How to Define What Asset Maintenance and Management Regime to Employ.

Effective Decision-Making Process for Asset Management to Determine which Maintenance Plan to Adopt

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In our previous blog, we covered the topic of ageing assets and their impact on facility management. Having determined an asset doesn’t necessarily need to be old to be “ageing”, all organisations need to look at a process to manage their assets regardless of the physical age of the equipment or facility.

Deciding how to maintain fixed assets or facilities

Regardless of the age or complexity of the facility, or the equipment, we need to make decisions as to how we are going to maintain (or not maintain) our assets.

The decisions made need to be what is best for our organisation and our processes. There is no “right or wrong” decision, however, there does need to be some sound reasoning behind the decisions we make. “Just because…” or “that’s the way they do it” is not sound reasoning.

As all assets age and deteriorate, wear or become obsolete, our decision-making process needs to look at a number of issues.

Determining an asset maintenance plan

A key issue we need to consider when determining the maintenance plan and how we are going to manage an asset, is what is the consequence of failure. Here are two examples:

1. High-risk asset management

If the asset we are considering is the drain valve at the base of a 100,000-litre tank containing sulphuric acid, the consequence of failure is extremely high. Not only would the business risk the financial loss of the value of 100,000 litres of acid, but it would also pose a high risk to the safety of staff, and neighbouring businesses as well as the potential environmental impact.

In the case of a high-risk asset, decision-making with regard to managing the asset will need to look at planning:

  1. rigorous testing
  2. inspections and
  3. monitoring so repair or replacement prior to any sign of wear and long before failure.

2. The low-risk asset management, and Run to Failure (RTF) method

On the other hand, if we are looking at the lighting in the admin office, what maintenance and asset management regime should be employed?

Again, our decision needs to consider what is the consequence of failure.

Should one of the fluorescent tubes fail, what would happen? As there are many light fittings in the office, the loss of one tube would have little to no effect on the operation of the business, there would be little safety impact and production would not be affected in any way.

When the fluorescent tube does fail, it is an easy job for the electrician to replace the tube and if there are no spare tubes on hand in the spare parts stockroom or service van, they are easily and quickly sourced from their supplier. Therefore, when we are making decisions regarding how we handle the ageing light fittings, we may decide that “Run to Failure” (RTF) is the appropriate method of managing the asset.

RTF means the assets maintenance strategy is that the assets are used until they break down, and require repair or replacement.

As shown by the example of the drain valve and the light fitting, there is no one solution that will suit all assets. RTF may in fact be the chosen management method but the decision process used to make this choice must be sound.

Adopt a rigorous & robust decision-making process

Regardless of what the asset is, there needs to be a rigorous and robust decision-making process in place to effectively and efficiently manage all assets as they age.

Contact MCGlobal Solutions for a review

MCGlobal Solutions are highly experienced to demonstrate how you can improve your asset and maintenance management decision-making process. Contact us to arrange a free consultation with our team to discuss a review your asset management and maintenance plan best practices.

 

 

MC Global Solutions Asset Management and Maintenance Software Solutions

Best Practices to Establishing System Naming Conventions

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“A little forethought at the start can save a lot of time in the future.”

It is advised as a best practice to build a strong naming convention and protocols during the initial setup of the Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS). This will make it easier for workers to get used to using the Maintenance Connection modules. By employing a consistent and logical format, the explorer lists will naturally group listings to simplify the look-up and search process.

There are five modules where this is particularly relevant

  1. Assets
  2. Inventory
  3. Classifications
  4. Procedures
  5. Preventative Maintenance

1. Assets

As assets are often added, modified or moved within the asset tree, the ID and name need to contain sufficient information to make them identifiable without requiring them to be altered if modified or moved. The ID can often incorporate the classification or unique numbering associated with that asset. The name should start with a general description followed by increasing levels of refinement.

Asset ID and name example

Asset ID: GENDSL200-026

Asset Name:  Generator, Diesel Standby 200KVA Siemens

Always make allowances in the ID for future additions and larger sizes. In the given example, -026 was used in preference to -26 as there is the possibility that there may be more than 99 Generators in the future.

