Identifying The Need For A CWMS

Senior management tends to be focused on the bottom line and is not overly interested in any initiative or project that is not financially attractive. Decision makers look to tangible returns on any investment in line with the generally accepted economic criteria of net present value (or net present worth), return on investment (ROI) and payback period. These indicators can be developed for any project using the business case concept where dollar inflows (benefits) and outflows (costs) are modeled on a spreadsheet over the life of the project. The economic indicators are the key output from the business case. In order to develop a suitable CWMS project, it is essential to recognize and document the need for a CWMS. It is very easy to identify signs in your business that dictate the need for a CWMS. These signs can be at the macro level and can be further supported by more detailed evaluation. The following are some of the indicators to look for.

• High equipment downtime These are usually the easiest records to come by because equipment downtime is directly related to production or service and is usually tracked closely by senior management. Equipment downtime can be categorized by two areas: (1) Downtime can be due to operational or process problems and is also due to changeovers. (2) Downtime can be due to maintenance repairs (proactive or reactive). This is useful information in justifying a CWMS. Sometimes this data is viewed differently as equipment uptime,...