The Future of Maintenance Management: Technology Adoption
The adoption of technology in maintenance management is revolutionizing the industry by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and improving asset reliability through the use of advanced digital solutions. Despite the fact that maintenance management can be highly technical in nature, maintenance teams are often the last in an organization to get new information technology (IT) systems. Whether it’s better management software, mobile devices, networking improvements, or just better desktop computers, other departments are sure to get them before the maintenance teams do. The maintenance department’s typical workday includes highly technical and specialized tasks related to a broad range of advanced technologies. Until recently, though, information technology wasn’t considered relevant for maintainers. But the truth is information technology is just as important as any other tool in the maintenance team’s toolbox. The same IT systems that make other departments like finance and marketing more effective are also important for maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) professionals. Even today, as technology is rapidly integrated elsewhere in organizations, many maintenance departments are just now implementing PCs and related technology, like computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software. And often other forces hamper this process, like when the maintenance folks get hand-me-down computers after other departments get new ones. Or when employees are forced to deal with limited, or nonexistent, network and Internet connections. Yet technology is such a powerful advantage for the maintenance team. So what can you do to ensure your company’s maintenance team gets the tools it needs? You can start by consciously eradicating these three myths in your own mind, then educating others in your organization. Three Technology Adoption Myths 1. Maintenance People Aren’t Smart Enough Most maintenance employees are highly technical; the first to be called to fix machines and systems that stump everyone else. So why are they perceived as incapable of using PCs and smartphones? Indeed, there may have been a time when maintenance people, gifted as they were in mechanical operation, didn’t need a computer to help them with their job. But that time has long gone. If your team maintains fleet vehicles, they are working with computers integrated into all aspects of the vehicles—including the engines, transmissions, air bag systems, and fuel systems. On the shop floor, equipment that once was manually controlled is now automated with process control systems. Far from being not smart enough, the maintenance team usually comprises some of the most tech-savvy folks in the operation. 2. Technology is too complicated This myth may have begun within the maintenance team itself. And it’s true that at one point in time, integrating technology was a complicated process. But improved user interfaces have made it faster and easier for maintenance teams to get up and running with computers and other IT systems. For example, gone are the days when you needed high-powered PCs and a complicated internal network to support CMMS software. Today it can be done with a tablet device and a WiFi connection. It’s getting simpler all the time. 3. Computers are for Bean Counters Technology adoption among organizations often filters down from the top. Usually the top includes more than a few “bean counters.” Yet a computer isn’t just for running numbers and analyzing company stock performance. CMMS software can serve as the central hub of your maintenance team, holding a vast amount of real-time data that can tell you what’s really going on out there at any given moment. This information helps your team focus on their workload in a productive way. And when your maintenance team is more productive, your whole organization benefits, including the bean counters. When something breaks, you can be sure maintenance is the first number people will call. So it’s important to make sure your team members aren’t the last on the IT department’s list when it comes to purchasing software, computers, and mobile devices to help them manage their own workflow. Technology adoption in the maintenance management field is growing because the expectations managers have of maintenance personnel are growing too. Today’s maintenance team is expected to plan for preventive maintenance tasks and optimize asset life cycles. Letting go of old myths and advocating for your team’s IT needs leads to good maintenance management and good financial management—two things that benefit your whole organization. Have questions about technology adoption in maintenance? Contact us.
The Future of Maintenance Management
In this maintenance management article series, we talk about the future of proactive maintenance strategies. Globalization and related competitive pressures have resulted in rapid changes across just about every industry, and maintenance employees are feeling those changes in the workplace, both in the facilities environment and on the plant floor. Most professionals in maintenance operations of all sizes have already experienced these industry changes firsthand, while others see them coming quickly down the pipeline. Some organizations have embraced these changes, but others are floundering, in real danger of being left behind. In this series, we’ll identify the 11 most important trends driving changes in proactive maintenance strategies today. Then we’ll show you how to use each trend to create a competitive advantage for your company using computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software and related technologies. These proactive maintenance strategies will help you discover how to save money, improve response times, and keep your assets running longer and more efficiently. Top 11 Trends for the Future of Maintenance Management 1. Technology Adoption Computers, networks, and mobile devices are now in the hands of almost every employee—including the maintenance team. 2. Enter the “Digital Native” Older workers are retiring, and the younger “digital natives” coming onboard have a deeper understanding of technology and its capabilities. 3. Data-Driven Management Managers want the ability to back up decisions with hard data—requiring better tracking and reporting systems. 4. Mobile Technology Mobile technology is expanding rapidly, and the ability to connect from the field is a natural fit for maintenance operations. 5. Software Cost & Implementation Time CMMS software is now more affordable and easier to implement than ever, putting it within virtually every organization’s reach. 6. Cloud Computing Increasing bandwidth and more affordable hosting options mean you don’t need expensive hardware or a highly skilled internal IT team to access great software. 7. Systems Integration CMMS data now links easily with other systems, such as ERP and accounting software, predictive maintenance monitors, building automation systems, and more. 8. Insourcing vs. Outsourcing Analysis Increasingly, companies are saving money by focusing on their core competencies and leaving specialized tasks to outside vendors. CMMS tools can help you analyze which tasks, processes, or functions you should keep in-house and which you should consider outsourcing. 9. Environmental Impact More organizations are seeking LEED and other “green” certifications. They need reliable maintenance and facility data to achieve and maintain them. 10. Regulatory Compliance Regulatory bodies are requiring increasingly complex recordkeeping. Organizations that meet this challenge are saving millions in fines and liability lawsuits. 11. The Internet of Things The IoT is a natural fit with the way maintenance teams operate—collecting data faster and easier than ever before. Best of all, maintenance teams can use that information to proactively perform maintenance and even predict asset failures. To some, these emerging proactive maintenance strategies might seem intimidating. For those who embrace these changes and work to stay ahead of the curve, though, these trends offer a chance to gain competitive advantage. With the help of CMMS software, you can capture critical data for making good decisions to help your organization save time and money. As a best practices “champion” who understands these trends, you can personally become the leader who keeps your organization at the top of its game.
