Maintenance Management in the Real World: Stories from the Food Processing Industry
Food processing maintenance management is cost sensitive. Fluctuations in raw material costs coupled with strict compliance regulations mean that maintenance teams must consider quality control and budget constraints along with standard maintenance tasks. It’s enough to make even the most senior maintenance manager pause to consider how his team did their jobs without CMMS software. “Our MPulse CMMS software opened our eyes,” explained Mike Wosniak, maintenance engineer with Echo Lake Foods in Wisconsin. “Suddenly we could see the holes in our maintenance strategy.” Cost Control for Food Processing Maintenance Management Profit margins on food processing fluctuate, so cost management is a huge part of the maintenance team’s job. A dollar saved on maintenance is a dollar that goes to straight the bottom line. Mike found the biggest cost savings in his CMMS software’s inventory management features. “We streamlined our ordering process with our purchasing department,” he said. “Now we can track it better. We aren’t wasting money in unused parts sitting on the shelf, and we know when something is out or low.” Communication for Maintenance Teams It’s not just interdepartmental communication that improves with CMMS software. Like many maintenance departments, Beaverton Foods in Oregon has seen older techs retire—and their experience leaves with them. Pete Johnson, Beaverton Foods operations manager, has found media integration tools to be a big help as he trains new maintenance workers. “It helps a lot with information and knowledge transfer,” he said. “We’re using MPulse to capture media and other information about equipment to make it easier for techs to find and access resources.” Regulatory Compliance in Food Processing Maintenance Management When you talk to food processing maintenance management professionals, one major topic comes up every time—compliance. Food processing is heavily regulated by federal, state, and international regulations, from the U.S. FDA to SQF to the Global Food Safety Initiative. Compliance is all about visibility. Pete also credits his MPulse CMMS software with keeping his team—and his company—on top of regulatory compliance paperwork. “MPulse helps us track when maintenance activities have happened,” he said. “Plus, I can see which tasks are due in the month ahead.” Customer Audits And it’s not just regulatory agencies who audit food processors. Customers also schedule plant visits to make sure the company is performing to their standards. Echo Lake Foods makes breakfast foods for big-name customers—Walmart, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts, to name a few—and the companies frequently inspect the plants. “Now we can sit them down in front of a computer, and they can see all the data right on the screen,” Mike said. “It’s so much better than pulling out binders of information.” Food Production Downtime Production downtime is a big problem in any manufacturing industry. From preventive maintenance (PM) schedules to inventory management, CMMS software automates maintenance management and reduces asset downtime. That’s particularly important in food processing maintenance management. CMMS software helps maintenance techs track equipment data and quickly find information when they’re crunched for time. “A lot of PMs are performed annually, so people don’t remember what they did last time,” said Jason Slanagan, maintenance manager, New Seasons Foods. “MPulse saves us a lot of time looking for information.” All of these benefits have one major advantage in common—visibility. Jason summed up his MPulse CMMS software experience with a statement maintenance managers certainly can agree on: “It’s so much easier when you can remember everything.”
