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Maintenance
Management: An
Overview
Jonathan Trout, Noria Corporation

Maintenance
Maintenance Management
Management is the
process of maintaining a company's
assets and resources while controlling
time and costs, ensuring maximum
e@ciency of the manufacturing
process.

What
What Is
Is Maintenance
Maintenance
Management?
Management?
Maintenance management is deEned as the process of
maintaining a company's assets and resources while
controlling time and costs, thereby ensuring maximum
e@ciency of the manufacturing process. Maintenance
management has gone from an archaic, tedious,
handwritten process to a computerized maintenance
management system (CMMS) — a software that plans,
tracks, measures and optimizes all forms of a
maintenance program in one central system.

Maintenance management isn't just a software system —

t's a combination of software, best practices and trained
personnel, all focused on the same goal. Maintenance
management programs are highly customizable and
centered around the type(s) of maintenance employed at
a plant. Whether you're using a condition-based
maintenance program like predictive maintenance or a
more time-based maintenance program like preventive
maintenance, it's important to focus your program on the
type of maintenance used and its role within your
organization.

mproving maintenance management should be a

continuous goal for any company with machine assets,
but there is no one-size-Ets-all solution. If you need
additional support or expertise in the process of shifting
your matntenance management practices, bringing in
reputable reliability and maintenance experts like those
at IDCON could help you idetify opportunities and create
an achievable plan for improvement.

Why Maintenance Management Is

Important
Maintenance management is vital in ensuring the long-
term success of your maintenance program by monitoring
quality assurance, maintaining operational e@ciency and
keeping assets in optimum running order. Properly
maintained assets and resources keep your production
stable and greatly minimize the chances for unplanned
downtime. Unplanned downtime causes a snowball effect,
eading to a spike in unexpected costs associated with
things like repairs (overtime labor, spare parts, etc.),
delayed shipments, lost revenue or complete breakdowns
of machines.

Maintenance management helps improve the operational

e@ciency of plant facilities, which contributes to revenue
by decreasing operating costs and improving the quality
(and quantity) of manufactured products. In addition to
cost savings, other beneEts include improved workplace
safety, enhanced productivity and minimized human error.

The Objectives of
Maintenance Management
All forms of maintenance management share the
common objective of analyzing production and Ending the
best practices and processes within a speciEc Eeld.
Analyzing reports from a CMMS, for example, lets you
control costs, schedule work properly and e@ciently, and
ensure failures and breakdowns are kept to a minimum.
The main objectives of maintenance management
nclude:

• Cost control/budgeting:
Maintenance management tools
provide managers with the
necessary information to properly
allocate funds from the budget. Cost control is
important because some costs are a better use of
the company's funds than others. For instance, a
maintenance manager might need to buy a
replacement part for an asset. She might have to
choose between a cheaper part that's less durable
and a more expensive, longer-lasting part.

• Scheduling work/allocating
resources: Scheduling work and
allocating time and labor resources
so they're at their most productive
plays a key role in e@ciency. Maintenance
management gives a manager an ultimate
understanding of the overall process to help decide
priority levels of various activities. For example, if the
maintenance manager needs to verify the timely
delivery of a product, she might be inclined to
prioritize forklift maintenance to ensure the product
can be moved around the warehouse and onto the
delivery truck without interruption.

• Compliance and regulations:

Maintenance management tools
help organizations comply with
regulations at the local, state and
federal levels. For instance, it may seem like the
cheaper option to assign one operator to a particular
asset, even though the law states two employees
should be assigned for safety reasons.

• Minimize downtime/loss: A good

maintenance management program
helps mitigate the loss of productive
time due to failure by establishing a
planned maintenance program. Fewer production
stoppages mean less lost revenue.

• Extend asset life: Organizations

invest heavily in machinery.
Maintenance management programs
help ensure equipment and
infrastructure are always in good condition. Regular
maintenance extends the useful life of machinery,
facilities and other components by minimizing wear
and tear.

