Streamline Your Work Order Management System
Work order management is the heart of your maintenance operations. As a result, streamlining the work order workflow is one of the best ways to improve your team’s productivity and efficiency. Here’s some advice from MPulse customers on easy ways to evaluate—and improve—your work order management system. Service Requesting and Work Order Management All work orders start with service requests. CMMS makes service requesting easier, saving you time. You can receive requests from internal staff or external customers, enter requests manually, or automate work orders via your preventive maintenance program. Streamlining this process pays off in efficiency. For example, use your CMMS software to approve, assign, schedule, and manage maintenance requests for your staff members or vendors. You can also automate the approval and assignment of work order requests. Best of all, save time (and hassle) with automated confirmations, which you can customize and send to requesters, managers, and technicians. Customization of Work Orders The data you gather on work orders should match what your organization wants to know. For example, if your organization uses special codes or tracks internal data, you need the appropriate tabs and fields in your CMMS database to collect that information. Customizing work orders in CMMS makes it easy for the people who create and complete them, as well as the people who need data from those work orders. Best of all, you can track the data you need. And, just as importantly, then you can run your own custom reports on the information you and your managers need to know. Parts & Inventory Inventory management helps you prevent time- and money-wasting problems like running out of parts, searching for lost parts, or duplicating inventory you didn’t know you had. Moreover, CMMS software can help quickly identify what you need for which piece of equipment. When an emergency arises, this information provides critical data for making cost-efficient decisions and helps your organization save time and money by improving tracking, stocking, ordering, and inventory processes. Resources and Historical Data You can access valuable information resources from your CMMS software. Your team can add links to maintenance manuals, internal documents, vendor websites, videos, photos and much more. All the information is stored with the record, so it’s easily accessible the next time around. Reporting Reporting provides details about how your department is functioning and where you might make changes to improve. With solid data and easy-to-read reports, your organization can make good decisions based on hard evidence. Work order management is the heart of MPulse Software’s CMMS solutions. We help you get the highest priority work done, while making sure lower priority work doesn’t slip through the cracks. Find out how. Contact us.
Maintenance in a COVID-19 World
COVID-19 has put maintenance in the spotlight. Suddenly, our job is at the top of everyone’s mind. Organizations are newly focused on everything from cleanliness and safety to supplies and documentation. That means tools like CMMS software are more important than ever before. Our customers are using MPulse to tackle these new challenges in a COVID-19 world. Here’s how. Documentation Maintenance departments strive to meet the growing demands of government and industry standards and regulatory bodies—OSHA, FDA guidelines, ISO certification, etc. Every industry has its mountain of rules to climb. With COVID-19, those mountains are growing. These days you absolutely must have a CMMS solution to track the details of your increasingly complex maintenance operation. Now it’s vital to document completed tasks and inspections to prevent legal action, as well as support changing requirements for insurance companies. Preventing just one lawsuit more than makes up for the price of CMMS software. Accessibility More than one business had its paper records become inaccessible during the pandemic as facilities closed. That’s why MPulse customers turned to their CMMS software to Back up all data to a secure, off-site location Set up secure methods to access data off-site as necessary Maintain a list of equipment and assets Record information about manufacturers, warranties, and insurance policies Keep track of contact information for employees, vendors, emergency response personnel, etc. Support employees on shift during an event Access to this information is vital when you’re suddenly faced with a pressing need to assess what’s needed to reopen buildings and structures. Additionally, identifying which work orders are related to reopening in your CMMS software will help you quickly create the documentation you need when time is of the essence. Inventory & Supplies COVID-19 disrupted supply chains on a huge number of products. Suddenly, everyday cleaning items are difficult to obtain, and shipping is delayed. CMMS software prevents these problems by… Quickly identifying what you need for which piece of equipment, providing critical data when an emergency arises Showing where parts or materials are stored, making it quicker and easier for staff members to find them and preventing duplicate ordering because someone didn’t look in the right place Enabling techs to reserve certain parts, ensuring the parts are available Tracking issue quantities to prevent situations where there’s one part on hand when the job takes two Controlling stock based on need and availability to avoid both under-stocking and over-stocking Tracking slow-moving parts that might be surplus and returned to the vendor Streamlining reordering by determining current inventory levels and automatically generating purchase orders based on need Setting reorder points that calculate your average daily usage rate by the part’s lead time in days Tracking shipments, vendor performance, and warranty information. Automating cyclical inventory counts and monitoring your inventory turn levels Tracking inventory loss or shrinkage. Using barcodes to make it easy to scan parts in or out Maintenance teams are busier than ever in a COVID-19 world. Contact us to find out how MPulse CMMS software can help you during a pandemic—and every day.