OSHA Standards for Food Manufacturing
As food manufacturing maintenance teams know, compliance is all about visibility. Staying on top of regulations is crucial for maintaining operations and avoiding costly penalties. Food processing is one of the most regulated industries globally, governed by a variety of federal, state, and international guidelines. Key regulatory bodies include OSHA, the U.S. FDA, and the Global Food Safety Initiative, all of which set stringent standards for safety and sanitation. On top of these regulations, customers may also conduct plant visits to ensure companies meet their own standards of quality and safety. MPulse CMMS software simplifies compliance management by organizing and tracking the required paperwork. As a result, your food manufacturing maintenance team stays compliant with minimal effort. Food Manufacturing Maintenance Professional’s Guide to OSHA Standards Like many other sectors, food manufacturing must adhere to OSHA 1910, which sets general industry standards, and OSHA 1928, which specifically applies to agriculture. Some of the most frequently cited OSHA standards in food manufacturing include: OSHA 1910.22: Housekeeping In food production, cleanliness is paramount for both food safety and worker safety. OSHA 1910.22, a housekeeping standard that applies to all industries, requires facilities to maintain clean, orderly, and sanitary conditions. It mandates that workroom floors remain clean and dry whenever possible, and that all areas are kept free of hazards to facilitate safe, effective cleaning. OSHA 1910.263: Bakery Equipment This standard focuses on the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of bakery equipment, with a special emphasis on managing risks related to combustible dust. OSHA classifies many common bakery ingredients, including flour, sugar, spices, and cornstarch, as combustible agriculture dusts. Standard 1910.263 outlines strategies for reducing these risks by controlling exposure to hazardous ingredients such as wheat, rice, oat, potato, and rye flours. OSHA 1910.272: Grain Handling Facilities Grain handling is classified as a “high hazard industry” due to the risk of combustible grain dust. To prevent explosions, OSHA requires strict controls on grain dust. That includes implementing a preventive maintenance program, minimizing ignition sources, and properly installing dust collection systems. Grain handling facilities must follow these regulations carefully to avoid significant hazards. OSHA 1910.307: Hazardous (Classified) Locations Any area where flammable substances or combustible dusts are present is classified as a hazardous location. OSHA 1910.307 specifies which equipment is approved for use in these environments to minimize the risk of fire or explosion. Additional OSHA Standards in for Food Manufacturing OSHA also publishes industry-specific food manufacturing standards, including those for meatpacking, poultry processing, and the manufacture of certain food flavorings. These standards complement general regulations by addressing unique hazards and safety requirements within specific food production sectors. Balancing Compliance with Quality Control and Budget Constraints in Food Manufacturing In addition to adhering to OSHA regulations, food manufacturing maintenance teams must manage a delicate balance between compliance, quality control, and budget limitations. Routine maintenance tasks, combined with the need to meet regulatory requirements, can place significant strain on resources. However, failing to comply with OSHA standards can result in costly violations that impact both the budget and the reputation of the company. That’s why proactive compliance management is critical. MPulse CMMS software streamlines this process by providing a centralized platform for tracking regulatory requirements, maintenance schedules, and audit-ready reports, ensuring your team stays ahead of compliance challenges. Food processing is a cost-sensitive industry, and any violation of OSHA regulations can lead to expensive consequences. Let MPulse help you manage compliance more efficiently. Contact us to learn how our CMMS software can assist in maintaining regulatory standards while optimizing your maintenance operations.
The Future of Maintenance Management: Sustainability and Environmental Impact
Sustainability. Going green. Earth friendly. Carbon footprint. Carbon Neutral. You hear these buzzwords about the environment all the time, and you know your organization wants to reduce waste and save money. But what does maintenance sustainability really mean for the maintenance team? Environmental Impact of Sustainable Maintenance The maintenance department is often the focus of environmental policies because maintenance itself is a key part of sustainability, as it improves operations and contributes to longer asset life. After all, the best way to reduce waste is by preventing assets from becoming inefficient and from breaking too soon in the first place. So organizational sustainable maintenance policies have a big impact on how the maintenance team does their jobs. Measuring environmental impact is about calculating what is saved instead of what was spent: fuel that wasn’t burned, water that wasn’t used, and waste that never happened. You know computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solutions can help you track what you’ve already done and what still needs to be done. But CMMS can also help you quantify how those tasks turn into savings—in time, money, and other resources. CMMS is an environmental impact software can help you meet sustainability maintenance goals in six major ways. 1. Reduced Energy and Water Consumption CMMS can help your team collect and track data on water and energy usage. By recording gauge readings over a period of time, you can compare current to historical usage, calling attention to spikes, trends, or major changes. Such condition-based monitoring (CBM) allows you to automatically generate corrective work orders when assets become less efficient because they need maintenance. 