• Enhance equipment: Spinning off

the objective of extending the life of
assets, maintenance management
also enhances existing equipment through
modiEcations, extensions or new low-cost items.

• Training: Maintenance
management programs should
include training personnel in speciEc
maintenance skills, improving
operational safety, advising on the acquisition,
installation and operation of machinery, and
enhancing the quality of the Enished product.

• Uncover
Uncover maintenance
maintenance trends:
trends:
Looking into historical data helps
managers get a clear picture of what
exactly goes on during day-to-day
operations. CMMS software, for example, can
uncover things like why an asset seems to be
consistently underperforming.

Maintenance Management vs. Asset

Management
One big component of maintenance management is
working with assets to ensure their reliability. There are a
few key distinctions between the two.

• Asset management: Asset management is the

culmination of activities and practices that track the
performance of an organization's assets and using
that information to improve production. Asset
management systems should be aligned with the
overall business plan to ensure the success of the
company. Asset management processes let
businesses see beneEts like whether the equipment
is performing as intended, operating costs are being
reduced and if they're getting a higher return on
investment (ROI) on their assets.

• Maintenance management: As we've deEned,

maintenance management is essentially using
intuitive software like CMMS to track a business's
resources, like labor, materials and equipment.
Information from this system lets you make
informed decisions about creating or improving
maintenance processes. Maintenance management
ensures your company's equipment remains in
exceptional working order, which minimizes
downtime and unexpected repairs.

So, what's the difference? Although they're both

technically different, asset management and maintenance
management are often integrated together and
complement each other nicely. Maintenance management
deals more with the physical performance and
maintenance of equipment, while asset management
analyzes all the data for the work needing to be done on
each asset, identifying and prioritizing that work to help
with the ROI of each asset.

Most modern CMMS software integrates the two

functions so that maintenance personnel can see both
sets of data in one centralized location.

Computerized
Computerized Maintenance
Maintenance
Management
Management Systems
Systems
A computerized maintenance management system
(CMMS) is a software platform designed to simplify
maintenance management. This type of intuitive software
package keeps a computer database of information about
a company's maintenance operations and can produce
status reports and detailed summaries of maintenance
activities. Once analyzed, this information is meant to
allow maintenance personnel to do their jobs more
effectively and enable maintenance managers to make
nformed decisions, helping them manage costs and
allocate resources.

A CMMS lets organizations eliminate manual data

tracking and allows for the tracking and organization of
multiple facets of the business into one centralized, digital
ocation. CMMS software is highly customizable, enabling
organizations to add components like equipment data
management, preventive and predictive maintenance task
management, work order systems, scheduling and
planning, vendor management, inventory control, and
more.

CMMS packages are either cloud-based (more modern) or

on-premise (more traditional) systems. Cloud-based
systems are hosted on an outside server, usually by the
company selling the software, while on-premise systems
require the company buying the software to host the
product on its own in-house server. Some of the
drawbacks with on-premise servers are higher costs,
complex implementation and constant maintenance
(backing up and updating hardware and software).

11 Work
Work order
order management:
management: A
CMMS with work order
management capabilities greatly
simpliEes each step in the
maintenance work order process.
Maintenance managers can design, prioritize, review,
assign and track work orders from their desktop or
mobile device, while operators can submit work
requests.

Preventive maintenance can also be incorporated by

using time-, usage- or condition-based triggers to
automatically alert the software when a scheduled
task needs to be done. This allows for automatic
scheduling of work orders and can even alert
inventory to make sure parts are in stock.

Technicians and managers can all interface with the

software and see real-time updates. Technicians can
look at their daily tasks, mark jobs as complete and
switch the status of an asset from o\ine to online.
Likewise, managers can see when jobs are
completed.

22 Asset
Asset
performance/reporting:
performance/reporting: A
company-wide CMMS gives the
organization a great way to
collect and analyze data from
each asset, so maintenance managers can more
easily see areas that need to improve e@ciency and
productivity. A big part of maintenance management
is tracking the use of your assets and how they're
performing. This includes looking at operational
hours, time-based gauge readings, mileage and
more.

