Compiled by FacilitiesNet Staff
CMMS is one among a sea of acronyms in the facility maintenance industry. But just what does a CMMS (known formally as computerized maintenance management software) do?
Here's one CMMS definition worth considering: A CMMS is a software solution managers specify to streamline maintenance operations and improve the bottom line. A typical CMMS features preventive maintenance tools to better monitor equipment performance, as well as work-order tracking to make departments more efficient.
Training technicians on the proper use of a CMMS ensures it will produce reliable data that will help managers better analyze equipment life and performance, leading to more informed decisions during the specification process.
Properly specified, installed and used, a CMMS can help departments become more efficient in: tracking preventive maintenance (PM) procedures; maintaining data on equipment, schedules, and downtime; providing one point of interaction with operational applications, processes, and people; maximizing limited resources; optimizing performance and maintenance schedules to maximize equipment uptime; and controlling costs by using existing resources more efficiently.
Beyond these benefits, a CMMS can help departments: maintain a complete maintenance history of the repair significant items; monitor stockrooms and inventory levels; track and monitor employee performance; justify manpower; analyze cost distributions and areas in which maintenance dollars are spent; and minimize emergencies by turning the maintenance organization from a reactive to a proactive maintenance philosophy.
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