CMMS

Computerized Maintenance Management System

The benefits of using a CMMS, and how to evaluate, purchase, and use CMMS software

Download the ultimate guide to buying a CMMS

What is a CMMS?

A computerized maintenance management system (or CMMS software) is software that helps maintenance teams manage all their maintenance activities in one place. That includes being able to plan, track, measure, and optimize everything from work orders to inventory and reporting. To sum it up, a CMMS is what maintenance teams at industrial, asset-intensive companies use to organize information, make sure work gets done, and measure the impact of that work.

CMMS software provides the platform and workflow to manage your maintenance operation, including reactive maintenance, preventive maintenance, and predictive maintenance. A CMMS solution centralizes facility maintenance information, enabling you to automate any asset maintenance task.

A CMMS also eliminates paperwork and time-consuming activities, thereby freeing the staff to take on more important tasks and enabling them to be more productive and proactive.

Who uses CMMS software?

Maintenance manager

A maintenance manager is heavily involved in choosing a CMMS and CMMS implementation. Once in place, maintenance managers can use a CMMS to create, schedule, and prioritize work orders, build reports, purchase parts, and more.

Facility management and/or operations management

Facility and operations managers use a CMMS to see maintenance information, schedules, metrics, and performance across facilities to plan production, create budgets, prepare for audits, and buy inventory.

Reliability engineer

Reliability engineers use the data collected to collect and access data about the performance of assets and every activity that might have impacted that performance. They can run reports and create processes within the CMMS that reduce downtime, boost efficiency, and cut costs.

Inventory manager

Inventory managers use a CMMS to ensure the maintenance team has the right parts, in the right place, at the right time. They do this by logging and viewing information on spare parts, setting minimum quantities, and sending purchase requests through the software.

Health and safety personnel

Maintenance software helps your health and safety team collect information for audits, accident reports, risk analysis, and more. They can organize and find certifications, policies, checklists, and audit results in seconds.

Technician

Technicians are the ones using the CMMS the most. They can view work orders, receive notifications, add information to asset profiles, and do other tasks essential for the repair and inspection process.

Production personnel

Line supervisors and machine operators use CMMS software to submit work requests and add details to work orders so issues are caught early and fixed quickly. Operators can also be assigned basic maintenance in a CMMS, which frees up technicians for larger, skilled jobs.

Contractors

Contractors use maintenance software to view work orders, task lists, SOPs, and other resources while also being able to add notes and complete tasks.

Executives and senior leadership

Business leaders use a CMMS to understand the performance and impact of maintenance across the business, allowing them to make decisions about resourcing and capital expenditures.

The IT department

Having access to a CMMS allows the IT team to monitor integrations, software updates, and data storage and security tasks undertaken by the software provider.

Why should I use a CMMS?

Computerized maintenance management software enables your maintenance team to function at its best. Maintenance strategies have evolved dramatically over the years, with a shift in understanding of how a preventive maintenance process can extend the life of assets, increase productivity, improve overall efficiency, and reduce maintenance costs in ways reactive maintenance can't.

But the tools to manage them haven't always kept up. Until recently, most maintenance teams relied on Excel spreadsheets, pen and paper, and legacy maintenance software to document a work request, conduct inventory management, and keep track of overall facility management. Unfortunately, these approaches don't cut it anymore as competition in the market increases and teams face the demands for higher production quotas.

There's more pressure on maintenance teams than ever before to maximize production while reducing costs, not to mention maintaining good employee morale.This is where CMMS software can help you. CMMS software helps you schedule, organize, track, and optimize your maintenance tasks in one place with just a few clicks.

This is just a high-level view of what modern, cloud-based CMMS software can help your maintenance do. Keep scrolling to find out a little more about the problems a CMMS can help you solve and the value it can get from a CMMS.

What features does a CMMS have?

When looking to buy a CMMS, there will be standard features that any high quality computerized maintenance management system will have, including work order management, scheduled maintenance planning, asset management, inventory management, maintenance reporting, and a mobile app. By using those CMMS features, you’ll be able to solve 90% of your maintenance problems. Think of the challenges your maintenance team faces every day. Breakdowns, backlog, missing parts, cost overruns—the list goes on. With CMMS maintenance software, you have an incredibly powerful tool that helps eliminate these headaches.