A CMMS automatically builds asset proEles with this

information and includes asset-speciEc things like
maintenance checklists, failure codes, safety
information and single-point lessons. From these
proEles, you can get a complete look at your
maintenance operation by creating custom reports
on things like asset downtime and how each asset
affects the cost of inventory.

33 Inventory
Inventory management:
management:
Keeping track of spare parts is a
daunting task. A CMMS helps you
get and stay organized by
automating inventory purchasing,
so you can have the correct parts when you need
them, in the correct amount.

Many CMMS systems let you log all spare parts and
note where they are stored, when they were
purchased, how to use them and their availability at
all sites across the organization. This way,
technicians know what parts they'll need for a repair
or preventive maintenance task, where those parts
are and how to use them.

Finally, a CMMS helps you maintain an optimal

inventory through tracking inventory costs,
referencing order history, cycle counts, usage data
and Erst-in/Erst-out details.

44 4Audit
4Audit capabilities:
capabilities: Preparing
for audits is made much simpler
by having a continuous,
searchable record of every task.
This allows the maintenance
management team to audit an asset's maintenance
history. Many CMMS software systems let you create
user proEles that automatically monitor certiEcations
and renewal dates and embed standardized training
videos for those needing to renew and stay
compliant. All work orders, task lists and photos are
archived, giving you any proof you may need to
ensure ISO certiEcation.

55 Mobile
Mobile capabilities:
capabilities: Nearly all
modern, cloud-based CMMS
software comes with the ability to
access the CMMS remotely from
a tablet or smartphone. This is
vital since maintenance workers spend most of their
time in the Eeld, on the plant boor and away from the
o@ce. Mobile capabilities enable maintenance
technicians to record what they're doing as they're
doing it. This includes taking pictures and requesting
help onsite. A CMMS with a mobile app offering
o\ine capabilities allows for these kinds of updates
even when there isn't a Wi-Fi connection.

66 Integration
Integration capabilities:
capabilities: One
of the best things about modern
CMMS software is the ability to
integrate it with other systems
within your company. For
example, incorporating your sales software with your
CMMS gives the sales team an inside look into data
to which they normally wouldn't have access. A good
CMMS provider has a variety of integration options,
allowing you to customize the right combination for
your organization.

Who Should Have Access to Your

CMMS?

t's often debated who should have access to your CMMS;

n some companies, only a few maintenance managers
have access. Over time, this can lend itself to a couple of
problems. The fewer people using the system, the more
work is dumped on the individuals who are using it,
making this small group of users responsible for handling
everything from logging work orders to running and
analyzing reports.

Another issue is the fact that it limits the impact of

everyone on the team. Team members who can't see the
overall picture of maintenance operations tend to be
confused about their jobs, miss work more, make
misinformed decisions and eventually have lower morale.

Conversely, giving a variety of team members and

departments access to your CMMS can be beneEcial by
making maintenance management a shared responsibility
across your organization. This frees up the maintenance
team to improve in other areas. It also lets other
departments make data-driven decisions based on
analysis from all areas of the company.

Let's take a look at some of the various groups that should

have access to your CMMS.

• Maintenance
Maintenance manager:
manager: Probably the most
obvious choice, the maintenance manager should
also be the system administrator. System
administrators oversee the daily use of the CMMS
and are heavily involved in choosing the right system,
implementing it and optimizing it. Almost all aspects
of maintenance go through the maintenance
manager, from creating, scheduling and prioritizing
work orders to managing assets and creating
reports.

• Facility/operations
Facility/operations manager:
manager: Giving access to
your facility manager(s) allows them to see
maintenance information, schedules, metrics and
overall performance across multiple facilities. This
data can help them improve e@ciency, decide on
budgets, prepare for audits and purchase inventory.