Smart Maintenance Scheduling Reduces Downtime
Maintenance managers know smart maintenance scheduling reduces downtime. Properly maintained assets perform more efficiently, use less energy, and fail less often—while also extending their usable life. CMMS software automates PM schedules that contribute to the upkeep of assets. Naturally, that makes it simpler to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Regular PM schedules also ensure equipment is properly calibrated and lubricated when it needs to be. But that’s not all. CMMS software also helps by… Automating schedules: Work order management features can automate schedules for both employees and contract workers. Reducing confusion: Maintenance data recorded with every work order eliminates lost information between shifts, reducing confusion and errors. Balancing workloads: Employee performance tracking helps you determine which employees are most efficient at which tasks, enabling you to balance the workload. Creating benchmarks: By tracking repair times, you can create benchmarks for your organization. This proactive approach to smart maintenance scheduling helps sidestep serious problems that arise as a result of neglect, as well as delays more expensive maintenance. It also can cut down the time to respond to emergency repairs. CMMS Features: Smart Maintenance Scheduling Reduces Downtime MPulse CMMS software makes maintenance scheduling easy by collecting information and turning it into actionable data. These features include… Dashboards are highly configurable “command center consoles” that your most important data front and center, where you don’t have to dig for it. In addition to charts and graphs, you can link videos, photos, documents, and websites to Dashboards as well. Asset Status Board provides a single-screen view of the health of your entire production line, facilities footprint, or fleet of vehicles. Square boxes (“cells”) are color-coded according to criteria you’ve defined. Work requests can be processed directly from the ASB. Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) keeps tabs on the actual state of your critical assets by recording the output of any meters and gauges on that asset. When an asset’s condition changes, MPulse lets you know immediately, so you can react before breakdowns happen. DataLink Integration Adapter enables your MPulse administrator or local IT team to quickly and easily move data in and out of MPulse using a familiar, intuitive interface. It also works with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices—collecting data faster and easier than ever before. Smart maintenance scheduling reduces downtime by spotting issues before they occur. Want to know more? See our previous post on advanced maintenance scheduling. Or, contact us. We’re here for you.
Why You Don’t Want Free Maintenance Software
You know it’s time for a change. And free software from the Internet seems like an easy way to test things out. Many maintenance managers start their search for CMMS software by typing “free maintenance software” in a Google search box. But free maintenance software has hidden costs that can mean paying a higher price. Why Don’t I Want Free Maintenance Software? Trying pared-down software with limited functionality wastes time and energy—two things typically in short supply for maintenance managers. It’s hard to get a realistic perspective on the true capabilities of maintenance software with free maintenance software. As any maintenance manager knows, there’s a difference between cost and value. “Free” sounds like a great deal, until you consider… Limited tools and functionality Absence of security features to protect data Restricted user access Lack of scalability No training or support Inability to sync with other business systems You can’t get a full picture of what maintenance software can do for your organization if you’re limited to whatever is offered for free. So, after all that effort, you’re missing out on finding the right maintenance software for you. But I Just Want to Try It Out We get it. But there’s a better way—free software demos. When you test drive a car, you don’t just randomly take any car you found on the Internet out on the road. You don’t want to waste time test driving minivans when you really need a 4-wheel drive with a 6.0L, 8-cylinder engine. Your time is valuable, and it’s important that you spend it wisely. When you do your research on CMMS software, you’ll soon see the benefits of scalable CMMS software with an easy-to-use interface and advanced tools. And a little time spent finding the right software means you’re saving a lot of time (and money) in the future. That’s why MPulse offers free demos and great customer service to make sure your software purchase means your needs. So, you’re on the right path from the very beginning. [related-content] We know how to make your CMMS implementation a success—and we’re happy to share our experience with you. Contact us to learn more.