Things Can’t Fall Off the Floor: Simple Lessons for Success in Maintenance and in Life
“Name one thing you’ve learned from a co-worker, boss, or client during your career that you’ll never forget and that you’ve also applied to your daily life.” I saw this challenge posted on a LinkedIn discussion group the other day. It made me think back through my career for what my answer would be. Strangely, what first came to me was a simple lesson I learned from a co-worker at an auto repair shop where I was an entry-level mechanic, fresh out of school. My mentor’s name was Glen, and he left me a “pearl” I’ve held onto for many years, through my professional transition from auto mechanic to Maintenance Maven and software company CEO. Glen was in his late 50s at the time. He’d been working at the same repair shop for over fifteen years. He’d been married for over 40 years, too, and was the “dean” of our group of Ford Registered Technicians. He had a take on just about every topic: “wrenching,” of course, but also on politics, world affairs, and sports. He shared his opinions and life lessons freely with anyone who would listen. As the newbie in the shop, I listened. Of course, some of Glen’s other observations aren’t publishable in this blog, but they were equally as instructive. The lesson that stuck with me the most was, “Things can’t fall off the floor.” I’d borrowed a 3/8” drive impact wrench from him. He later noticed it on my bench, with the air hose still attached. (This was way before all the battery powered wrenches available today.) He was concerned someone would bump the hose, which, in turn, would pull the wrench off the bench and cause it to break from the fall. Obviously, I didn’t have the money to buy him a replacement, or I’d have had my own in the first place. Glen was afraid we’d both be without a 3/8” drive impact wrench if I didn’t right the wrong. When Glen pointed this wisdom out, it seemed so obvious; and I was embarrassed he’d had to call me on it. “Things can’t fall off the floor,” didn’t seem like a lesson that would stick with someone for a lifetime, but it’s turned out to be one that’s stayed with me for 45 years. It’s also one I’ve shared with my sons, and with my students during my time as an auto mechanics instructor. Glen’s lesson resonated with me at the time. The lesson morphed and grew as I became a little older and a little wiser. Here are five additional pearls from his simple guidance I’ve used my entire career: Don’t leave loose ends dangling. Be sure important things have a solid foundation. Don’t borrow what you can’t afford to replace. Listen to experience and learn from it. Stay grounded. It’s safer. Sometimes the greatest lessons come from unexpected sources. We just need to be open to receiving them. What lessons have you learned from an unexpected source? How have they helped you in your work and your life? Answer in the comments to share your “pearls” with others.