2. Inventory

Inventory/stock items can number into the thousands for many companies.

The ID and naming of these need to be standardised to allow

  • efficient searching for a part,
  • removal of duplication from non-standard descriptions,
  • sufficient descriptors to avoid ambiguity, and
  • new items to be added that match the existing naming convention.

Often the inventory ID is not related to the description of the item, but rather a simple indexed number matching a barcode. A defined number of numerals/letters is valuable in keeping inventory in order.

Inventory ID example

Inventory ID: FIX1003456

Inventory Name:  Bolt, M16 x 100 SST

Inventory ID: MTR040403F

Inventory Name:  Motor, 4KW 4Pole 3PH 415V Foot Mount

The name, however, should follow a noun-adjective protocol. It can also include manufacturer or model details in situations where this is relevant to the correct selection.

3. Classifications

In several major industries, some standards can help in creating a set of classifications. Reporting and analysis can be enhanced by having major classification groups, these can then be broken down further into more specific descriptions.

In the International Standard for the Petroleum, Petrochemical and Gas industry ISO 14224, they used a four-letter abbreviation to group and sort classifications

Classification naming convention example

COAX = Compressor (CO) – Axial (AX)

VESE = Vessel (VE) – Separator (SE)

A similar convention can be used by incorporating the same or more letters or numbers for other industries which do not have existing standards.

4. Procedures

Avoid creating duplicate procedures and easily identify all applicable procedures when updates are required by using the classifications in the procedure and preventative maintenance ID.

As the procedure can either relate to a time or meter-based interval, or an unscheduled type of repair, the ID and name need to be flexible enough to allow for all variables.

Procedure naming convention example

VESE-M48-M-30  = Vessel, Separator 48-Monthly Mechanical Internal & External Inspection

VESE-X01-M-01 = Vessel, Separator Recoating of Corrosion Protection

5. Preventative Maintenance

The classification can be incorporated into the preventative maintenance ID and the name. A similar protocol can be used, with the main variation being the inclusion of the asset within preventative maintenance.

Preventative maintenance ID example

PM-VESE-M-COMPSTN-01 = Vessel, Separator Mechanical Service Compression Station 01

Contact us for a free demonstration

For more information and advice about Maintenance Connection CMMS, please contact our friendly and highly-experienced team at MCGlobal Solutions. We can arrange a free demonstration of our asset management software based on your specific issues.

 

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Maintenance Managers KPI

How Maintenance Managers Can Successfully Achieve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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There are two problems maintenance managers can face;

  1. Not enough information to keep the business powering along at optimum performance. Without adequate reporting, you are basically flying blind.
  2. The second issue also has its own set of dilemmas – too much information.

There is an almost infinite number of maintenance reports you could get, however, unless the key performance indicators (KPIs) are relevant and meaningful, all they will do is bog you down, send you off on tangents and make your job even harder, and your working week longer than it already is.

Why are KPIs in maintenance management important to help streamline your operation?

Key performance indicators are used to measure the effectiveness of the maintenance management solution, that directly impacts asset/equipment performance and total maintenance costs.

Setting KPI targets and monitoring the performance will;

  • increases asset life
  • improves labour productivity
  • reduces costly downtime
  • minimises inventory investments, and
  • lowers the total cost of maintenance.

As you can see from this depiction of a KPI dashboard, a simple green, yellow and red system lets you see at a glance which areas are critical and need your urgent attention, and which are currently under control.

It’s important to know this. For example, some Service Level Agreements (SLAs) can incur penalties, so you need a clear picture of what’s going on.

With the right KPIs at your disposal, maintenance managers are able to see through the haze – and the maze – and make confident decisions, rather than educated guesses.

Examples of maintenance management KPIs

As you would expect, the KPIs you need could be totally different to those required by maintenance managers or facilities managers in other industries.

They could span across such aspects as;

  • the number of critical outstanding jobs
  • how many scheduled jobs are overdue
  • labour utilisation and availability
  • costs/budget analysis
  • response times, and more.

It’s simply a matter of working out what you and your team need. For example, your storeman may need KPIs about stock and lead times, while a manager will concentrate on the broad ‘big picture’ KPIs.

