October 07, 2024

How CMMS Benefits Routine Maintenance

Maintenance management covers many facets of a business. Assets, inventory, preventive maintenance (PM), work orders, and even purchasing. In this article, we'll focus on preventive or routine maintenance and look at the following:

• The definition of routine maintenance.
• The benefits of a properly planned and executed strategy.
• How a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) benefits routine maintenance.

What Is Routine Maintenance?

Routine maintenance encompasses regular and planned activities to keep equipment, machinery, and facilities in optimal working condition. You want to prevent problems and malfunctions. These problems can lead to unscheduled downtime, costly repairs, or even safety hazards.

You plan many of these jobs based on the results of asset management. Equipment readings, asset usage, and recommendations from manufacturers and other regulations.

Some routine jobs don't require maintenance personnel. If you have skilled production personnel or equipment operators, they can take care of a lot of necessary routines. They can monitor the "health" of the equipment, record readings, and perform basic maintenance.

Examples

Lubrication, Cleaning, and Adjustment: These help to ensure smooth operation and prevent wear and tear. As mentioned above, technicians can perform these based on regular cycles of PMs. However, operators can also contribute.

For instance, if an operator sees a low level of lubrication he can add more. Basic cleaning of equipment goes a long way to retaining reliability and efficiency. Depending on the adjustment, the operator may "fine-tune" the machine as needed.

Equipment Inspection: You're assessing equipment functionality and safety, identifying and addressing potential issues early. This may require some time and a temporary shutdown of the machine. Many inspections consist of a simple examination of functionality or that all readings look normal. Others may require some internal investigations.

Parts Replacement: Replacing parts showing signs of deterioration to maintain equipment efficiency and extend its lifespan. Parts wear out and replacements extend the lifespan.

Replacement parts also reduce safety hazards. A frayed conveyor belt can cause a lot of damage to equipment, employees, and products. A broken shield guard risks employee health.

You want to make sure that worn or aging parts don't fail and cause further internal problems.

Safety Equipment: Checking, testing, and maintaining safety equipment, such as safety barriers, fire extinguishers, and alarm systems, to ensure their reliability in emergencies.

Make sure that all warning signs remain visible. Update any regulations. Keep PPE in stock.

General Workplace Maintenance: These could entail everything from light bulbs to HVAC filters to mowing, trimming walkways, and parking lot plowing/repair.

Sometimes, you have those little things, easily resolved issues, that turn into bigger problems if neglected. Grounds and landscaping can cause issues with aesthetics, weed overgrowth, tree branches, broken fence, and more. Walkways need deicing and cracks and bulges repaired for safety issues. Frayed or ruffled carpeting can pose a danger.

Benefits of Routine Maintenance

We've mentioned a few already, but let's focus on more.

Reduced Downtime: Anytime maintenance requires a machine shutdown, you have production delays. This holds true even for a planned shutdown, but you have advantages with those scheduled events.

PMs help to reduce the incidents and the time equipment goes down. No, you can't completely eliminate all unplanned downtime. However, with a properly run PM program, you minimize those times.

Prolonged Equipment Lifespan: You've made an investment in your assets. If you have to replace them before their time, you incur extra expenses. You lose ROI. You lose value in the machines.

Routine or preventive practices keep an asset at a baseline condition, therefore extending its lifespan. You have more value out of it. You have better quality products and efficient energy use.

Moving Away from a Reactive Mindset: With a reactive policy, you don't tend to assets until something happens. Unfortunately, over time, costs increase, safety hazards become an issue, and you've negated the first two benefits listed.

Planned and scheduled routine maintenance takes you out of that reactive thinking. Yes, you may incur extra expenses at the beginning with increased inventory purchases. In time, you'll see it pay off.

CMMS

At its foundation, a CMMS organizes your maintenance operations. It won't create a strategy but will offer opportunities to improve an existing strategy. Since part of the name includes maintenance management let's look at several benefits of the software upon that concept.

Asset Management: Review the discussion earlier about how you shape your routine maintenance strategy. A CMMS records and tracks equipment readings, hours in operation, mileage, and other measurements.

Scheduling and Tracking: The system allows for the easy creation, scheduling, and tracking of routine tasks.

Resource Allocation: CMMS software aids in assigning and managing resources, including staff and materials, for routine activities.

PM Integration: Your system should have a separate section for preventive maintenance. You create your list of PMs and mark their frequency. You assign them to assets, attach inventory to the job, and even note the labor personnel involved.

Data Accessibility: You need reports on all aspects of maintenance. Your CMMS provides instant access to work order data, work histories, equipment locations, and relevant documentation, promoting efficiency and transparency.

Task Prioritization: Part of routine maintenance includes prioritization. You ensure that you're up-to-date with necessary maintenance and have the documentation when regulators and auditors visit. You also help reduce unplanned downtime and production worker complaints by staying on top of recommended PMs.

Cost Control: The CMMS accomplishes this through the organization of assets, inventory, and work orders. It offers reports for each of you to analyze to further cut costs.

Inventory Management: When you work on assets, you need parts. A CMMS tracks quantities of stock. With proper setup, it will generate purchase requests when those quantities reach a minimum threshold.

Conclusion

How does CMMS software benefit routine maintenance? Through organization. You have better control and oversight over assets, inventory, PMs, and work orders.

Look at routine maintenance as a cornerstone of keeping equipment reliable, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring workplace safety. To get on the right path, implement a proactive approach to routine work. Use CMMS software to reduce downtime, lower costs, and achieve better operational performance.

Call Mapcon Technologies at 800-922-4336 for the best CMMS for your company. Ask for a free demonstration and speak to one of our representatives about how MAPCON can help you improve your routine maintenance.