Nine Ways CMMS Cuts Operational Costs
The maintenance department doesn’t always get credit for how they save money. But the powerful combination of CMMS software and your maintenance team can cut operational costs, making your organization more efficient and productive. How CMMS Cuts Operational Costs Here are nine ways CMMS cuts operational costs. Preventive Maintenance CMMS software generates a schedule of preventive maintenance (PM) tasks. Therefore, it’s simpler to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Properly maintained assets perform more efficiently, use less energy, and fail less often—thereby, extending their usable life. When you use CMMS software to schedule and track PMs, you’ll reduce emergency maintenance issues and unexpected production stoppages. This also cuts overtime costs for emergency repairs and reduces production losses. You can also schedule maintenance for off hours by tracking equipment use time. Labor Management Work order management features in CMMS software can automate schedules for both employees and contract workers. Therefore, you get the highest priority work done, while making sure lower priority work doesn’t slip through the cracks. This information also eliminates lost information between shifts, reducing confusion and errors. CMMS software helps you accurately estimate labor hours for PM tasks, making sure your staffing levels match the workload, and decreasing overtime costs. This type of labor cost analysis also can determine when it’s more efficient to add more staff members instead of paying your current employees more overtime. Employee performance tracking helps you determine which employees are most efficient at which tasks, enabling managers to balance the workload. By tracking repair times, you can create benchmarks for your organization as well. Inventory & Parts Management CMMS software’s ability to manage your parts inventory prevents under-stocking and over-stocking and streamlines reordering. CMMS software can determine your current inventory levels and automatically generate purchase orders based on need, reducing purchasing overhead. You can take your inventory management to the next level and track parts to stock based on availability. For example, if a part has a three-week lead time, you can adjust stocking levels to make sure it is available when your staff needs it. Operations CMMS data helps organizations make effective replace-or-repair decisions. Maintenance software can track not only the age of the equipment, but the miles, hours, life-to-date repair dollars, and many other metrics. Therefore, it’s easier to when it becomes cheaper to replace an asset instead of repairing it. In manufacturing industries, CMMS software helps reduce scrap and rework by keeping equipment operating efficiently. That helps reduce emergency production breakdowns, and avoid catastrophic material losses. [related-content] Learn More Contact us to learn more about how CMMS software can cut operational costs for your organization.
Preventive Maintenance vs. Predictive Maintenance: What’s the Difference?
When maintenance teams adopt proactive approaches to maintenance, two of the most common are preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance. But, what’s the difference? What is Preventive Maintenance? Preventive maintenance is triggered by time, meter, or event. This type of maintenance is based on average or expected life statistics (usually determined by the equipment manufacturer or vendor). The most common example is changing the oil in a car every X,000 miles or every X months. Preventive maintenance is one of the first steps to reduce run-to-failure maintenance in favor of a more proactive maintenance plan. Additionally, CMMS excels at helping maintenance shops schedule preventive maintenance tasks, preventing failure and prolonging asset life cycles. What is Predictive Maintenance? Predictive maintenance means different things to different people. Usually, maintenance professionals define it as gathering data on the actual condition of equipment to determine when maintenance is needed—sometimes called condition-based maintenance (CBM). CBM allows you to track meters and gauges on assets, and to trigger work orders at specific points. You can gather the data manually or automatically, and your CMMS software stores the data and alerts maintenance staff to take action. For example, condition-monitoring tools and CMMS software can analyze how the asset is working—maybe by measuring operating temperature or oil viscosity, etc. This data helps spot signs of potential problems. Then CMMS software sends alerts before breakdowns occur. CBM monitors an asset’s real-time condition. So, there’s a predictive element to it. But more advanced predictive maintenance analyzes how long an asset will last using one or many types of measurement. A classic example is electrical transmission grids. Engineers analyze detailed information about equipment failure rates, so they can program software to predict when similar assets will fail in the future. Long-Term Goals The long-term goal of predictive maintenance prevents both reactive maintenance and unplanned breakdowns, while at the same time reducing the costs of unnecessary preventive maintenance. MPulse CMMS software can capture, store, and organize data for reports and predictive analytical tools. Predictive maintenance is gaining more attention as organizations want sensors on key assets and use the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to collect the data to feed into their CMMS software. CMMS combined with IoT is an excellent way to help maintenance teams to foresee asset failure and proactively perform maintenance. Have questions? We have answers. Contact us to see how we can help you improve your maintenance operations.
