OVERVIEW

Information and communications technology unlocks the value of time, allowing and enabling multi-tasking, multi-channels, multi-this and multi-that.

Li Ka-Shing

Hong Kong, East Asia's Richest Man and Founder of Hutchison Whampoa

For Li Ka Shing, information and communication technology systems are valuable tools that handle time-consuming tasks so we can use the time for other activities that add greater value for our companies. Among other things, information technology helps businesses keep track of transactions, historical records, and documentation. It automates parts of some business processes and many calculations. Some systems also "learn" from us and even take over some (usually simple) decision-making tasks. These "expert systems" are based on both logical sequences and on "fuzzy logic" that closely mimics the way fickle humans process information.

There are many automated systems that are useful in maintenance perhaps even too many for some of us. The dizzying array of available choices makes it difficult to determine which of them will provide the most benefit to our businesses. The first part of this chapter describes various support systems that have the greatest potential to produce a substantial return on investment quickly. These tools and systems can help make managing the maintenance function much easier and more efficient, freeing up valuable time and revealing developing failures that can be handled before they result in complete loss of function. The last part of the chapter is about Computerized Maintenance Management Systems ^[1] in their various guises. These are packaged software tools designed specifically to support...