2. Reduced Material Consumption and Waste You can reduce material waste by improving the tracking of purchase orders and inventory. Knowing exactly what you have on hand prevents over-ordering and stocking unneeded parts or materials. Not only do you prevent waste of inventory, but you also save the energy needed to transport and store unnecessary stock. Additionally, when you start using electronic records and mobile devices to track work orders and inventory management, you reduce the use of office supplies like paper and ink. 3. Optimized Equipment Lifecycle Perhaps the simplest way CMMS contributes to sustainable maintenance goals is by efficiently scheduling and tracking preventive maintenance (PM) tasks on your critical assets. Your CMMS system notifies you in a timely manner when these services are due, so your team is on top of it. Staying current on your PM services helps your assets work better and more efficiently for longer—saving money and energy as well as reducing emissions along the way. 4. Certification Support It’s one thing to say your operations are sustainable; it’s another to prove it through a certification process. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for facility management, the ISO certification process for manufacturers, and other regional certification programs require organizations to show how their business processes are saving environmental resources. Hard data is the proof to obtain these certifications, and nothing does maintenance data better than CMMS. 5. Community Relations Environmental policies affect more than just business operations. Proving your organization’s good stewardship is an important part of community and public relations. With CMMS data to back up any environmental success stories, your organization can promote its environmental policies both internally and externally. In turn, recognition and promotion of an organization’s efforts for sustainability can result in improving the organization’s image and attracting new clientele. 6. Risk Management CMMS systems store critical safety instructions and enforce adherence to important industrial practices, preventing spills and other accidents dangerous to both people and the environment. Organizations are always looking for ways to minimize risk. Social responsibility is part of that equation. Strong environmental policies can minimize the potential for damage caused by the organization’s actions—things like toxic spills, improper disposal methods, or destruction of natural resources. Your maintenance team can be a key proponent of improving energy efficiency and reducing your organization’s carbon footprint, resulting in lower energy use and maintenance costs. Best of all, your CMMS software can serve as a way to record and report on your team’s efforts—making sure your hard work is documented in a Labor Resource Management Feature. As a result, your organization can stay ahead of the environmental curve with a proactive approach to reduce waste, save energy, and improve operations. Having an environmental impact software will allow you to show off your sustainable maintenance practices.
How to Prioritize Maintenance Tasks So You Can Get Stuff Done
I had my whole schedule planned today—a list of tasks and plenty of time to complete them all. Guess how many I finished? Yep. Zero. It wasn’t because I didn’t do anything. It was because my phone started ringing. Maintenance managers know what I’m talking about. Stuff happens. Emergencies come up. And we’ve all re-prioritized tasks based on who’s yelling the loudest. But as more maintenance departments move from a reactive to a proactive maintenance strategy (thanks to CMMS software), there’s less yelling because preventive maintenance means fewer emergencies and breakdowns. It also means prioritizing your maintenance tasks becomes even more important. You want to get the important stuff done first, of course. But you don’t want other things to slip through the cracks. So how do you prioritize your maintenance tasks? The Four Levels of Maintenance Tasks Priorities Generally, I start by categorizing maintenance tasks into one of four categories: Emergency tasks are urgent health/safety problems or operational disruptions. Some examples include loss of power or water supplies, HVAC failure, natural disasters, fire, key asset breakdowns, and major security problems. Obviously, those immediately go to the top of the list, no matter how long that list is. Next, you have high-priority tasks that will directly affect operations in the near future. These might include leaking roofs, high-use equipment that is not performing well, repairs to key assets, and safety inspections. Then there are medium priority tasks, which typically include preventive maintenance schedules. These tasks will affect operations eventually and need to be performed to maintain optimum production. Examples include replacing filters, changing oil, checking belts, scheduling vendor services, etc. Last but not least, maintenance teams always have low-priority requests or tasks that need to be done as fill-in work but are not vital to day-to-day operations. These tasks might include