Work order management

A CMMS helps you create, complete, and track digital work orders by allowing you to:

  • Submit, review, filter, assign, and analyze work orders
  • Schedule and trigger maintenance
  • Get alerts when work orders are created
  • Add checklists, manuals, and notes to work orders

How does this help you?

A digital work order builder helps you eliminate three huge obstacles for your maintenance team, including:

Downtime: The quicker a work order is created, assigned, and completed, the less time an asset is down. Machines can get running in less time and stay healthy longer.

Inefficiency: Staff can document, submit, and see requests instantly. Technicians can access the resources to get the job done fast, correctly, and safely without wasting time looking around.

Lack of information: Task details are available with a few clicks. This leads to standard results, easier troubleshooting, and smarter decision-making so you can maximize asset health.

Learn more about using a CMMS to manage work orders

Scheduled maintenance planner

A CMMS tool removes the challenges of scheduling a preventive maintenance task thanks to features like:

  • Triggers for scheduled tasks based on time, use, condition, or events
  • Calendars where you can see everyone’s schedule and assign tasks
  • Maintenance forecaster that allows you to match upcoming tasks with inventory purchases and work schedules
  • Inspection checklists, including pass or fail guidelines
  • Scheduled maintenance metrics such as planned maintenance compliance

How does this help you?

The scheduled maintenance planner shields your organization from three big issues:

Relying on reactive maintenance: The biggest advantage of this feature is it can help you establish a preventive maintenance program and reduce the number of fires your team puts out every day, improving everything from safety to production.

Doing too much preventive maintenance: Yes, there is such a thing as too much preventive maintenance. The scheduled maintenance planner helps you find the best frequency for tasks so equipment and staff are never overworked.

Overspending: The planner tool gives you a view into every part needed for scheduled maintenance so you never order too many parts, schedule too many people, overpay on rush shipping, or lose sight of how your department is performing. Every dollar is optimized.

Download this free maintenance schedule template

Asset profiles and management

A CMMS offers a better way to organize, track, and optimize assets through digital asset profiles. It helps you:

  • Create asset hierarchies
  • Build detailed and accessible asset profiles
  • Track asset usage and asset performance
  • Generate custom reports on asset costs, health, and more

How does this help you?

Digital asset profiles give your team all the information they need to overcome some common obstacles, including:

Demanding audits: Audits usually require very specific information about assets and their maintenance history. Digital asset profiles give you the ability to search for assets, find that information, and prepare for audits.

Building accurate budgets: Digital asset profiles contain all the details to calculate how much maintenance costs for each piece of equipment and make informed choices about capital expenditure forecasting, repair or replace decisions, and more.

Inefficient PMs: Technicians are able to avoid having to collect all the information about a task before they start, making it easier for them to complete scheduled maintenance quickly and safely.

Learn more about asset management features in a CMMS

Inventory management

A CMMS makes it easier to purchase, organize, and use inventory by giving you the ability to:

  • Set minimum quantities and automate purchasing
  • Log vendor and purchase details
  • See BOMs for assets and the location of parts
  • Track costs, cycle counts, FIFO, and more
  • Sync inventory records with an ERP

How does this help you?

Solid inventory management can clear up some huge headaches for your maintenance team, such as:

Disconnected maintenance: The maintenance team isn’t the only one relying on accurate inventory numbers. A CMMS makes it possible to sync this data with financial software, like an ERP, so maintenance costs are always reflected in company financials.

High costs: Spare parts can be expensive, especially if inefficiencies hamper the purchasing process. This tool eliminates these inefficiencies and cuts costs by forecasting inventory needs and establishing just-in-time delivery.

Hard to find or missing inventory: Inaccessible inventory is a big cause of downtime, which is why the inventory management feature is so important. It gives you the precise location of each part so you can always find what you’re looking for.

Learn more about inventory management features in a CMMS

Maintenance reporting

A CMMS lets you collect, analyze, and act on maintenance data by helping you:

  • Build dashboards to view real-time KPIs across sites
  • Create maintenance and audit logs
  • Generate reports about your maintenance operations

How does this help you?

With one-click reporting, you get the data you need to make insightful decisions that will help you:

Find the ROI of maintenance: Maintenance provides value, but it’s hard to prove without numbers to back it up. Easier reporting helps you connect better maintenance to higher production and lower costs, so your team can get the kudos it deserves.

Save time: Creating reports by hand or Excel can be tedious and time-consuming. Pre-built, automated reports eliminate this issue and save everyone time, from executives to technicians.