The Evolution of Preventive Maintenance (PM)
Array [related-content] How does preventive maintenance work? In the beginning, maintenance technicians decided to do preventive maintenance (PM) on machinery to prevent breakdowns and failures. This was a good thing. They used the calendar, or time intervals, as the scheduling basis for PMs, mainly because it was easiest for everyone to remember. For example, “Change the light bulb the first of every month.” Things were good. However, tasks tended to stack up on the first of the month as volume grew. So schedules needed to be staggered and juggled to match available resources. This was confusing. Along came the chalkboard, and later whiteboards, for scheduling AND tracking future PMs. Life was better. But chalkboards and whiteboards couldn’t report on PM compliance, nor could they adequately track the cost of a PM program. For cost and compliance tracking maintenance managers moved to computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). The scheduling was still calendar–based with a CMMS, but now the maintenance department could schedule, track, and report on compliance and monitor costs. Life was good. As the implementation of more and more PM activities increased, though, so did the cost of maintenance. There was often an inverse correlation between the amount of preventive maintenance perform and total maintenance cost. Pressure came to lengthen time increments between PMs, often from once a month to once every other month. This worried many maintenance people. Life was confusing. More PMs, in this case, did not mean better results. The next evolution up the PM ladder for maintenance departments was usage-based scheduling. For the most part, intervals of time are less relevant than amount of usage to failure prevention. Usage-based PM scheduling typically reduces costs and still provides compliance reporting while scheduling and tracking. Most computer systems could combine time and usage numbers. Life was very good. Unfortunately, both usage-based and time-based methods tended to create artificial—and often ineffective—maintenance intervals. Who can really know if a filter should be changed every 500 hours of fan operation, anyway? Sure, that may be an average interval for an average application. But we all know there are no average shops or average applications. They vary widely across a range of environments. The condition of a filter may still be good after 500 hours, or it may be restricted after 400 hours, needing replacement. Today, maintenance intervals can be scheduled based on asset or part condition. Condition-based PM scheduling triggers PMs just before the point when system inefficiencies or failures begin to occur. Implementing condition based maintenance (CBM) allows reporting on compliance, lowers your costs, AND improves reliability. Now life is very, very good.
What Data Needs to be Input into My CMMS?
“Focus on what you should do, not what you can do.” It is too easy to open your new software and start entering data. The reason it seems simple is you can enter data into fields; all it takes is a mouse and a keyboard The hard part is knowing what data should be entered into which field and how it should be entered. Implementing a CMMS is analogous to downloading the novel War and Peace and sitting down with our Nook, Kindle, or iPad for a good read. You power it up and find not War and Peace, but a Webster’s Dictionary! When you call the supplier, the service rep tells you the book you purchased has all the words that are contained in War and Peace—you just need to put them in the right order! Entering data into your CMMS is building your dictionary so the CMMS can later put the data into the right order, under a variety of queries, over and over again to provide you with the information you seek. If the words are not in the dictionary, they can’t be in the book! How do you know what data to enter? Where is the instruction book, the YouTube video, the Help system, the webinar, the website, or any of the other tools we use today to learn how to do things? Unfortunately there is no canned answer telling you what data should be include in your CMMS. If you got one, it wouldn’t mean anything to you anyhow. Here is the answer: Only enter data you want to come out of the CMMS later. Only you, and your organization, can determine what to enter in the CMMS. Stated another way, if you don’t want to see it on a print out, the screen, a report, a widget, or graph, don’t enter it. If you can clearly determine what you want out of your CMMS, you can determine what to put into it. Ask the stakeholders, all of them, what they want from the system. Have everyone mock up the reports they want to see or need. They should also indicate the frequency they want to see them, the filter fields and any sort criteria they’ll be using. Careful, it’s not that easy. When I ask this question of the people I work with the most commonly requested report is a “List of Overdue Work Orders.” So I offer them a list that looks like this: 21, 182, 145, 22659,EE-091, 6 They say, “What use is this?” I say, “You asked for a list of overdue work orders, here is the list.” So now comes the hard part; what differentiators do you want on this list? My guess is you want to see at least who is assigned to the work order, when it was due, why it is late, what is the priority, what piece of equipment (or other asset type) is contained on the work order. You may also want to see the work load on the listed employee. Maybe they are overloaded and everything is overdue. Say you say you want to know how much you spend on each piece of equipment. If I give you a spreadsheet with 500 rows, one for each piece of equipment, and two columns, one labeled Equip Number and the other labeled Total Cost of Maintenance, will this give you what you want? What if it has 5000 rows? Don’t you want to know what charges are included in the figure displayed in Total Cost of Maintenance? Do you want to be able to break this list down by any other attributes such as the equipments location, its department, its system or cell, its cost center, its type, or model? You might want to be able to drill down on each asset to the work order level and find out what kind, type, or projects are associated to each work order that built up the total cost. Remember, only put into your CMMS what you want to come out of your CMMS. This means turn off the computer, even though you can enter data. Now you should start a discussion with everyone from the top person in charge and the maintenance repair technician as well as the customers of the maintenance department and find out what they want to see from the CMMS. Then, you’ll know what source data you need to put in. Now that’s your answer.
What is (a) CMMS?