non-critical repairs, furniture installation or replacement, decorative painting, etc. The trick is to keep those lower-priority tasks from becoming high-priority or emergency situations. So how do you decide what to tackle first? Calculate the Value of Maintenance Obviously, emergencies and breakdowns take precedence. But what about the rest? It’s not as simple as going down the list in order from high to low. Maintenance operations are far more complicated than that. Maintenance managers can start by understanding the value of each maintenance task. When I prioritize tasks, I’m looking at four things… Value to my organization Time to complete Proximity and/or location Potential loss if not completed I use these four things as a proportional tool to figure out what needs to happen when. Obviously, value to the organization is a big part of the equation. You’re going to prioritize tasks on key assets that directly affect your operations. Next, estimate how much time each task will take. CMMS software provides historical information about time and costs, which will give you the information you need to make data-driven decisions. But if you’re new to the CMMS world, make an educated guess. Then, consider the proximity and/or location where the tasks take place. This factor is particularly important for organizations with large facilities, multiple locations, or off-site assets. Finally, consider the potential impact if not done. This can be critical, for example, if you don’t change a component on time and the failure disrupts maintenance operations. How Do I Prioritize Maintenance Tasks? Let’s look at some real-world scenarios. Scenario 1. A key asset needs a major repair. Your tech is working on the same components that have a PM scheduled for next week. The equipment is disassembled, meaning it’s easier to access areas for lower priority tasks that don’t take a lot of time. It makes sense to do those other repairs or PMs at the same time, even though those tasks might be farther down on the list. Scenario 2. You have an off-site facility that your techs visit infrequently. A high-priority task is scheduled, and your crew will travel to this site. It makes sense to take the extra time to perform maintenance on other equipment at the site, saving another trip later. Scenario 3. Your tech is waiting for a part. There’s an hour to kill before the part is delivered. He checks his work order assignments, and he sees he doesn’t have enough time to dig into another high priority task before he’ll get pulled back to his original task. But while he waits, he can knock off a few quick work orders that don’t take a lot of time. It’s a lot to track. But CMMS software can help. What Do You Have to Gain? Once, you probably kept a written list on your desk, or maybe a spreadsheet on your computer. I sure did. But those old methods take up a lot of time and certainly don’t help you or your team work efficiently, much less keep everyone on the same page. And that’s where CMMS software can help. Let me use a very simple example from my own experience. I used to keep detailed maintenance schedules written down on paper. It was a complicated, but thorough system. It also took a lot of time to keep updated. It took even more time to share it with my colleagues who needed to know what was going on. CMMS software freed up my time and my mind. Reminders popped up when I needed them. Continuous schedules were easy to create. And if I had questions, my maintenance data had answers—answers for questions like… How much am I spending to repair that asset? Is it more cost effective to repair or replace it? Is my team behind on scheduled tasks? Should I hire another staff member? Where is the money going? Best of all, my CMMS software created a repository of maintenance information. That means I can ask different questions in the future—ones I didn’t think about earlier. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Maintenance reporting software makes asset information, historical data, vendor information, media files, and other details easily accessible to the people
Knowing Your Stakeholder: Your Users
At this point, you’ve identified most of your stakeholders in the CMMS purchasing process. However, we saved the most important one for last—your users Users are any staff who will operate the software in their day-to-day jobs. The most frequently stated concern among users is ease of use. Because a system that’s difficult to learn and navigate won’t be adopted quickly by the people who’ll be logging in the most. And software that’s not used will never produce the desired results. Prevent Poor User Adoption Your users need to understand why they need to learn a new system. Consider who on your team might have emotional reasons to oppose CMMS. What could they be? You can prepare by thinking about how maintenance management software will impact each role. Firstly, ask yourself… How is this program likely to affect each person’s daily workload positively or negatively? How might this program threaten each person’s job, work performance, or domain of responsibility? Secondly, to avoid becoming a victim of poor user adoption, you need to… Listen—and develop an understanding of the users’ concerns. Ask some probing questions to understand what users like and don’t like about the programs they currently use. Do your homework. Be sure to vet all potential solutions for usability based on what you learned from your discussions with users. Evangelize the merits of the chosen solution—prior to implementation. Explain to those who’ll be using the software what it does and how it does