Setting KPI alerts

The first thing to do is to work out what your alert levels actually are. Some issues may be critical, while others may simply be something you have to keep your eye on for now. Once you decide what will trigger an alert, such as if a target is not being met, it’s a matter of working out what actions need to happen when an alert triggers.

These actions may take the form of Notifications or Job Escalations and from them, automatically-generated reports can be sent to specific people.

If you have a powerful computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) you can access all relevant data fast and have everything you need at your fingertips, including:

  • summary data
  • charts and graphs
  • highly configurable reports,
  • and much more.

KPI dashboards ensure real-time information is instantly available, allowing the data being collected to work for you. With quick access to key metrics, you’ll have all the data you need to make correct decisions at your fingertips.

Trend KPIs to reduce reactive maintenance

To avoid tasks unexpectedly becoming critical, MCGlobal Solutions recommends trending KPIs. By trending KPIs, you’ll know if your maintenance projects are improving or diverging from your target metric.

Client trend KPI example

One of our clients found this process particularly useful. They set up a trend to monitor the number of preventive maintenance jobs per month. Not wanting to swamp their team at the start, our client gradually started enabling them – and made an interesting discovery. As the preventative maintenance went up, the reactive maintenance went down. Not only that, but our client also achieved:

  • quantifiable cost savings
  • improved output, and
  • higher safety standards.

By utilising KPI trending, you may even see the point of diminishing returns, where stepping up preventative maintenance no longer has such a big impact on reactive maintenance.

Enterprise Asset Management Reporting

A cutting-edge Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program gives you the tools to automatically generate reports, customised lists and schedules through predefined parameters. It will also display a list of report groups with their corresponding reports. Without switching applications, you can access, copy, set up and view all reports.

MCGlobal Solutions’ powerful, fully-integrated EAM/CMMS does all this and more. It also includes features designed to give you an added level of depth to analytics, such as:

  • pre-populated standard reports, sorted in folders by category
  • a simple report setup tool that makes creating new reports or modifying existing ones fast and painless
  • automated scheduling of reports and KPIs that can be emailed regularly to others (either from your address book or from the labour, requester or contact modules)
  • SMART reports allow data to be modified and viewed from within the report itself, making batch edits or quick status updates a breeze.

The top 8 maintenance management reports

The following is a list of the most run – and recently run – reports.

  1. Risk Work Orders – Overdue
  2. Delayed Work Orders
  3. Audit Reports
  4. Work Order Assignments by Labour
  5. Work Orders Issued but not Completed
  6. Asset List by Location
  7. Asset List by Classification
  8. Labour Cost Report

For more information and advice about how to get the KPIs you really need, please contact our friendly and highly-experienced team at MCGlobal Solutions, simply click here to contact us. We can arrange a free live demonstration of our asset management software based on your specific issues.

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3 step guide to maintenance scheduling for facility managers

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As businesses grow the scheduled maintenance process becomes more complex, and it is exponentially harder to:

  1. achieve maximum productivity;
  2. contain operational and maintenance costs;
  3. have clear, concise reporting of maintenance activities.

Our guide to maintenance scheduling will demonstrate how Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software streamlines workflows and keeps facility managers in complete control.

With an ever-growing list of scheduled maintenance tasks to perform, and a growing number of reactive maintenance jobs coming in, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep all the balls in the air, and plates confidently spinning.

Even experienced facility managers sometimes struggle to prioritise problems that invariably arise, such as maintenance schedules, labour resources and use of equipment. Ask yourself:

  • Have I got the inventory to complete the job?
  • Will issues have a flow-on effect through the organisation?
  • Does this satisfy statutory compliance?

With this in mind, here are the three basic steps to scheduling a job to make your working life so much easier. Plus, it will help you get the best return on investment (ROI) from your assets.

3 step guide to maintenance scheduling for facility managers

Step 1: Step back and look at the big picture

Criticality assessment

Before you schedule a maintenance job, enterprise asset management best practice strongly recommends you conduct a thorough criticality assessment. If you do not perform a criticality assessment to identify your most critical assets, you will base your decisions on perception rather than risk. This may result in wasted time and money.