I was reading a discussion group dialog from an EAM/CMMS sub-group on LinkedIn today. The question of the day was, “What is your definition of a CMMS?” There were many responses and the question seemed to be drawing quite a few diverse comments. I thought I’d weigh in on the topic in my blog. Many of the respondents defined the acronym CMMS to represent “Computerized Maintenance Management System.” Others claimed the acronym represents “Computerized Maintenance Management Software.” As you can see, in either case, the acronym is still CMMS. I cannot argue as to which definition is correct. The acronym has been around for many years. Marketing slants, usage, and other claims tend to change the meaning and origin of acronyms over time. It is really not important which is correct. Some even imply these definitions mean one in the same. I disagree. These two definitions are not synonymous. Break it down. Use a simple if/then statement to show the folly in assuming that the two definitions are the same. “If Computerized Maintenance Management System = Computerized Maintenance Management Software then System = Software.” Most would agree this is definitely NOT a true statement. (And you thought you’d never use algebra!) Systems define process. Software supports process. Systems are dynamic, and software is static. Bad things happen when software is confused with system. Worse things happen when software defines process. I have seen too many organizations purchase a CMMS software package thinking it will fix, or define, their broken or non-existent maintenance management system. A company wouldn’t think of buying a set of tools to fix a broken compressor if they didn’t have a mechanic on staff with the knowledge and skills to use them. You don’t need the tools if you don’t have the knowledge and skills. In fact, purchasing tools and giving them to someone without the knowledge and skills to use them could cause someone to get hurt! CMMS software packages schedule, track, and report on how well a maintenance management system is performing. It is amazing how many companies buy software without defining what they want the software to schedule, track, and report on. A maintenance management system defines the goals and the processes used to attain those goals. A CMMS software package reports on the progress towards the goals, helps administer the process, and validates the attainment of the goals. Be sure you have the correct expectation for a CMMS software system.
10 Steps to a Successful CMMS Implementation
Avoid a rocky CMMS rollout with this checklist. CMMS has proven its ability to enhance business performance time and time again. However, the path to effective implementation is not always easy — complexities often arise as a result of trying to align an entire company behind the concept. You can find the success that comes from leveraging customer knowledge to the fullest measure by following these 10 steps: Calculate the value. Exactly how will CMMS benefit your business? Strive to answer this question in terms of measurable ROI (return on investment). Don’t focus too much on how the software will help customers — what will really improve your bottom line is how CMMS helps your employees use maintenance data more effectively. Work closely with key departments. Good planning is critical to your success. Use members of the production, planning, purchasing, operations and IT departments as parts of your CMMS planning team, because these departments can be affected to the greatest extent by a new solution. Let them tell you the business processes that need improvement. Then hammer out agreeable objectives mapped to new business processes. It’s often a good strategy to place some easy ones on top of the list so you can celebrate some victories early on. Budget realistically. Be a bit pessimistic when it comes to the budget to avoid the painful process of increasing cost estimates. CMMS customization and integration with existing software present two big expenses. It can cost two to three times the price of software for implementation and ongoing maintenance. Make sure you factor in all of these expenses from the early stages of your CMMS deployment. Organize maintenance data. The underlying maintenance data is the backbone of a CMMS solution. Most companies store duplicate and outdated data in multiple locations. Putting this data in a unified database, scrubbing it and making it available to the entire organization before implementation will make for a smooth rollout. If necessary, get help from vendors who offer data-cleansing services. Lead the project from the top down. Experts agree that the No. 1 reason implementations don’t work is that senior executives fail to lead. After all, if managers don’t work hard to ensure CMMS success, why should employees? It’s not just about signing paperwork and attending meetings. Executives must adopt CMMS as a corporate-level initiative, dedicate significant time and energy, motivate stakeholders and keep everyone on track. Find a reliable vendor and select functionality conservatively. Shop for a financially secure vendor with proven ability to expand the solution as your company grows. Beware of providers that rely heavily on partners for key functionality. When considering industry-specific software, make sure to find out if it really delivers on its promise. Talk to other corporate users in your field, try out the software and choose enough functionality to meet your business needs without sending your IT department on endless quests for the Holy Grail. Implement gradually. Change is never easy, especially for employees who may fear the accountability that comes with posting data that can expose their true performance. Start your CMMS initiative in a single department that stands to benefit the most in the short term; then follow with a zealous, company-wide CMMS proponent. When others witness the initial success of that department, bringing them on board will be much easier. Market CMMS to employees and deliver ongoing training. It may sound obvious, but it’s important to remember that employees have to use the solution in order for it to work. Clearly communicate how it will help them succeed, and start CMMS training early on. This way, you’ll chip away faster at the 18 to 24 months it typically takes employees to adopt new business processes. Actively manage the implementation. Technical difficulties, management turnover, employee resistance and adjustments in company direction will happen. Managers need to stay on their toes and quickly address changes to maintain momentum. Develop a culture of continuous improvement. CMMS solutions should be adjusted to deliver a sharper competitive edge as a company and its business evolve. Be sure to keep employees in the communication loop, and they will help supply the information needed to continuously improve the way the system leverages customer information. [related-content] Not all companies will achieve CMMS success because many fail to take into account the items listed above. Then again, for the ones who do succeed, the rewards are great. Stick to these steps, and you will rig the game in your favor. Content adapted from an original article on CRM implementation from Focus Research. The implementation of any data driven management information systems is very similar and adaptable across multiple system types.