it. Sometimes establishing the right expectations is half the battle. Train. Be sure to purchase good training and let users know they’ll be getting it. Before go-live day, ensure all key users have been trained. Understand Their Perspective When you’re reviewing CMMS software, consider how the features will impact your users. Study after study shows that software that’s easier to use is used more often—and more effectively. For example, removing the “clutter” will significantly streamline data access for your teams. One such CMMS feature is called role-based access control, where your maintenance personnel will only see the records relevant to their unique workloads. With role-based access control, you can easily adjust settings in your MPulse implementation so the right people have the right access to the right records. So, you can give your employees access to what they need—and only what they need. For example, one MPulse customer employs a variety of maintenance professionals with very specific job duties. With role-based access control, their plumbers only see plumbing work orders. Their electricians only see electrical work orders. Another customer with multiple facilities set up their role-based access control based on location. So the maintenance team at their Phoenix facility only sees work orders for that location, while the Denver facility team only sees the work orders for their location. Create “Super Users” Like many organizations, your maintenance team probably includes technicians of all ages. While younger generations typically view new technology positively, the same might not be true for everyone. However, peer-to-peer mentoring can help. Start by finding the right employees to help their coworkers learn a new system by helping them become what we call “super users.” You probably already know who they are—they are approachable, open to learning, responsible, and knowledgeable about the organization and how to contribute to its success. Their enthusiasm for the software and its capabilities is catching. It’s important to support people who are likely to become super users with time, continuous training, and hands-on experience. In general, maintenance managers should encourage employees who have… A strong understanding (or potentially strong understanding) of workflows A belief in the value of technology and data-driven management An enthusiastic attitude and strong communication skills Good problem-solving capabilities Flexibility and adaptability to change Desire for continued learning and skill development Super users can help you get your whole team on board with the initial implementation. Additionally, it can help the whole organization discover the value of CMMS data—and the decisions it helps make. When it’s time to pitch CMMS software to your team, a little proactive work can go a long way. Follow these steps, and you’ll dampen the fears of even the most skeptical users. Contact us for more tips. [related-content]
Why Most Users Don’t Need a CMMS App, Part 1
CMMS and mobile technology offer big benefits for maintainers. The ability to access information and record data on the spot—where maintenance happens, instead of in a plant or campus office—fits nicely into maintenance workflows. However, mobile app fatigue sets in when users feel overwhelmed by the number of apps on a device. But, you don’t need a mobile CMMS app to benefit from mobile technology. An adaptive interface will likely serve users well, no app required. CMMS with Adaptive Interface Software with tablet and smartphone compatibility will work on desktops, laptops, as well as Apple, Android, and other popular smartphones and tablets. Also called adaptive interface, this software works on any size display or device, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. At MPulse, we call this concept Adaptive “Any Device” Interface. That term means what it says—our CMMS software will work the same way across multiple devices. MPulse’s tablet and smartphone compatibility means your maintenance team will experience the same easy access no matter what device they use, making things easier to find and creating less confusion. Benefits of Adaptive Interface for Maintenance Teams For such an important component, the user interface gets very little thought from the actual users. That’s by design. A good user interface is instinctive, so you don’t need to think about it. When your CMMS software has an intuitive, adaptive interface with tablet and smartphone compatibility, your maintenance team experiences some big benefits… Faster training because your maintenance techs will already know the basics Smoother software implementation with less help from expensive, outside consultants Quicker response and completion times because it’s easy to use Better user compliance the software is seamless and makes their work less complicated Easy access to work orders and the ability to make updates without stopping by the office or needing to find a computer. The strongest user interfaces make using the software more intuitive and seamless, no matter what device you use. So, you don’t always need a mobile app to make CMMS easy to use on the go. Access to real-time data is the best way to save time and help your maintenance staff boost productivity. And an adaptive interface means better acceptance from your workforce and a better way for maintainers to quickly enter data on the job. That helps your team spend less time on the computer and more time doing what you hired them for—maintenance. Have questions? Want to see how MPulse works on your mobile device? Contact us. We can help.
