Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices. Ramesh Gulati
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with user-defined statistics and tracking and analyzing equipment status, problems, causes, actions, and delay codes.
Other reporting features that help optimize work are an analysis of asset availability and performance, mean time between failures (MTBF),and drill-down capability to determine the root cause of downtime.
Some CMMS packages show MTBF and average corrective and preventive costs in a graph. Other features include depreciation schedule, capital cost budgeting for major repairs and replacements, and remaining asset life span. Repair versus replace analysis can be shown graphically, where the cost of a new asset exceeds the historical trend cost of repairing it, all based on a user-defined amortization period and inflation rate.
Many CMMS vendors have been trying to improve their failure analysis capability in response to the ever-increasing interest in failure modes and effects analysis, reliability-centered maintenance, and root cause analysis. Asset-intensive organizations are finding it painfully slow and complex to implement these advanced techniques. When these techniques are used on critical assets and systems, the potential payback is enormous.
Another valuable group of analysis tools includes costing and budgeting tools such as life cycle costing. Capturing costs associated with an asset, from its procurement to its disposition, gives management greater insight into the total cost of ownership or economic life of various assets and asset classes. The benefits of tracking life cycle costs are many, including:
• Comparing the cost of various offerings of the same asset type (e.g., comparing, say, a Caterpillar versus a Toyota forklift with the same or similar specifications)
• Understanding the trade-off between asset performance and the total cost of ownership (e.g., deciding how long it is economical to hold onto a specific asset and when it is economical to replace it)
• Forecasting cost of assets based on the life cycle cost profile of similar assets
• Becoming aware of the costs in order to control them
Life cycle cost analysis can be quite complex, especially for facilities or infrastructures that require monitoring and assessment of the asset’s condition and rate of deterioration. The multiyear considerations include factors such as discount rates used in the net present value (NPV) calculations. Important assumptions are made about how the business, market, and product alternatives will change over time.
A CMMS can help in tracking life cycle costs by accumulating relevant labor, material, contract, and overhead costs associated with a given asset—even if the asset is moved, sent outside for repair, shows signs of deterioration faster or slower than expected, or either depreciates or appreciates in value. Costs other than maintenance costs must be considered; these include installation costs, operating costs, and risk abatement (e.g., health, safety, and environmental impact).
Mobile Technology
The popularity of mobile technology continues to rise as more users realize its power. Meanwhile, the telecommunications networks continue to expand their geographic reach and their ability to handle interference. Handheld devices are also improving in terms of functionality and affordability. Much of the functionality of a desktop terminal can be put in the hands of a mobile user, including uploading and downloading work order and spare parts inventory information, accessing equipment history and reports, and even viewing or redlining drawings and maps.
The mobile technology is one of the most important trends being adopted in the CMMS industry, just as the BlackBerry, smartphones,and iPads took the business world to a whole new level. Tablets and iPads are being used very effectively by technicians to review work orders, read instructions, check the availability of material, document work, etc., at the workplaces directly interfacing with the CMMS.
System Affordability
The need for and use of a CMMS is not specific to any one industry or type of application. Any organization using assets to make products or providing services is a potential candidate for a CMMS.
Computerized systems are becoming more attractive as more maintenance personnel have become computer literate, and prices of hardware and software have dropped significantly. These factors make a CMMS an attractive option for even smaller plants. CMMS packages are available in the modular format. In other words, organizations don’t have to buy all the modules and options. For example, smaller plants can purchase only the asset, PM, and work order modules to start. They can add other modules later on. Also, many CMMS programs are designed with scaled-down functionalities for smaller plants. These programs are fully functional and relatively inexpensive. However, organizations must determine if a CMMS is beneficial to their operations and have buy-in from all stakeholders.
Workforce average age and continuity of the organization’s knowledge base together present another important issue to consider. How much information will leave the company when a key maintenance employee retires? Years of critical information can be lost the moment that the employee walks out the door. Therefore, it is very important to ensure all the work performed is documented in the CMMS.
Barriers to CMMS Acquisition
Internal roadblocks stand in the way of purchasing a CMMS, particularly in smaller organizations. The following list can help you overcome barriers associated with acquiring a CMMS:
1. The organization is too small for a system. This attitude suggests a basic lack of understanding of the true benefits and functions of a CMMS. A CMMS that is ideally matched to the organization’s needs should pay for itself, even for very small plants. There are many plants with just a few maintenance technicians successfully using a CMMS. A CMMS can help record and maintain the equipment histories that will be the basis for future repair-versus-replacement decisions and associated justifications. An accurate and complete history can also describe how the job was executed last time, thereby saving time associated with a job or task redesign.
2. The project payback or savings are inadequate. Maintenance organizations must do a thorough job of determining benefits and savings to show real ROI of a well-chosen CMMS.
3. The MIS (management information system) or IT doesn’t give CMMS high enough priority. This lack of sufficient support is a very common situation. MIS support for the project greatly increases its chances of success. A CMMS is complicated to many decision makers. Helping MIS understand the importance of the CMMS should be a primary goal of the maintenance department.
4. MIS and maintenance speak different technology languages. Being able to translate the technological and business benefits effectively can go a long way toward overcoming this roadblock. With MIS support, it is easier to convince others.
5. Participants fail to reach consensus. When the parties involved disagree on either the need for a CMMS or the features required in a CMMS, it becomes difficult to gain approval for CMMS funds. There must be an internal champion who is empowered to select a team and act on results.
Selecting the Right CMMS
Selecting the right CMMS is crucial to a successful implementation. Some suggested guidelines are discussed below.
System Features
There are numerous features that the system should include. One such feature is flexibility. The CMMS should be flexible in terms of allowing users to enter information pertaining to your organization. Another feature is scalability; it should accommodate both present and future needs of its increasing users and should be able to handle the influx of demand and increased productivity. Organizations should be aware of the system’s limitations. Before buying a particular system, one should check the limitations of the system. For example, if the number of records in the database increases significantly in the future, the system’s searching and reporting capabilities should not be slowed down.
Another feature to consider is the system’s interfacing capabilities. The CMMS should be capable of interfacing with other information systems. Self-sufficiency is something else to consider. Programs should be capable of direct, full use without needing to consult a manual or other outside sources. The on-screen instructions should explain what