Improve Maintenance Management Program Efficiency
How do you make your maintenance management program more efficient? Maintenance professionals know that CMMS software is a tool. And while a successful maintenance management requires great software, you also need to well-trained people who know how to use it right—just like any other tool. Implementation services when you implement new software or upgrade are the best way to get off and running quickly. But what if you want to improve efficiency out of an already successful maintenance operation? Make Your Maintenance Management More Efficient It’s always important to start at the beginning. So, the first step should be a needs assessment of your current state. (Read our series on conducting a Needs Assessment.) Then, compare what’s happening now to what you want in the future. That tells you where you want your maintenance department to go. A good place to start is think about the information you don’t have, or you don’t have easily accessible. A few examples from MPulse customers… What are we spending on Asset X? How much time are my techs are spending on specific jobs? Does my team need to have faster access to information? How can I reduce our excess inventory? How long has Equipment Y been out of service during a given time period? Finally, determine what tools you need to go from where you are to where you want to be. By tools, we mean anything your team needs to do their jobs, which may include… Tools and equipment Informational resources Software Training You Don’t Have to Do It Alone If you’re feeling overwhelmed at this point, remember, you don’t have to do it alone. We developed the MPulse Assess, Adjust, and Implement (AAI) program to help you make your maintenance management program more efficient. It includes onsite implementation and training services, giving you hands-on support from our MPulse experts. AAI is for MPulse customers who want to get more out of their implementation. It’s an ideal option for “rebooting” a waning program or finding ways to squeeze more efficiency out of an already successful one. MPulse customers have found the following benefits with AAI… Improved results Optimized processes Renewed focus on maintenance management discipline Identifying new ways to use the full range of MPulse’s robust feature set Expand use of MPulse throughout the enterprise Make your maintenance management program more efficient with implementation and training services to get you where you want to go. Contact us today. We’re here to help.
Why You Need CMMS Maintenance and Support
If you’ve ever worked with outdated software, then you know the feeling of dread when there’s a glitch. Without access to technical and usability support, you end up paying for updates and services as you go. It’s inefficient—and also expensive. CMMS software needs its own preventive maintenance to keep it functioning properly—just like any asset. Service updates, software maintenance, and support programs are far more cost efficient when they’re part of a CMMS maintenance and support program. CMMS Maintenance and Support So, not all software support is equal. Here at MPulse, we want to keep the customers whose business we’ve worked so hard to earn. That’s why we’ll be here for you tomorrow, just like we are today. A subscription to the MPulse Maintenance and Support Program (MSP) partners you with our professional support team. Additionally, it gives you the latest tools, free training, and software updates to keep your software optimized, and your organization on track to reach its CMMS goals. The MPulse MSP is an annual subscription service that provides continued support, training, and updates. As a program subscriber, you’ll have access to a host of important features… In-house MPulse employees provide technical and training support via toll free phone number and email Exclusive access to new software versions as they’re released Hosting provided via our Application Hosting Service Online training through the MPulse Support Portal, including educational videos and informative articles One seat per year at the MPulse Training Center at our corporate office in Eugene, Oregon Better pricing on major software upgrades and modification options Exclusive invitations to monthly webinars on MPulse usage and maintenance best practices Special sale offers for MPulse products and services Advance email notification of new product introductions Timely, automated software updates Free assistance with software installation Software Preventive Maintenance The MPulse MSP offers extensive advantages over a fee-per-service model… Peace of mind—our goal is your success with our product Considerable cost savings Instant access to industry expertise Knowledge of current maintenance software developments Trained and prepared users Product flexibility Maintenance professionals get the call when things go wrong. So, they know the importance of getting the right person on the phone at the right time. [related-content] Take advantage of our expertise. We provide reliable, first-class support for your MPulse implementation, and the updates to keep it running at peak performance. With the MPulse MSP, you’re not just a customer—you’re our partner in CMMS success.