Knowing Your Stakeholder: Legal & Compliance
Your legal and compliance departments probably won’t use your CMMS. However, they may feel invested in what the software can do. Making a courtesy call to these departments can prevent unexpected hiccups down the road. Both departments want to make sure your organization follows all related laws, policies, and regulations. As a result, their concerns are: Are we abiding by legal/governmental regulations? Are we abiding by internal company policies and guidelines? Often, simply involving these stakeholders in the buying process at the appropriate time can prevent many issues. Will It Help Us Follow the Rules? When explaining your CMMS purchase to legal and compliance departments, focus on the software’s ability to help your team follow the rules. It could be documentation about safety protocols for OHSA, compliance regulations, or simply paperwork to support any liability issues. These departments want to know how CMMS software can help your organization stay on the right side of the law. Documentation lies near and dear to your legal and compliance departments. For example, CMMS software can document and report on… Inspection schedules Warranty documentation Purchasing and vendor information Compliance procedures Quality assurance tasks Regulatory audit support Those all play a role in following legal and compliance guidelines. As a result, understanding what these departments need and how they use that information goes a long way. Legal The law requires any organization to take reasonable actions under the appropriate circumstances. Failing to do so can result in potential liability. Additionally, all organizations want to avoid lawsuits or legal headaches. CMMS software can support your organization with documentation in the case of a complaint or a potential lawsuit. For example, records of safety inspections and completed maintenance tasks can provide evidence for an onsite injury. This also applies when your organization might hold a manufacturer responsible for a failure. For example, if an asset fails, the legal department can use CMMS data to prove the service requirements were completed as required and on the recommended timescale. That also can help if a manufacturer wants to void a warranty. Regulatory Compliance Regulatory agencies have the right to fine, or even shut down, companies that do not comply with their standards. However, maintaining compliance with regulatory guidelines requires increasingly complex recordkeeping. CMMS helps organizations stay compliant with… User-defined permissions, access, and login control that can integrate with your active directory Electronic signature support with limited access to a specific signature field to enter approval Preventive maintenance scheduling and documentation Corrective maintenance tracking and documentation Robust compliance reporting capabilities Automated data collection and archived work history Documentation of processes and procedures Hosting capability for third-party software that creates audit trails Audits One common maintenance challenge preparing for audits. However, CMMS software can keep the necessary audit trail for inspectors. A huge benefit of CMMS is the ability to drastically reduce that prep time. Rather than your team taking extra time to assemble all necessary documents, the software can generate detailed information in seconds. Make sure legal and compliance concerns are heard before you get too far into the buying process. You always want to avoid late-stage show-stoppers that may derail your procurement. The bottom line: Make sure you know your stakeholders in the software buying process and do your best to meet their needs. Do your homework—take the time to know and understand your stakeholders and their motivations. Listen to and understand their needs. Address these needs directly. Like some stakeholders, your legal and/or compliance departments will likely not be affected directly by the daily use of CMMS software. However, they still can benefit from it. Take the time to understand what they need from your department, and then you can answer their questions about how CMMS software can help. Have questions? We can help. Contact us. Get a Free Custom Quote [related-content]
How to Use Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) to Build Efficiencies
Globalization and economic pressures are forcing companies to build efficiencies wherever possible. As a result, the reliability of assets will become even more important than ever. What is Reliability Centered Maintenance? Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) defines maintenance as the means to maintain an asset’s functions in a defined operating context. Therefore, companies can focus resources on equipment that would cause the most disruption if it failed. Learn more: What is Reliability Centered Maintenance? Building efficiency with RCM can result in cost savings and improved reliability of your assets. However, it takes tracking, monitoring, and auditing your maintenance program to reap the benefits of RCM. What Are the Benefits of CMMS Software for RCM? CMMS software offers the best tools to track and monitor your RCM program. Additionally, as CMMS automatically gathers data with every work order, you can see what’s working, and what needs more attention. As a result, you can quickly produce status reports and documents giving details or summaries of your team’s maintenance work, like… Who’s doing what and how long it takes them to do it How much that asset really costs, and when it’s more cost-effective