Identify problems and solutions: Answers to big problems can be hidden among a mountain of numbers. A CMMS makes it simpler to sort through these numbers, pinpoint where an issue originated, and develop a strategy for fixing it.

Learn more about maintenance reporting in a CMMS

Mobile app

Like just about anything these days, there’s an app for maintenance management. A mobile CMMS app offers a lot of useful tools, including:

  • QR codes and barcodes to instantly bring up information on an asset
  • Push notifications so you’re notified of new work orders when you’re assigned a task
  • Asset profiles and work orders where you can access all details from the app
  • Offline access when you don’t have an internet connection
  • Take photos on your mobile device and attach them to a work order
  • Add notes to a work order while you work through Voice-to-text

How does this help you?

A mobile CMMS app allows you to do maintenance wherever and whenever you need to, which puts an end to nagging problems such as:

Missing, incomplete, and inaccurate information: Every minute between a meter reading or observation and the time it’s documented increases the chance for error. Mobile maintenance reduces this risk by making data input easy and instant.

Slow emergency response time: Every minute counts when a critical piece of equipment is broken. A mobile CMMS app significantly shortens the window from failure to response, reducing downtime and upping production.

Tough working conditions: Maintenance is rarely convenient—assets are often far apart or hard to access. A mobile app allows you to access information and document work without going back and forth from an office or worrying about ruining paper documents.

Learn more about a CMMS mobile app

What are the benefits of a CMMS?

A CMMS offers six specific benefits that empower your operation, including cost control, downtime reduction, efficiency increase, centralized information, increased health and safety, and reporting and analytics. Here are a few examples of how a cloud-based CMMS can benefit your maintenance team.

Control costs

Stop overspending on inventory, cut waste, increase uptime, and track spending more accurately. According to a recent IDC report, CMMS users see a 10% reduction in production-related costs.

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Curious about how to reduce maintenance costs?

Here are eight ways to save on budget while boosting revenue with CMMS software.

Reduce downtime

See asset history and ensure performance of critical equipment, erase backlog, schedule PMs with ease, and simplify repairs to eliminate downtime at its root. Maintenance teams report a 27% reduction in asset-related unplanned downtime incidents on average when using Fiix’s CMMS.

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Learn about seven ways maintenance and operations teams are able to reduce downtime by using CMMS software.

Increase efficiency

Automate work, standardize PMs, and improve access to resources so you can work faster, safer, and increase production capacity effectively. In fact, customers of Fiix report a 44% increase in productive facilities and maintenance teams.

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For more ideas on how to increase production efficiency, learn how the maintenance team can help when production capacity increases.

Centralize information

Accurately record and track all maintenance work in a central location. You can then access metrics, reports, real-time work order updates, and asset histories from anywhere, any time.

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Learn how to improve asset reliability with a digital knowledge hub.

Improve health and safety

An overreliance on reactive maintenance is a major cause of accidents in many production environments. With a CMMS, you can outline safety requirements for every job, simplify audits, and make safety procedures more accessible.

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Learn more about how to use CMMS software to improve the health and safety of your maintenance team.

Reporting and analysis

See one-click reports and dashboard with real-time KPIs, create benchmarks, and make data-driven decisions without sifting through a mile of numbers.

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Want to see more ways a CMMS can help your maintenance team? Read our blog discussing the 20 benefits of a CMMS

Will a CMMS work for my business?

Now that you’re familiar with the benefits of a CMMS, the next step is to decide if a CMMS is the right solution for your business. Maintenance management systems used to only be found in manufacturing plants, but its use has expanded into a variety of sectors, including oil, gas, mining, and energy, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical, and agriculture, just to name a few.

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Read about how maintenance teams from your industry have used a CMMS to solve big problems and hit their targets

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to evaluate if your maintenance team could benefit from a CMMS.

Do you use a lot of equipment?

A CMMS helps you handle all the maintenance for your high-value, physical assets, as well as all the data that comes from your equipment. A lot of equipment also means a big storeroom. A CMMS can help you keep that organized and efficient too.

Do you produce a lot of things?

A CMMS is perfect for coordinating maintenance with production, even if those schedules shift all the time. You can put an end to the battles between maintenance and production and work together to fight the real enemies: Downtime, poor quality, and safety risks.

Do you want to be reliable?