Five Signs your CMMS Program Needs a Reboot
Busy maintenance managers have a lot of their plate—and reviewing CMMS workflows usually isn’t at the top. But without taking a closer look, your team may be spending more time and wasting more money than you realize. Is It Time for a CMMS Reboot? You know it’s time for a CMMS reboot when you see one or more of these signs. Your team is doing too much data entry, or data reentry.Improved integration with external data sources means CMMS software can collect data from building automation systems as well as from meters, PLCs, and gauges on the factory floor. In fact, a modern CMMS, properly integrated, can use data from virtually any source to feed its alerts, alarms, and reports. You team is spending more time working around the software than working with the software.Maintenance techs usually excel at finding ways to work around problems—it’s a skill that comes in handy when making repairs. But it’s not good when they’re working around problems with your CMMS software Your CMMS software doesn’t collect the right data.Today’s maintenance managers are getting requests from senior managers, CFOs, COOs, and even CEOs who want detailed, accurate information from the maintenance department on what’s impacting productivity, profitability, and corporate progress. CMMS is the best tool you have for gathering, analyzing, and reporting data about your equipment and your team. You need reports that your software can’t provide.Your CMMS should be set up to answer the questions that matter to you—and to your boss. Those reports help you make decisions based on hard evidence, instead of perceptions or assumptions. Best of all, the cumulative nature of CMMS data means you can ask different questions in the future—ones you might not even think about today. Your maintenance team doesn’t have easy access to your software.Back in the day, it was common to limit software access to a few people. Today cloud computing helps organizations get applications up and running faster (often immediately) while reducing onsite implementation and management costs. It also virtually eliminates the need for highly skilled, expensive internal IT teams. [related-content] It’s time for CMMS reboot when your current system isn’t meeting your needs. A little time and energy spent now means your maintenance team can focus on what is really important—getting the job done. Contact us to learn more.
How A Strong CMMS Implementation Plan Boosts Your ROI
CMMS software is an investment. So, like any investment, you want to see a return on that money. The bean counters call this “return on investment” (ROI), which measures the gain or loss generated on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. Boosting your ROI takes more than great CMMS software, however. You need well-trained people who know how to use it, and you also need a solution set up right to work with your company’s assets and business processes. A strong CMMS implementation plan boosts your ROI with improvements in… Labor costs Parts and inventory management Equipment downtime and emergency repairs Equipment life cycle and replacement forecasting Manufacturing scrap and rework A Strong CMMS Implementation Plan An CMMS implementation plan has five steps: Planning Data migration Installation Training “Go-live” Start your CMMS implementation plan in a single department that stands to benefit the most in the short term. Then, follow with a company-wide roll-out. When others witness the initial success of the first department, bringing everyone on board will be much easier. [related-content] Expert Advice While you can develop your own CMMS implementation plan, sometimes it’s more cost-effective to hire the experts. After all, you don’t send your plumbing expert to fix and electrical issue. MPulse offers several onsite implementation services: Custom Launch Plan: We send an experienced senior MPulse trainer to your location for 4 days of intensive instruction. Typical curriculum is designed to cover what’s necessary to get your users up and running with MPulse. Assured Implementation Program (AIP): A software implementation program designed to take you from software purchase through successful implementation, without missing any critical steps along the way. Our most comprehensive program, AIP gets you through planning, data migration, installation, training, and “go-live” day. Assess, Adjust, and Implement Program (AAI): AAI is designed for existing MPulse customers who want to improve their maintenance program. It begins with a comprehensive assessment of your current state and concludes with training and services to assist you in implementing improvements. Whether you’ve got an experienced team spread across numerous locations or a small maintenance operation with a few employees, MPulse has a program for you. Contact us to learn more.