February 11, 2025

A Complete Guide to Industrial Maintenance and CMMS Software Benefits

If you have assets in your business, they require maintenance. From resorts to hospitals to education institutions to so many more, a dedicated maintenance team conducts various types of maintenance. In this guide to industrial maintenance, we'll look at:

• Understanding Types of Industrial Maintenance.
• Key Roles in Industrial Maintenance Teams.
• The Role of CMMS Software in Industrial Maintenance Management.

The term industrial maintenance (also known as plant maintenance), covers numerous industries. Food production, ethanol, chemical development, manufacturing, etc.

Understanding Types of Industrial Maintenance

You might ask: What is maintenance? What's its purpose? The answer: To keep assets operating at a baseline functionality.

Let's break down this answer. Assets include anything from structures (office buildings, etc.), property, equipment, and vehicles.

What do we mean by "operating at a baseline functionality?" Example: a new car. You expect the vehicle to run at optimum levels for a long time. To keep it operating at that level, you conduct preventive maintenance (PM). Oil changes, tire rotation/replacement, tune-ups, etc. We'll discuss PM later.

Over time, of course, the vehicle ages. Numerous factors may drop that baseline. Environment, weather, age of parts, etc. With each PM or repair, you may experience a drop. This type of determination happens in the workplace with vehicles and other equipment.

Supervisors track depreciation values, costs of annual maintenance, and other factors to determine the baseline. They use these factors to judge when to purchase new.

Let's look at the types of maintenance you might see in a plant.

1. Preventive. These are activities that technicians conduct to reduce unplanned downtime. These key jobs help keep the aforementioned baseline level.
2. Condition based. This might be part of the first type. Here, the team looks for certain conditions to exist that let them know when to conduct either repairs or PMs. Certain equipment readings, mileage, hours in operation, etc.
3. Planned. Many companies schedule a shutdown. These actually benefit the company and all involved. A planned shutdown gives ample opportunity for PMs and other maintenance to happen without interrupting normal production. Activities include replacing equipment, a total rebuild, extensive replacement parts, a thorough cleaning of the floors, walls, ceilings, and equipment, and many more. You can see how these types of jobs would disrupt normal plant operations.
4. Reactive. This means not paying attention to an asset until it fails or breaks down. Of course, when an asset does fail, you have to determine the importance of the repair. Keep in mind that maintenance teams all react to unplanned downtime. You don't want to have an overall reactive mindset to your program. That risks increased costs.
5. Reliability-centered. Here, you determine the most cost-effective program based on individual assets. You plan which assets you'll service, when, and how much time you'll spend on them.

Key Roles in Industrial Maintenance Teams

Department personnel wear many hats. You might see several titles associated with one person. However, let's highlight some of the titles you might see.

Technician – A worker. A specialist. One who completes assigned jobs on assets whether repairs or PMs.

Supervisor – This person oversees the technicians. They may process work requests and create work orders.

Planner – The individual who plans certain maintenance jobs. These involve shutdown activities, PMs, and others.

Manager – You might use this interchangeably with supervisor, but this person may be in charge of several teams led by supervisors.

Scheduler – This role can fall under the umbrella of a supervisor, planner, or manager. You may hire a separate person to schedule work orders. As you'll read later, a CMMS helps this person's efficiency.

Ready to revolutionize your maintenance department? Schedule a live demo today.

The Role of CMMS Software in Industrial Maintenance Management

If you want organization in your existing maintenance strategy, then you'll find so many benefits in a CMMS.

Let's highlight some of these.

1. Designed for maintenance. PMs, work orders, asset management, oversight of inventory. But don't stop there. Beyond these important parts of your operation realize the system also handles human resources. It can process time cards. It helps you create crews and crafts for specialized jobs. Do you barcode your assets, inventory, or even personnel? A CMMS provides so much value, especially when on a mobile device.
2. Lists of PMs. You have your list of assets, now create the associated PMs. Assign them to your assets. That way, when you look at either record, you'll see the other.
3. Work order management. A CMMS helps you process work requests. It offers you plenty of data fields for any information you deem relevant. Type of job. Priority. Assigned asset. Location. Directions. Checklists. Attachments such as documentation and safety procedures. And so much more.
4. Scheduling. For maximum effectiveness and efficiency, you want to schedule work orders. A supervisor might do this or a separate person. Using a CMMS calendar gives you an overview of all maintenance activities. Look ahead a week, a month, or a year.
5. History. Tracking depreciation value and other data? The CMMS software keeps a record of historical maintenance and revisions to listings.
6. Reports. You want a system that provides tailored reports for your assets, inventory, and work orders. Costs. Key performance indicators (KPI). Open work orders. Quantities of inventory.

Optimize Industrial Maintenance with Solutions by MAPCON

Industrial maintenance may not look too different than other forms of maintenance. They share a lot of commonalities. Don't underestimate the importance of a preventive mindset. Catching issues before they develop into major problems keeps your operations running smoother. Resolving those issues reduces costs and unplanned downtime.

Avoid the clutter and error-prone methods of a spreadsheet or handwritten work orders. Use a CMMS for better oversight. Call Mapcon Technologies at 800-922-4336 for a superior CMMS. Schedule a free demonstration. Learn about training opportunities.