For example, if a production line stops, due to something relatively small that could have been avoided, then the downstream impacts of production, deadlines and deliverables can become significant.

The key is to look further than the actual equipment itself, and determine what is depending on this equipment.

Establish priorities

All businesses have their own terminology/criteria to rank priorities; some use a colour system (such as red, amber and green), and others a 0-10 numerical system (with a ranking of “10” deemed to be highly critical).

Basically, it comes down to this:

  • Is it critical
  • Urgent
  • Normal
  • Low

In a perfect world, everything would be low-to-normal, but unless you’re super-efficient (or very lucky) this is rarely the case.

Once you have conducted your criticality assessment, and determined priorities, it is then a matter of working out how to track all of these issues so you can handle work requests with confidence.

Rather than struggle with spreadsheets (or sticky notes), a proven asset management system will keep you up to speed with every stage of every job.

MCGlobal Solution’s CEO, Steve Martin says:

“If this type of activity isn’t systemised, then the risk to the business is very high. Information in people’s heads can so easily be lost.”

When setting priorities to make sure non-urgent, yet time-sensitive maintenance work is not pushed to the back. For example, if the air conditioning is due to be serviced within a fixed period, failure to do so will infringe on Code compliance. Therefore, this will need to be slotted into the priorities list in a timely manner.

Having automatic alerts in your asset management system is a valued resource. It means any important, time-sensitive maintenance tasks won’t be overlooked.

3 step guide to maintenance scheduling for facility managers

Step 2: Assign your procedures

After looking at the maintenance work to be done and determining its criticality, your next step is to assign your procedures list.

In this step, you assign who does what – with unambiguous information about how it needs to proceed, when it needs to be done and who to pass the ball to once each process is carried out.

When assigning procedures attach documents

  • Standing Operating Procedures (SOP)
  • Safety instructions
  • Photos (if necessary/available)
  • and anything else that may relate to the job.

This documentation is particularly important because it ensures everyone is on the same page and all procedures are covered off. For example, if there are safety factors to consider such as if and when the power needs to be turned off (and back on again) during a maintenance job.

A procedures list provides valuable intel, such as

  • determining if there are any site induction requirements;
  • ensuring the correct parts are being ordered;
  • deciding if risk assessments need to be undertaken;
  • and so forth.

Ideally, to avoid double handling, this would all be carried out on a ‘click and done’ basis, with EAM software that seamlessly integrates with your operations. With the right facility asset management system in place, you’ll know instantly when things should happen.

Avoid potential problems

  • Stakeholders must be totally clear on “what’s next”.
  • The right people must have access to information as they need it.
  • Approvals/checkpoints must take place before the next step is taken.

3 step guide to maintenance scheduling for facility managers
Step 3: Implementation

Provided you’ve followed the first two steps involved in scheduling a maintenance job, this final step should be simple to implement, especially if you have an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system to coordinate everything.

It involves checking job calendars to see what other work is happening concurrently; depending on the workload, this may dictate the assignment date and/or the labour chosen to complete the task.

With an EAM system in place, it will immediately show you which people with the right skills are available. Furthermore, it will then automatically send out notifications to:

  • The people doing the job
  • The job requester
  • Other stakeholders

Enterprise Asset Management System

Sectors from healthcare to hospitality, and from manufacturing to retail, that follow these three steps will be improving operating efficiencies.

A proven enterprise asset management system will show who is doing what work orders now, and what is scheduled in the coming months.

You’ll have a total asset register, a failsafe inventory system, access to accurate recordings, and enjoy measurable results from an EAM software system with the utmost functionality.

For more information about enterprise asset management systems, or advice on specific problems and challenges you are facing, please call MC Global on (07) 3303 0177 or click here to contact us.

 

Take the Chaos out of Maintenance Work Requests

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One of the best and worst things about being a Maintenance Manager is being so ‘popular’. Everyone wants a piece of you and, as you know, everything is urgent…at least to their way of thinking. (When was the last time someone called you and said: “No hurry on that job… take as long as you like.”)

Hassled maintenance manager.jpg

Of course, what might seem ‘red hot urgent’ to the person with the problem getting all agitated on the phone, may not be quite as urgent in the scheme of things as they might think.

