THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

MAINTENANCE
COMPUTER ASSISTED

Ing. Vanessa Verano

Content
Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 3
What does CMMS consist of? ............................................................................................................ 5
Failure prevention........................................................................................................................... 5
More organized industrial maintenance plan .................................................................... 6
Machinery History ............................................................... 6
A high initial investment
Bureaucratization of processes.................................................................................................. 6
Increase in unproductive staff ........................................................................................... 7
Functions of CMMS....................................................................................................................... 7
Main Functions of a CMMS
Basic Features of a GMAO ........................................................................................ 9
CMMS Modules....................................................................................................................... 10
Work orders .............................................................................................................. 10
Inventory Control............................................................................................................... 10
Asset managements ..................................................................................................................... 11
Preventive maintenanceo .11
Security................................................................................................................................... 11
Human resources .................................................................................................................... 11
GMAO Modules....................................................................................................................... 11
1. Maintenance module ................................................................................................... 11
2. Inventory Module............................................................................................................ 13
3. Purchasing Module .............................................................................................................. 13
Advantages of the implementation of a CMMS .................................................................................... 13

Ing. Vanessa Verano

Introduction

Computerized Maintenance Management, better known by its initials

CMMS is a software tool that greatly facilitates management of
maintenance services in a certain company. As a curiosity, these
acronyms are used both in Spain and in France. In Latin America, they prefer to use
the acronym GMAC, which means Assisted Maintenance Management
Computer y in the remaining
del world CMMS, Computerized
Maintenance Management Software.

As its name suggests, it is software to facilitate the management of

maintenance of an organization's assets, mainly physical assets, although
they may not be. The philosophy of these systems is to place at the center of
maintenance of the 'assets' or equipment, around which everything will be linked
what affects it (technical documents, work orders, maintenance plans,
spare parts, costs, etc...)

It is a highly valued tool by companies of all sizes and

activity sectors since it acts as a database, in which is stored
data about the company and the different maintenance operations. Data that
they are subsequently transformed into valuable information for decision-making
real-time decision-making and management. This type of tool allows the
maintenance department to carry out an effective management of its assets and everything
that 'surround' them like: maintenance tasks and activities, costs, inventory of
spare parts, internal human resources, subcontractors, etc. It can be said that these
solutions are responsible for optimizing the maintenance processes of the
industrial organizations.

Computerized maintenance management systems are suitable

for all companies that require proper maintenance management of
their equipment and assets. There are certain solutions that are specifically
targeted at specific markets, such as infrastructure or exports, for example.

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Each organization has its own needs, so it is possible to adapt the
software functionalities to them.

Computerized Maintenance Management is today one of the

main trends in the business field. It is a type of
simple and effective maintenance, which includes maintenance processes both
preventive as predictive. Additionally, each organization can adapt the software to
their specific needs.

The CMMS is software designed to facilitate the management of asset maintenance.

of an organization placing the "assets" or equipment at the center of maintenance.
That is to say, we are talking about a computer program or software that manages the
information about industrial machinery and the operation of the chain
production, records the data and detects variables in the parameters.

Eng. Vanessa Verano

What does CMMS consist of?

When we talk about CMMS, we talk about software designed for the
predictive industrial maintenance for Industry 4.0. The machines of the system of
production is continuously sending their physical parameter data (increase
of temperature, vibration, etc.). But that data needs to be organized and
converted into logical lines that can be interpreted. The CMMS is responsible for
collect this data, organize it logically and provide statistics and trends
in which variations of the parameters can be identified.

First of all, a myth must be discarded. CMMS does not magically fix problems.
from a factory. The CMMS manages that raw data so that it can be interpreted.
and identify which machine is starting to fail when its physical parameters
they change. Therefore, they help you identify potential problems before they
they appear, but they do not magically solve the problems of your factory.

CMMS offers incredible advantages for its users. Below we detail them
some of them:

Failure prevention

Thanks to the management of the physical parameters of your machinery, you will be able to detect

variations. These variations often indicate problems in the functioning of the

machine. For example, if a part of your production system starts to increase
due to vibration, it is possible that a part of its mechanism has worn out. The
the machine is emitting more vibration because of that. Therefore, you can include in your
maintenance plan the need to check that machine and find out what is
starting to fail before the breakdown occurs.

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More organized industrial maintenance plan

CMMS can help you predict which parts of your factory are starting to fail.
Thanks to this, your industrial maintenance plan will be more forward-thinking.
and you will avoid emergencies that disrupt all the industrial maintenance planning.

History of the machinery

All the data entered in the CMMS remain there. This means that
if one of your machines, due to factory default or being a poorly suitable model,
It has a part that usually fails; you will be able to detect what the weak point is.
parte de tu sistema de producción y tomar decisiones al respecto. Por ejemplo,
acquire a new model in which that weak point has been resolved.

