Volume 4 CMMS / EAM Systems

In this volume, the topic of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is discussed. In the first volumes of the Maintenance Strategy Series, almost all of the documentation necessary to management maintenance can be handled manually. However, with the addition of the maintenance work management processes in the last volume (Volume 3 of the Maintenance Strategy Series), the documentation and data analysis necessary to be efficient has increased.

It is still possible for some maintenance departments to manage their information manually. However, it is more efficient to use a properly-designed computer system to accomplish these tasks. Continuing with manual systems would be analogous to a company's accounting department still trying to utilize pens and lined ledger paper to track the company financials. Given the current stage of computer technology, it is much more logical to use a computer system to track and manage the necessary business information to manage maintenance properly.

A computerized maintenance management system is designed to simplify the data collection and analysis. As will be explained in this text, the basic modules of the CMMS are designed to facilitate the management of the various components of maintenance, such as:

• Preventive maintenance

• MRO inventory and procurement

• Work order management, including the tracking of

• Labor costs and information

• Material cost and information

• Contracting cost and information

When the CMMS is utilized across multiple plants, and corporate managers use the data to manage the assets at an enterprise level, the system acronym changes to...