Everyone has their own agenda and being the person in charge of maintenance issues, you are the meat in the sandwich.

There are three pain points associated with this.

  • A loss of time searching for unrelated information, and sifting through mountains of paperwork
  • A loss of momentum as one job comes straight over the top of another, and
  • A feeling of being totally overwhelmed.

With this in mind, MC Global Solutions would like to suggest proven ways to take the chaos out of maintenance work requests.

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Managing maintenance work requests step 1: Determine priorities.

Of the 200 or so work requests that could be on your radar, not all of them will be critical.

In fact, only those items requiring Statutory Compliance and/or impacting on health and safety – such as checking for Legionella in a commercial HVAC system – are truly Code Red critical.

If it impacts on a client experience, for example a tap dripping at night in a hotel guest’s room or air conditioning not working in a shopping centre, its criticality is slightly further down the list.

So, the first thing to do is conduct a Criticality Assessment of the asset, prioritising all work requests.

The main advantage of a criticality assessment is that it uses an:

  • Established filter with
  • Predetermined criteria.

It puts paid to you having to agonise over what level a task falls under – and go through the same process a few weeks later with a similar project.

If it ticks the box as critical, then it automatically gets priority.

This will reduce the daily influx of work orders that must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY down to a more manageable figure.

 

Managing maintenance work requests step 2: Determine available resources

Work orders

 

Once you have ascertained the criticality of work orders in descending order from “must do” to “wish list”, it is then a case of working out if you have the right resources on hand – human and otherwise – to confidently and competently do the work.

As you’d know, these resources are often inter-dependent.

For example…

Do you have the labour to complete the task, in terms of supervisory staff and trades?

If the workforce is available, do you have the parts to do the work and if they are not on hand, what’s the timing for supply so this can be re-scheduled?

And what about tools and equipment? You might have access to labour and parts but if your team is on a mining site, a piece of equipment might well be 100k away… and you may not know that until everything else has been organised.

 

Managing maintenance work requests step 3: Consider physical access.

inventory control

 

This is where you need to look at the big picture, such as:

  • Is it safe?
  • Is it in use?
  • Is there other work going on that would prevent getting access? (Eg you need to paint, but earthworks are making the site too dusty)
  • Do other jobs require those resources?
  • Can we schedule around regular maintenance?

This process is fraught with stress…UNLESS you have the right Maintenance Management System in place, one that will consider each and every facet of the job and give you a red or green light.

Our tailored CMMS will make short work of your work orders.

MC Global Solutions can custom-design computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) guaranteed to meet ALL of your specific industry challenges.

They will effectively track, analyse and manage every component of your maintenance management operation, every step of the way.

Amongst other things, they can:

  • Give you an instant update of your real-time inventory
  • Increase efficiencies across the entire asset lifecycle
  • Assist with better work scheduling
  • Improve the safety and reliability of your assets,
  • And much more.

For more expert information and professional advice about how to streamline work requests and make your job much easier, call +617 3303 0177 and speak to our friendly helpful team members, or simply click here to contact us.

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Using KPI’s to manage Maintenance Optimisation

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KPIs can be used within Maintenance Connection to optimise service frequencies and reduce maintenance costs. An example of this is in setting the schedules for servicing equipment which must conform to Statutory Compliance by a regulatory body.

This can include such items as Pressure Safety Valves (PSV) and Pressure Vessels. These must be inspected and maintained at regular intervals to ensure they are fit for service and do not pose a threat to people and property.Regulations for these can vary from State to State. Companies should seek advice from their local jurisdiction as the suggested options within this article may not apply to their situation.

When the initial implementation of MC is carried out, the set-up of the Modules can assist in establishing effective Reports and KPIs which will, in turn, facilitate the optimisation of the PM schedule. Logical Classifications, Failure codes and Specifications will aid in identifying recurrent problems associated with particular types of equipment or areas of operation. It will also highlight where possible over-servicing is occurring.