However, everything has its downside. CMMS is no exception. A

we will inform you of some of its possible drawbacks, in case you
you plan to implement a CMMS system in your factory:

A high initial investment

If your factory is not optimized for Industry 4.0, the replacement of machinery with
another one that can send data about its operation or the optimization of your system
IT professional with everything that entails (increased cybersecurity for
protecting your system from threats, hiring specialized personnel) can have
a high cost for your accounts.

In the long run, it's a good investment. But maybe it's beyond your current possibilities.
and you have to consider the long-term optimization for GMAO.

Bureaucratization of processes

The CMMS only works if it has all the data. This means that any process
What you intend to carry out with your machinery must be registered, what it does.
that industrial maintenance processes are more rigid and less agile. This

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the more detailed the data recording is, the more information it will provide
offer you long-term CMMS. But at first, it will give you the impression of
has slowed down the pace of your industrial maintenance plan.

Increase in unproductive personnel

El aumento del peso de la digitalización en tu fábrica lleva aparejada la contratación

de personal que no está directamente ligado a la manufactura de productos, sino a
associated tasks of maintenance and information management. Although in the long run the
CMMS helps reduce costs and implement a more industrial maintenance plan.
solid and with fewer incidents that delay the production process, will force you to
invest more money in staff that will be dedicated to activities that are not
directly related to production, but to management and administration of
computer data.

Data management is the most powerful tool of our time. It helps to

predict trends and stay ahead of events. Its uses extend to
multitude of sectors of life. Medicine, economics, advertising, politics... Any
aspect of our world. Keeping up with trends and identifying potential
damage against which protection is essential for the proper functioning of
a company.

CMMS is the way to adapt this new digital tool to maintenance.

industrial. A correct recording of the data will help you optimize your business. Don't miss it.
Think more. Implement the CMMS in your company and take your factory to the next level.

Functions of the CMMS

Computerized Maintenance Management allows to carry out a

wide range of functions in a simple and efficient way. Firstly, the input and
management of all data related to maintenance, so that any
operating with permission can access them. In this way, it favors planning and

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maintenance control, with a detailed organization of the facilities and
necessary tools to carry out the different tasks.

The different existing commercial applications place special emphasis on each

one of the points, thus creating products that adapt precisely to the
specific needs of the company. There are even developments specifically
formulated for specific industrial sectors. Of course, the tool is
suitable for all companies, regardless of their philosophy and methodology
employees for maintenance management.

The implementation of Computerized Maintenance Management provides a

a series of benefits to companies that is of particular interest to know.
On one side, it allows for the optimization of resources, both material and labor. Thus, it improves

the planning and monitoring of processes and inventory. On the other hand, it
improves quality and productivity in all phases that make up the process
productive, reducing downtime between them. This is how
achieves greater availability of products.

In addition, the CMMS allows for updated and real-time information.

all the components of the process, thereby improving the action processes
established in the organization's protocol. This facilitates the analysis
periodic, which allows anticipating workloads.

All of this needs to be added to the ease of adjusting maintenance plans.

to the characteristics and real needs. And, lastly, it improves the control of those
subcontracted activities, and of all the processes that are somehow
involved in maintenance.

Main Functions of a CMMS

Nowadays there are numerous CMMS solutions on the market and although among them
there are differences mainly in user interaction, there are also
differences in terms of the available functionalities.

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However, most of this type of software has 3 main modules with
basic functions for its management:

Maintenance Module
Inventory module
Purchasing module

You may be considering implementing a CMMS in your organization but that

you already have an ERP in which you manage purchases and software for
warehouse management (WMS). So, you might be wondering: Should I implement
are the 3 modules mandatory?

The answer, in most cases, is: No. In this case, you could implement
only the maintenance module with the advantages provided by its
respective functions. However, in order to have real financial data
It is highly recommended to implement and integrate the 3 modules for maintenance.
with the rest of the existing systems.

Each of the listed modules has a series of functionalities.

Depending on the chosen software, you will have a greater or lesser number of
features, as well as greater or lesser capacity for integration with others
solutions.

Although it is not imperative, it is advisable to implement the 3 modules.

integrate them with the rest of the existing systems.

Basic Features of a CMMS

Most CMMS on the market have the basic functionalities such as

minimum allow:

Asset management and its corresponding hierarchy.

Planning and scheduling of preventive maintenance.

Ing. Vanessa Verano

 Management of corrective maintenance resulting from breakdowns or incidents.
Control of spare parts and replacement parts stock.
Management of MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) material purchasing

Operations.
Management of internal human resources.
Management of subcontractors.

Management of requests and work orders.

Control of costs associated with maintenance.
Management of compliance with regulations in security.

CMMS modules

There is a wide selection of options when it comes to hiring this tool.

Below we outline which modules are included in the standard package.

Work orders

This software significantly facilitates the allocation of human resources and others.
tasks related to work orders, such as material reservation or
monitoring of the production process. Additionally, based on the evaluations
periodically, issues recommendations for the future, both short-term and long-term
period.

