budget A maintenance budget includes employee salaries and benefits, as well as direct costs such as parts, equipment replacement, vendor services, and special projects. Every maintenance manager knows that it’s hard to create a realistic budget without historical information. CMMS software tells you exactly what you’ve spent in the past, so you have a strong foundation for budget forecasting. Preventive maintenance schedules make it easy to estimate labor and inventory costs for key assets. Historical data about labor costs, special projects, and staff training are other areas where CMMS software can help you accurately estimated future costs. Unplanned maintenance is more unpredictable, of course. But again, CMMS data can provide information about emergency repairs on assets and what it took to get them running again, giving you a better idea about what to expect. Analyzing a Maintenance Budget Maintenance costs affect any organization’s bottom line in two ways: the money spent and the prevention of additional expenditures via preventive/predictive maintenance. That’s why CMMS software is vital to controlling maintenance costs—and determining where the department can improve. Real-world examples of what MPulse customers have found when they created their budgets from MPulse data include… The cost of overtime labor made it more efficient to hire another person than continue to pay overtime or outsource the work. Too much overstocked inventory was sitting on shelves, quickly becoming unusable. Expedited shipping fees were costing more than stocking certain parts. Some equipment was costing more to maintain than it was to replace. Employee productivity was improving after specific training classes. Some work was less expensive to outsource, so employees could focus on their core tasks. Next time, we’ll talk about a related topic—tracking your maintenance budget with CMMS software. In the meantime, contact us with your specific questions about how MPulse can make your maintenance budgeting process much easier.
Three Lessons from a Maintenance Technician
Mateo is the maintenance tech you want on your team. He has a knack for troubleshooting and a persistent nature that makes him the “go to” person when something goes wrong. After 30 years in the business, Mateo knows a lot about maintaining equipment. One of his jobs is to mentor some of his younger team members with hands-on technical instruction. And, as usual, Mateo goes above and beyond—offering his coworkers more general guidance that applies off the shop floor as well. While we aren’t all lucky enough to work with Mateo, we could benefit from his advice. Here’s what he shared with us. 1. Use What You Know Now It’s the maintenance team’s job to avoid failure whenever possible—either by preventing it in the first place or fixing something when it breaks. So, it’s natural that many people strive to avoid failure. [related-content] But Mateo sees failure differently. “I learned a lot from failure,” he told us. “It gives you an advantage because now you know what doesn’t work. Use it to move forward and find what works—and how to prevent it in the future.” 2. Don’t Give Up Maintenance techs know fixing something isn’t always simple. It’s easy to get frustrated when things are going wrong. Mateo has learned that taking a break and refreshing his mind helps him refocus on the problem. He also recommends asking for help when you’re stuck. “Sometimes I need to work through a problem with a coworker,” he explained. “Two heads are better than one, and a different perspective can help.” 3. Take Responsibility Mateo is the first to say that he isn’t perfect. He doesn’t hide his mistakes. “If I screw something up, I take responsibility,” he explained. “Hiding it or denying it just makes it harder in the long run. Admitting your mistakes shows true professionalism.” And in the end, Mateo knows those mistakes also help you prevent making other mistakes. “You learned from it, and now you can use your mistake to improve,” he said. “And if you share that experience with others, you’re probably going to prevent someone else from making the same mistake too. Mateo’s advice applies to everyone—no matter where you work or what you do. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten? Leave a comment or contact us.
CMMS a “Must Have” for Distribution Centers
From automated storage & retrieval systems to conveyors & sorters, modern distribution centers focus on throughput, equipment reliability, and uptime—just like any other production-oriented business. And just like other organizations, more distribution centers are turning to CMMS software for help. “In our environment, maintenance is all about keeping the company assets in like-new condition while minimizing the impact to our operation,” explained Randall, MPulse customer and facility manager for an international online retailer. More Automation, More Assets to Maintain Distribution center employees face more pressure than ever to get orders out the door, thanks in part to a surge in online sales over the past decade and high expectations for quick deliveries. Randall’s company has invested heavily in automated material handling systems to meet the growing demand—but more equipment also means more maintenance work for his team. Most distribution centers need CMMS software like MPulse to manage a wide range of equipment, from modern materials handling systems to more typical facility assets such as HVAC systems, dock doors, lighting, and plumbing. “Maintenance teams in distribution centers require diversity in their skillsets, however, some co-workers are becoming more specialized,” Randall explained. “MPulse allows you to assign a person to an asset, and so once the asset is set up, it automatically gets assigned to the proper individual with the right skill set.” And like any maintenance manager, Randall needs to track costs—particularly labor costs—as well as set benchmarks and KPIs. “It is impossible to cut costs if you don’t know where the money goes,” he said. “Uptime, extended life expectancies, and minimal operational impact is what all maintenance department should be striving for—at the lowest cost to the business.” Data Integration Distribution center maintenance teams also have discovered the benefits of CMMS software coupled with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology. The combination enables maintenance teams to gather information directly from multiple devices, which can be almost anything with a sensor—including computers, vehicles, smartphones, appliances, building automation systems, and production equipment. Maintenance teams can use that information to proactively perform maintenance and even predict asset failures—saving both time and money. The rapidly changing technology found in distribution centers means that maintenance software is no longer optional. Contact us to learn how MPulse can improve your maintenance team’s productivity and efficiency.