If your organization has a dream of operational excellence (and the KPI targets to back it up), a CMMS will help. Use it to move beyond reactive maintenance, stick to your processes, and turn dirty data into trustworthy information so your entire operation runs like a well-oiled machine.

What is the best CMMS software?

The best CMMS software for you will depend on the needs of your team and operations. There are three specific aspects to look for when choosing a CMMS, including if it’s easy to learn and use, if it can integrate with your existing systems, and if you’re able to get quick access to customer support. When choosing a CMMS software, it's critical to do your due diligence and make sure you evaluate a variety of vendors, pricing options, and whether a cloud-based CMMS vs on-premise CMMS makes the most sense for your situation. Below are the three most important aspects to consider when choosing the best CMMS software for your team.

Super simple to learn and use

The best CMMS lets you log work in seconds, not hours. It’s super easy for you and your technicians to use day-to-day and gives you quick access to all the information you need to report to your boss.

Read customer reviews of how easy Fiix’s CMMS is to use

Mobile, integrated, and smart

Your CMMS has to have a mobile app that’s available offline so your team in the field can record work in real-time. It also needs to be able to connect to the other systems your company uses (like an ERP or MES). Finally, it should be AI-driven, so you can quickly analyze CMMS data to find areas for improvement and start to develop a predictive maintenance program.

See how you can take your maintenance mobile

Stellar customer support

Any good CMMS also comes with a team that’ll help you implement the system, build a long-term success plan, track results, scale operations, and overcome growing pains.

Learn about our implementation and training programs

A short guide to buying a CMMS book

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A short guide to buying a CMMS

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How much does CMMS software cost?

The cost of a CMMS comes down to how you need it to function depending on your business needs. There are six factors that influence the cost of a CMMS, including software and hardware costs, implementation, training and support costs, integration costs, and scaling costs. Most CMMS platforms save you money in the long run, but choosing the right one will also help you maximize ROI right away. This section helps you get to the true cost of cloud-based computerized maintenance management software so you can find the best solution.

Cost of a CMMS

Software costs

Cloud-based CMMS software often runs on a subscription model. Subscription fees are typically paid per user, and most software vendors offer different subscription tiers, with the price of the subscription increasing with the number of features, level of service, and ability to customize.

Implementation

One potential cost of implementation is paying for the services of a CMMS vendor to configure the system, migrate data, create PMs, and more. Most providers charge hourly or charge for an implementation package that includes these services.

Training, support, and administration

When determining the cost of training and support for your CMMS, you have to look at how comfortable your team is using the software, how quickly you want to get up to full speed, and how many users will have access to the system.

Hardware costs

Purchasing mobile devices is one of the few hardware costs associated with cloud-based CMMS software. Most cloud-based CMMS systems have a mobile CMMS app, which makes it easy for users to access the software on their own phones or consumer-grade tablets.

Integration fees

It’s essential for your CMMS to integrate with your company’s other software like an ERP. The first step in determining the price of integration is to figure out which systems to connect your CMMS to. Integrating with production systems may require an extra expense for additional hardware.

Scaling your CMMS

Scaling your software to fit a growing company can lead to extra costs. One area of consideration is an increase in users. If you anticipate the maintenance team doubling in the next five years, your CMMS subscription fees will most likely double.

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To learn more about the total cost of ownership of CMMS software, read this short guide

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Why maintenance teams use Fiix’s CMMS

Using a CMMS gives you many advantages in optimizing your maintenance program, including improved productivity, cost reduction, less time spent on repairs, more efficient inspections, and decreased downtime. In a recent IDC report, we conducted interviews with key facility and maintenance managers at manufacturing, agricultural, and insurance organizations to get their take on why they use Fiix for their maintenance programs. Below are just a few of the reasons why they're fans of Fiix's cloud-based CMMS system. You can read the full report here.

Improved productivity

On average, maintenance teams achieve a 44% efficiency improvement.

Cost reduction

Maintenance teams achieve a 10% reduction in production-related costs, and a 10% reduction in operating expenses.

Less time spent on repairs

Maintenance teams experience a 20% reduction in the average time to repair assets.

Better inspections

Maintenance teams report having an increase of 73% efficiency when conducting equipment inspections.

Decreased downtime

Fiix customers report achieving a 27% reduction in asset-related unplanned downtime incidents.