Let’s look at the case of PSVs. In a non-aggressive operating environment, companies will usually establish a servicing regime of approximately every two years. This will alternate between a visual inspection, looking for signs of leakage, corrosion, damage or interference and an overhaul which will require the removal, testing of the relief mechanism and replacing of corroded parts. The overhaul may be substituted with a valve exchange programme, where the existing valve is replaced with a similar pre-tested valve and the original is retained for future workshop overhaul. In most cases, the batch servicing of these valves is coordinated to lessen the down time of critical equipment and reduce labour and travel time. This schedule complies with most manufacturers’ recommendations and industry regulations. There is a considerable safety margin built into this time period and it does not take into account the variation in operating conditions.

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Synopsis

PSVs can be found on equipment in locations ranging from covered, well-maintained and clean plant rooms to exposed, oil and gas platforms on the North-West shelf of Australia. The conditions which these valves operate under are vastly different and as such, should not be subject to the same stringent testing regimes. A plan to create a relevant preventative maintenance schedule can be established used the tools within MC. It will assist in ascertaining which is the most economical routine that should be applied while maintaining safety and complying with the Regulatory Authority requirements.

Most recommended service periods take into account the “worst-case” scenario. This results in over-servicing of equipment and unnecessary operating cost. Using the data gathered in MC, a more target-based approach can be taken to reduce maintenance costs and production equipment downtime. This can be done using the following method.

Set-Up

  • When adding new equipment into MC, identify and classify the valves into functional types. These can be used to when creating the PM schedules.
  • Establish PM schedules which groups valve inspections in logical service areas. Make sure this takes into account PSVs which should be serviced together if a major piece of machinery needs to be shut down.
  • Begin with the Manufacturer’s recommended service interval unless you have a PROVEN variation to their recommendation.
  • PSV inspections are often associated with pressure vessel inspections, so thought should be given to synchronise these to reduce plant shutdown.
  • Create Failure codes which can identify PSV faults. This will be used when conducting reviews of reliability and recurring problems.
  • Create KPIs and Reports which will identify failures and corrective work orders associated with the PSV classifications which have been created.

Analysis

  • Use the PSV failure report to identify any valve types or locations which have required repair before the scheduled PM period has been reached.
  • Identify if these failures are due to environment conditions or simply due to an extraordinary event.
  • Take a sample of the PM work orders to determine the condition of thePSVs when they have been serviced:
    1. Was the valve mechanism in good condition
    2. Was there any corrosion which needed to be treated
    3. Was there any sign of leakage or bypass
  • Use the data gathered to determine if there is the need to reduce the service period (repeated failures of a type of PSV) or the scope to extend it (PM Work Order reports indicating minimal deterioration).

Optimisation

  • If failures are occurring, the PM for this type of valve in a particular location may need to be altered to ensure they are serviced to reduce failures to an acceptable level. If the PM time-frame is to be altered, an assessment should be carried out to determine its impact on other equipment:
    1. Will this create additional plant shut downs
    2. Can extra visual inspection in certain areas be sufficient to identify potential failures
    3. Can an alternative valve or manifold arrangement be used to improve reliability
    4. Is there a method to reduce the impact of the working environment – covers, coatings, repositioning
    5. Is the frequency of failures acceptable in the given situation. Does the cost of replacement and any production loss outweigh the cost of additional maintenance
  • If there are minimal signs of deterioration during the programmed maintenance, the time-frame can possibility be extended. Before this is adjusted, all consequences and benefits should be assessed:
    1. Does this schedule comply with the relevant Statutory body’s regulations. These departments will often approve a variation of the service period if recorded data and analysis can demonstrate the justification for it.
    2. Will this variation increase the danger to staff, public or equipment
    3. Will the possible increased risk of failure impact on the production capacity and profitability of the operation
    4. Does this impact on the preventative maintenance schedule of any associated equipment and create the need for additional shutdowns
    5. Are there any exceptions, based on location or age of equipment which need to be considered before extending the time period

Review

Through the use of Reports, KPIs and trend graphs, periodic reviews can be undertaken to determine the results of changes made to the servicing schedules. This can be through simply software generated alerts or notifications of events which exceed set safety parameters or through periodic detailed analysis of Failure and Work Order records. Changes to operating conditions, age of equipment and service procedures will all impact on the Preventative Maintenance schedule and as such, requires an ongoing analysis and review process.