Inventory control

Computerized Maintenance Management helps in management and control

of inventories. The workers can record the reservation of materials for certain
jobs, the storage of materials, the necessary tools for tasks
specific, etc.

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Asset Management

One of the most valued modules of the CMMS is asset management, recording
both the equipment and the company's properties. It allows for the inclusion of information about

value as guarantees, spare parts and other parameters.

Preventive maintenance

The tool also keeps track of the tasks of

real-time maintenance, creating detailed instructions and listings of
necessary materials for each of the phases of the production process.

Security

Regarding safety, the CMMS is responsible for managing documentation and the
permissions that are necessary to comply with current regulations regarding
security: restricted access, electrical risk, product isolation, etc.

Human resources

The CMMS establishes thorough control over human resource management, both
as a whole as well as in specific areas.

CMMS modules

Next, we will go into a bit more detail about the characteristics of each
one of the modules that integrates a CMMS:

Maintenance module

This module is the main module of a CMMS system and around which the
rest of the modules and functionalities of the system. It is in this module where the
asset management and the management of preventive and corrective maintenance, among
other functionalities.

Ing. Vanessa Verano

In an organization with a high number of assets, it is vital to manage
correctly the preventive maintenance program in order to avoid suffering
activity stoppages in production due to a preventable breakdown
with preventive maintenance. A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) helps the department of

maintenance to plan the frequency of such preventive maintenance and

once programmed, it automates the creation of the associated work orders
these maintenance works.

Nowadays, thanks to IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), it is possible to connect

some CMMS systems with plant asset sensors. This allows for the
organizations take a step further in maintenance proactivity. The
integration of the data extracted from the assets with a CMMS system allows
perform condition-based maintenance, which will be triggered automatically
job requests or work orders according to the current status of the equipment. This
allows for preventive and/or corrective maintenance based on the data of
field, as well as providing predictive analytical capabilities to anticipate
failure of the teams.

On the other hand, it is equally important to manage the assets of the

organization. Asset management allows for tracking data
generated by the maintenance activities carried out, as well as the metadata
associated with the assets. Among these data we can find: purchase dates,
guarantees, asset characteristics, asset statistics, asset documentation and
a multitude of data more. However, the most important and powerful data that
Managing a CMMS is the historical data of an asset.

The history of an asset is the record of the different maintenance activities.

carried out on the specific asset. This information is very useful for the
maintenance department for subsequent analysis and extraction of
conclusions. For example, by studying such data, patterns can be determined.
fail and modify the planning of preventive maintenance based on it.

Eng. Vanessa Verano

2. Inventory module

The inventory module is also very important and useful for an organization with
a large number of assets. It is in this module where the organization will manage the
warehouses and MRO spare parts stocks of the assets.

The implementation of this module allows the maintenance department

associate the spare parts and materials needed according to the type of work to be undertaken. To your

The GMAO system will monitor the minimum stock of spare parts and
materials to ensure that these are available and in case of need
buy, send a notification or make the purchase automatically (function
carried out by the purchasing module). In this way, one avoids finding oneself in the
situation of having to perform maintenance on an asset and not having the
necessary material for its execution, which may cause a halt in activity in
the prolonged production is costly and unnecessary.

3. Purchasing Module

The purchasing module provides functionalities to carry out all the

administrative tasks related to the purchasing department of a company.

In this module, all the restocking management will be carried out automatically.
of materials and spare parts to ensure the minimum necessary stock, as well as the
specific acquisition of extraordinary material. This management includes from the request
from budgeting and order shipping to the receipt of invoices.

Advantages of implementing a CMMS

For a small organization with few assets, management can be carried out
maintenance through various methods, from simple equipment listings,
materials used and maintenance performed, up to spreadsheets or databases
Access type data created by oneself.

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However, for medium and large organizations, such management using this
methodology can become a tedious and laborious task, along with consuming
a high number of hours and limit data exploitation. Therefore, for
It is advisable to use an integrated system for management in such organizations.
of maintenance (CMMS).

The implementation of a CMMS provides the following benefits among others:

Reduction of maintenance management costs.

Increase labor efficiency.
Proper management of documentation.
Standardization and homogenization of maintenance tasks.
Automated inventory and purchasing management.
Reduction of corrective maintenance.
Control of the time management of field technicians.
Greater cost control.
Management data analysis capability to improve plans
maintenance.
Optimize decision-making after data analysis.
Identify the causes of the breakdowns.

In medium and large organizations, it is highly recommended to use a

integrated system for maintenance management (CMMS).

In summary, a CMMS system helps organizations optimize resources.

employees in maintenance management, as well as to carry out better management of
assets, inventory and purchases. The implementation of this type of solutions together with a
mobility tool allows organizations to move from orders of
work on paper and pencil done with an Excel spreadsheet to a system
totally digitized and automated.

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It can also be concluded that the implementation of a CMMS system in a
the organization will require a study of the needs of each company, where
it will determine which modules are required and their integration with other existing systems.

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