Overview

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Enterprise Asset Management Systems (EAM) are, in reality, nothing more than computerized versions of a maintenance information system. In fact, anything that can be done with a CMMS /EAM system can be done in a manual system. Using the computer, however, should make it faster and easier to collect data and then manipulate that data into a meaningful report format.

Recall from Figure 1-1 that the work order is the key feature of the system. It collects all of the labor data, the materials data, the contractor data, and the preventive maintenance data that is written against a piece of equipment (or a facility, building, floor, or room). The information collected is then stored in a database called the equipment history. It is from here that all of the data is drawn to produce all of the reports needed by the organization to manage its equipment or assets.

However, a study conducted by Engineer's Digest highlighted a problem. The majority of organizations owning and using a CMMS used only 50 60% of it. The question now is: What parts of the CMMS can you not use, without compromising the integrity of the data in the equipment history database? For example,

• If you don't record labor data, is the cost history accurate?

• If you don't record material data, is the cost history accurate?

• Could you perform life cycle costing?

• Could you calculate the MTBF?

• Could you calculate the MTTR?

The answer is, of course, no.