to replace it Which parts are overstocked or understocked, and which parts need longer lead times What’s the inventory turn rate How much the department is spending and on what Which assets are pulling their weight, and which ones aren’t How much a breakdown really costs What to do to prevent those breakdowns before they happen Evaluation Criteria for Reliability Centered Maintenance Maintenance teams can set up their CMMS software to evaluate their RCM program. The technical standard SAE JA1011, Evaluation Criteria for RCM Processes outlines the evaluation criteria… What is the item supposed to do and its associated performance standards? In what ways can it fail to provide the required functions? What are the events that cause each failure? What happens when each failure occurs? In what way does each failure matter? What systematic task can be performed proactively to prevent, or to diminish to a satisfactory degree, the consequences of the failure? What must be done if a suitable preventive task cannot be found? Setting Up Audits for RCM Maintenance managers know their operations will change over time. Employees come and go. New equipment arrives. Vendors and suppliers change. Therefore, the auditing process for RCM enables organizations to determine how those changes impact operations. It’s also a chance to identify new areas to improve. An audit should analyze assets individually to identify potential issues. Next, identify the appropriate maintenance strategy to ensure the asset can function at its maximum capacity. Scheduled audits should also offer a chance review those decisions to make changes and updates as necessary. RCM and Condition-Based Maintenance Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is one tool that can augment an RCM program. CBM keeps tabs on the actual state of your critical assets by recording the output of any meters and gauges on that asset. For example, sensors attached to equipment will use methods like vibration, viscosity, ultrasound, thermography, and other technologies to determine any changes to the condition of that asset. In combination with CMMS software, maintenance teams can use that data to identify patterns that could lead to machine failure. When an asset’s condition changes outside of specified ranges, your software lets you know immediately with CBM assessments. As a result, you can react to prevent breakdowns before they happen. You also can use CMMS software to… Monitor multiple meters (e.g., revolutions, psi, hours) on a single asset Specify multiple conditions, triggers, and responses Automatically generate work orders based on specified triggers Use data analysis tools to identify potential problems Set up automatic notifications Produce status reports and documents That data goes a long way to set up an effective RCM. Therefore, you can continue to monitor and audit your program to build efficiencies. Data-Driven Decision Making Organizations can use RCM to reduce maintenance costs, minimize downtime, streamline and increase production, maintain safety standards, and improve profitability. CMMS and RCM also can help organizations by providing data-driven decision-making. Data-driven management simply means making management decisions backed by reliable data. Technological advances continue to make more and more detailed, relevant data available. Additionally, with that increased capability comes the opportunity to improve organizational performance at all levels, and in all departments. This type of maintenance management also helps organizations compete in increasingly complicated and competitive markets. Have questions about setting up an RCM program or improving your current one? Contact us to get started.
How to Calculate Downtime
Calculating asset downtime offers new insights into your maintenance operations, and how you can make improvements. But how do you calculate downtime? And what can you do with that information? Here’s what you need to know. What Is Equipment Downtime? Downtime refers to any period when a system fails to perform its primary function. For your maintenance operations, you’ll want to measure unexpected downtime that occurs any time production stops due to asset failure. You also might track planned downtime, which means equipment remains offline while preventive maintenance or other planned tasks occur. Why You Need to Track Equipment Downtime While your managers likely want to track equipment downtime, it holds benefits for the maintenance team too. Maintenance is on the frontline when things aren’t working, and it directly affects our workload. Tracking equipment downtime helps with… Determining which workflows are working and which ones aren’t Evaluating the effectiveness of PM schedules Identifying areas for improvement Lowering maintenance costs How Much Downtime is OK? You can’t avoid downtime, but you can minimize it. Most enterprise organizations aim for 10% or less for unscheduled downtime, which they calculate on the basis of number of operating hours. How to Calculate Asset Downtime To calculate asset downtime, you need data. You’ll find some of this data in your CMMS software, and your accounting department can help with the rest. This data should include: Employee costs per hour: The average employee salary divided by number of hours worked, multiplied by the number of employees. Average revenue per hour: An estimate of how much revenue your company generates in a given hour. Employees affected by downtime: An estimate of the percent of employees who would be unable to work due to shut down machinery. Revenue