• Reliability
Reliability engineers:
engineers: Reliability engineers are the
people who crunch the data from CMMS reports and
turn it into actionable information. Giving them
access to all the data generated by a CMMS lets
them more easily and accurately create reports and
process improvements.

• Inventory
Inventory managers:
managers: We've mentioned what a big
role a CMMS plays in inventory management.
Inventory managers can use the information
provided by a CMMS to log and track information on
spare parts, check into historical data, set minimum
quantities and send purchase requests. The beneEts
of this bow downstream to the maintenance team,
as improved inventory tracking and purchasing helps
guarantee they have the right parts in the right place
every time they need them. It also ensures records
are better kept, and spending is monitored.

• Safety
Safety personnel:
personnel: Having all safety and health
information in one system helps the organization
stay compliant. All employees can have access to
certiEcations, policies, checklists and audit results.

• Technicians:
Technicians: Another no-brainer, technicians
should always be included as CMMS users, as they
are the ones who use the system's features the
most. While you don't need to give all technicians
administrative access, they should be able to see
work orders, get notiEcations, add information to
asset proEles and perform other tasks that directly
relate to repairs and inspections. Having access to
this information will enable them to be e@cient and
accurate, as well as give them the ability to log data
in real-time.

• Production
Production personnel:
personnel: This group includes
machine operators, line supervisors and other team
members who work with the equipment on a daily
basis. Often, production personnel are the Erst to
notice impending failures, so having access to the
CMMS gives them the ability to submit a request or
add details to work orders, making the repair process
more e@cient. Maintenance managers can also
assign operators basic maintenance or autonomous
maintenance tasks, like cleaning the equipment,
through the CMMS.

• Contractors:
Contractors: Contractors or technicians who aren't
directly a@liated with your company but perform
fairly routine tasks should have guest access to your
CMMS. This way, they can see work orders, task lists
and available resources. They will also be able to
better communicate with maintenance managers via
mobile access.

• Executives:
Executives: Finally, the executive team and senior
leadership use all the data they can to make data-
driven decisions. Having access to the CMMS is an
easy way to keep them in the loop about
performance, achievements, key performance
indicators (KPIs) and more.

CMMS
CMMS vs.
vs. EAM
EAM
n the past, CMMS and enterprise asset management
(EAM) systems were viewed as very different solutions for
maintenance management. Modern systems have since
blurred the lines between the two, with many software
systems including the capabilities of both into one
enterprise software package. It's important to note,
however, that they are not the same thing.

CMMS
CMMS software packages include databases with real-
time and historical information about the operations of a
company. CMMS software is also used to schedule and
assign work, improve e@ciency, support regulatory
compliance and help maintenance management make
more informed decisions. CMMS systems are a bit more
focused than EAM systems and are speciEcally designed
to deal with functions related to maintenance and
materials management. Many organizations Ell the gaps
by integrating their CMMS with scheduling, purchasing
and accounting software, for example.

EAM
EAM focuses on optimizing the life cycle of a company's
assets. It gives a comprehensive view of the physical
assets and infrastructure throughout the entire life cycle.
This includes design, implementation and procurement, as
well as operation, maintenance, disposal and
replacement. EAM software was developed after CMMS
and includes maintenance management capabilities, but it
considers the total cost of ownership of a company's
physical assets.

EAM systems serve every facet of a company that deals

with asset management. This includes maintenance and
nventory, procurement, engineering, project management,
accounting, operations, reliability management and
strategic planning.

As you can see, these two systems have very similar

capabilities, but what truly sets them apart is their
philosophy and scope. A CMMS focuses on maintenance
and starts tracking and gathering data once an asset has
been purchased and installed. An EAM system is more
comprehensive. It starts with design and goes to the end
of an asset's life. Below are a few features that you will
see in an EAM system but won't in a CMMS:

• Budgeting management capabilities

• Calibration monitoring

• Energy monitoring

• Fleet management

• Interactive maps, boorplans and schematics

• Linear assets

• Process management

About
About the
the Author
Author
Jonathan
Jonathan Trout
Trout

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