Conclusion

By carrying out the process of Set-up, Analysis, Optimisation and Review, the ultimate aim is to improve operational efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. Maintenance Connection can provide the tools and expertise to assist customers to achieve these goals through the Work Order, Preventative Maintenance, Report and KPIs functions of the software.

What’s the price of a CMMS?

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A high-quality CMMS/EAM system isn’t something you can just buy from your local discount outlet. It’s proven time and time again that cheap is usually nasty and what may seem like a bargain now will end up being much more expensive, limited in its functionality and time-consuming in the long-run.

Then again, this doesn’t mean that small to mid-size companies should have to pay the 7 figure plus sums which are charged by some multi-national vendors for the price of a CMMS. These systems often tend to be the most difficult to configure, modify, operate and require their “specialised staff” to make the most basic of changes.

When assessing which software package option is the best solution for your business there are five essential factors to be considered:

01 How many people will be using the system at any one time?
This determines how many concurrent user licenses are needed. This is much more economical than paying for a license for every user.

02 Will the service technicians be accessing their Work Orders using a mobile device, on a fixed installation or both?
This will give you a better sense of what kind of mobility you need with this product. Whether it be online or offline syncs to your system, it’s important you know what you need and where you see your operations in 12 months to 5 years down the track. Plan ahead and access your operations anytime, anywhere.

03 Will the software be hosted on off-site secure server facilities or is it to be self-hosted on your Company’s server?
Unless they have their own IT Department and back-up system, most Companies choose to use our secure data centre due to its multi-site, multiple servers, warm back-ups and high speed connections.

04 Would you rather purchase the software package and implementation outright (with an annual support and hosting fee) or sign up to a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) package which is a lease arrangement?
The SaaS option is becoming increasingly popular due to the lower initial cost and the smaller, regular monthly costs.

05 How much assistance is required in the data gathering, cleansing and uploading, and the configuration process?
One common problem which is encountered when setting up the CMMS package is staff availability. Very few companies have personnel who can dedicate 100% of their time to the implementation. This can result in the process becoming drawn out and staff who were eager for change, becoming frustrated and disillusioned. The best value system is one which your staff find easy to use, maintain and update. Evaluate the initial and the ongoing cost when making the decision of what is right for your business.

MC Global Solutions can provide the software and the expert Consultants to make your CMMS installation a success. Our basic SaaS package which is of an exceptional standard is easy to configure and operate for small to medium sized businesses and organisations. The MC Global staff provide a professional implementation and support service at a sensible price and help train your staff to carry out the majority of system changes.

Starting at just $110/month you can view our CMMS SaaS pricing packages at: http://mcgsol.com/maintenance-connection-cmms

What is EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)?

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It’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s an EAM!

It seems to be a grey area for the maintenance management sector, what is the software we’re using to manage asset and maintenance operations? What are we working with and what are the differences between its specific components. Is it an EAM, a CMMS, a GIS, a ….. and the list goes on.

We’ve stripped it back to the basics to define some key industry terms that will help you in your quest to find the right asset and maintenance management software solutions for your business or organisation.

What is Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)?

EAM refers to the complete lifecycle management of the physical assets of an organisation or business to maximize value. It includes; design, construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance and decommissioning/replacement of plant, equipment, facilities, utilities and transport.

What is a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS)?

A CMMS allows maintenance managers to streamline their asset and maintenance management operations. This cloud based software solution is a user-focused and simple to use set of integrated tools built specifically for maintenance management.

  • Better manage your assets
  • Reducing operational risk
  • Reducing costly down-time
  • Decreasing inventory and maintenance costs
  • Improving labour productivity
  • Automating workflow
  • Collecting real-time data
  • Gaining immediate visibility into operational metrics

What is a Geographic Information System?

A geographic information system (GIS) is an organisation of computer software, hardware, project data and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate and analyse all forms of project information displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. GIS can show many different kinds of data on one map. This enables people to more easily see, analyze, and understand patterns and relationships.

What is Strategic Asset Management?