affected by downtime: An estimate of the percent of revenue lost due to machine downtime. Number of units produced per hour: An estimate of the number of units produced in one hour. Average profit per unit: The amount of profit earned for each unit produced. Number of hours of downtime: The number of hours of downtime expected. Maintenance managers plug in these estimates and generate an average cost of machine downtime per hour. Simple Downtime Calculation Not everyone needs to calculate downtime at the same level. If you need something a little simpler, try this equation that only takes a few numbers: (Hours of downtime / Total period measured) * 100 = percentage of downtime How to Reduce Downtime Once you have the basic calculations, you can identify ways to reduce downtime. MPulse customers have successfully reduced downtime by… Optimizing their MPulse CMMS software to collect more data Improving preventive or predictive maintenance schedules and completion rates Using condition-based maintenance tools Improving documentation of unscheduled downtime for better insight into what can be improved Using mobile CMMS tools to improve response time and provide better access to data Utilize Smart Maintenance Scheduling to Reduce Downtime Smart maintenance scheduling can help reduce equipment downtime and increase asset efficiency, as well as extending their usable life. With the help of CMMS software, maintenance managers can automate preventive maintenance schedules that contribute to the upkeep of assets, balance workloads, reduce confusion and errors, create benchmarks, and track repair times. Ultimately, these proactive measures help sidestep serious problems that arise as a result of neglect and delays in more expensive maintenance, and 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.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Scheduling Software
Service scheduling software always tops the list of essential maintenance management tools. Every major asset has a recommended maintenance schedule. CMMS makes it simple to schedule services based on time or usage, so the maintenance team knows what needs to happen and when. Benefits of Scheduling Software The biggest benefit of service scheduling software is automating preventive maintenance scheduling and work order management. However, you can use it for much more, including… Tracking work orders Viewing progress Automating communication Creating reports Handling service requests Managing inventory/supplies Documenting asset repair history Service scheduling is the first step towards improving productivity for your entire maintenance operations. Here’s how to get the most out of your software. Set Up Scheduled Maintenance Maintenance managers have been scheduling maintenance for decades. Technological advances, however, have automated the service scheduling process, making it more efficient and sustainable. Start by setting up scheduled or preventive maintenance tasks. Your software will generate a schedule of PM tasks, making it simpler to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. As a result, these schedules and inspections help spot issues before they occur. CMMS software enables you to schedule maintenance intervals based on time, operating hours, or part condition—triggering a work order just before the point when system inefficiencies or failures begin to occur. (See our previous blog post for more information on how to do that in MPulse.) Convert Scheduled Task to a Work Order When a task is due, you’ll want the software to convert it to a work order. Luckily MPulse makes this easy. Go to Scheduled Maintenance in the main menu. Click on Open Scheduled Maintenance. Choose the date range you want: Overdue, Today, Tomorrow, This Week, This Month, Next Week, Next Month, or Custom Range. Select the records to convert and click on Convert to Work Order Click Yes to confirm Now you have an open work order ready for your technician. Automate This Process While that process is simple, you can make it even easier by automating it. When a scheduled task is due, MPulse will automatically convert it to a work order. From the main menu, choose Workflow / Scheduled Maintenance Options Click Enable Scheduled Maintenance conversion Note that you can choose to convert scheduled tasks automatically on the due date or any number of days before the due date. These changes will impact all scheduled maintenance records. Print Work Orders If your team members still receive printed copies of work orders, you can also make this process more efficient in MPulse. From the main menu, choose Workflow / Scheduled Maintenance Options Click the box for Enable Automatic Print after Conversion Black Out Dates Most companies close on specific days or major holidays. MPulse makes it easy to set blackout dates that will adjust due dates and work order conversion accordingly. From the main menu, choose Workflow / Scheduled Maintenance Options / Blackout Dates Click the Add icon Enter your preferred date ranges The blackout date has been added to the list. MPulse will use blackout dates to push any scheduled maintenance record that comes due on those days to the next available date. Properly maintained assets perform more efficiently, use less energy, and fail less often, which also extends their usable life. When a maintenance team establishes and regularly performs tasks that contribute to the upkeep of assets, an organization may be able to sidestep serious problems that arise as a result of neglect as well as delay more expensive maintenance. Contact us to learn more.