Nearly every maintenance department has a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). And nearly all of them underutilize it. What are the reasons for this?
Consider these problems:
- Poor training. Maybe one person took the intro course. So nobody really understands the CMMS or what to do with it. Consequently, few see any real value in it. This leads to haphazard use and even less value. Solution: Invest in the necessary training (not everyone needs all the training, but everyone needs adequate training for his or her role).
- Poor data. It’s understandable if the CMMS wasn’t updated with full information on every asset at the start. But updating should happen in the normal course of work, whenever equipment gets PM, repair, or replacement. Establish a methodology for accomplishing this.
- Irrelevant reports. Due to the first two problems, reports generated by the CMMS don’t provide any insight. Fix those two problems, and you get useful information for solving plant problems.