SAM software is proprietary to Assetic and has been developed to record, track and predict the future condition of the globe’s billions of dollars of infrastructure assets (roads, sewers, housing, pumps, water pipes, electricity poles, parks, transport, etc). Strategic Asset Management (SAM) is the intelligent use of discretionary monies to get significantly better outcomes with the same level of funding.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Enterprise Asset Management and how MC Global’s set of integrated tools can help you, we’d love to give you access to a free trial of our products and services.

How does SaaS work with an EAM/CMMS?

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Ever wondered what that abbreviation of the characters “SaaS” was all about? It could be cost effective solution for the way you own and operate your EAM/CMMS within your business or organisation. Check out our breakdown and top five reasons to choose SaaS:

SaaS stands for Software-as-a-service which is typically a model of software deployment when the application is provided as a service to customers across the web. Think of SaaS as “renting” the software to customers who access it remotely, most commonly over the internet. The SaaS provider hosts the applcation, which it owns, on secure servers that it owns, operates, and maintains.

See below our top five reasons to choose a SaaS option for your next EAM/CMMS:

1. No software or hardware to purchase, install or maintain. Reduce the burdens and costs associated with IT departments setting up new software who already may have many demands placed on them.

2. Immediate deployment and access. Since there is no software installation required, maintenance personnel can get started with using the system immediately. Simple, low cost implementation for multiple locations.

3. No capital outlay. Because the subscription fee can be paid on a monthly basis, without the need to purchase the software licenses outright, it is easier to budget for a SaaS solution and pass the monthly costs through an operating budget.

4. No updates or upgrades to install. Enjoy access to the latest version of the solution because updates, upgrades and enhancements are made available automatically.

5. 24/7, anywhere access to the system.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our SaaS available EAM/CMMS, Maintenance Connection, find out more about it’s features and pricing here:

Maintenance Connection Best Practice: Using Failure Codes Effectively

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In this series we will be guiding you through best practices and case studies of how MC Global clients were able to effectively use it’s CMMS system; Maintenance Connection.

Many Preventative Maintenance schedules are designed to follow the Manufacturer’s recommended timeframe. However these are often based on working conditions which are alien to the Operator. A well-constructed set of Failure codes (Problem, Reason and Solution) can help to identify where variations to the original schedule need to be made.

A report can be made in Maintenance Connection which can display the proactive and reactive Work Orders created for equipment which belong to a particular Classification, Group or Location.

If the majority of work carried out is Preventative Maintenance, then the frequency of service is likely to be sufficient or even over-serviced. However if the Corrective / Breakdown Work Orders are increasing, then the Problem codes can provide the analysis to determine if there is a deficiency in the frequency or particular aspects of the servicing.

 

Example:

A Fleet Operator had found that there has been in increase in the number of vehicle breakdowns in several regions resulting in increased operating costs. After reviewing the past year’s work orders it was found that a large percentage of these were due to clogged air inlet filters. Until this time, all work orders were only populated with a Problem code of “Breakdown”. The vehicles are serviced every 15,000 kilometres but sufficient numbers of them began running erratically 10,000 kilometres after the service. The Operator searched for all repairs associated with Air Filters and found that the same problem was not occurring on other vehicles with 10,000 kilometre servicing schedules.

The first reaction was to have all vehicle services changed to a 10,000 kilometre regime. This would have increased the scheduled service cost by 27% across the entire fleet. However, after further analysis, it was found that the original schedule only called for the filter to be replaced on every alternate service. Effectively the filters were becoming clogged after 25,000 kilometres not 10,000 kilometres. The Procedure was changed to stipulate that all air filters were to be changed at every service and the number of incidents dramatically decreased.

Following this, a new set of Problem codes were created. Amongst the 25 faults on the list were items such as suspension, steering, exhaust system, airbag, air-conditioning and lights.

A report was created which segregated the Work Orders by the Problem code and also display the Reason and Solution. By receiving reports which displayed the Work Orders from the previous month and previous 12 months the Operator was able to identify any developing or inherent faults within the fleet or certain sections of it

Interested in learning more about our CMMS best practises and whether you’re utilising your systems to their maximum potential? Get in contact with us today for your free consultation.