Other benefits Fiix customers rave about include:

  • Better visibility across the entire operation
  • Easy to learn and use
  • Can handle the growth of operations
  • Enables maintenance teams to standardize operations
  • Helps streamline processes
  • Enables greater access to real-time data and reports
  • Helps with better decision making around maintaining assets
  • Makes conducting audits and inspections more efficient
  • Improves visibility across teams for better accountability
  • Improves energy efficiency across the business

“Fiix is the best value product, hands down. After reviewing over 20 different products, this is the best value product you can find. We are happy customers.”

Adan M., Asset Manager, Non-Profit Management

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Learn more about each CMMS feature and the problems they help you eliminate

Top questions about CMMS software

CMMS vs EAM: What's the difference?

CMMS software and EAM software (or enterprise asset management software) often get lumped together. This can make it difficult to know if you need one, both, or neither.

Both a CMMS and EAM help companies with asset lifecycle management. The difference is in the part an asset’s life each software manages. Let’s take a variable speed conveyor as an example. There are often six or seven steps in that conveyor’s life, from purchase and design, to maintenance care and operation, and eventually disposal.

EAM software provides the tools to manage most of those steps in the conveyor’s lifecycle. It’s primary use is for asset tracking. It collects data on everything to do with asset performance, from the cost of asset maintenance to metrics like overall equipment effectiveness. This data informs where to allocate resources and when to replace the original conveyor with a new one.

A CMMS, on the other hand, is used almost exclusively for the maintenance management portion of the conveyor’s life. It helps companies plan inspections on the asset, prioritize every maintenance request, track failures, keep audit logs, and purchase parts for the conveyor. It’s main job is to make sure every maintenance activity is being done on time and as effectively as possible so the conveyor can run as efficiently and for as long as possible.

Neither software is better than the other, but one of them might be a better fit for your organization and team. To choose the best equipment maintenance software, think of your goals and the requirements needed to reach those goals. If you are a maintenance manager focused on scheduling preventive maintenance, tracking contractors, and monitoring asset data, a CMMS has all the tools you need without the added complexities (and higher costs) of an EAM. If you need more comprehensive tools for managing equipment design, installation, usage, or disposal, EAM software is probably the better option.

What is the difference between ERP and CMMS?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, while CMMS stands for Computerized Maintenance Management System. Both of these terms refer to systems that help you manage your operations and business processes.

The main difference between ERP and CMMS is that CMMS focuses on managing maintenance operations. This includes things like preventive maintenance scheduling, work order management, inventory management, asset tracking, and reporting.

While an ERP is a comprehensive system that integrates core processes into various business functions such as finance, accounting, human resources, procurement, etc. It provides a unified view of the entire organization.

What if I don’t have enough money in my budget for a CMMS?

If you’re in this position, you have two options: Convince your boss to increase your budget, or try a free CMMS. A free CMMS has its limitations, but if you’re a small operation or want to prove the value of a CMMS before making an investment, it’ll help you boost your maintenance program while minimizing risk and costs.

How do I choose a CMMS software?

There are a ton of different factors that impact the CMMS you choose, from your goals to the cost of the software, the features it has, and vendor support. We put together a handy guide to evaluating all your CMMS options to make the process a lot less overwhelming.

Can I connect my CMMS to EAMs, ERPs, SCADA, and other systems?

Yes, CMMS software can integrate with any system you can name, as long as you have the right partner. Depending on the CMMS you choose, the list of possible integrations ranges from a handful of selected vendors to pretty much any system you want. Fiix is firmly in the second group. If you want to learn more about CMMS integrations, check out our starter’s guide to CMMS integrations.

What does the 'cloud' in cloud-based CMMS mean?

If a CMMS is cloud-based it means everything about it is done on the internet. From the way it’s accessed, to the way you store data. It also means eliminating the headaches of traditional, on-premise software, like being tethered to a workstation, installing expensive hardware, or losing your data if a computer crashes. This article is a great primer on cloud-based CMMS software if you want to learn more. For further detail, read A Skeptic’s Guide to Cloud CMMS Software

What happens to my data when it goes into a CMMS?

Data that’s put into a cloud-based CMMS is stored on servers set up by the CMMS provider. These servers are usually set up with super-secure companies, like Amazon, to keep data from falling into the wrong hands or getting lost. CMMS providers also back up your data and do security installs and updates. As far as who sees your data, most CMMS providers follow strict privacy guidelines, meaning your data is never sold or given away.

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