This week marked the 100th day of the Gulf Oil Spill catastrophe and hopefully the end of an ugly footnote in American history. Now it is time to prepare for the new school year as well as supporting my favorite baseball team winning the pennant.
This weeks articles touched on the decision making process by corporate officers and government officials with regard to finding long term solutions for asset maintenance versus shorter term budget cuts that cause more harm than good. Our most popular posts of the week, A National Maintenance Crisis?, examined the impact of short tenures for leaders and how good long term asset management decisions are ignored to promote the perception of action being taken with short term planning. We hope everyone had the opportunity to read our blogs and check out our website, but just in case you did not have the time to see our blogs and voter links as they were published, we have summarized them for you here. Please enjoy them and be sure to check back for new articles during the week. You can find a complete listing on the Mintek Blog.
1. A National Maintenance Crisis?
Author: Stuart Smith
This article talks about how elected officials are one of the main reasons our nation's infrastructure is falling apart. The post centers around why government officials make short-sighted self interest budget cuts rather than make good long term maintenance decisions. The post also draws a comparison to the average length of time a CEO and how it hinders sustainable actions.
Key Point: Courage to act in the long term interest of the people or business can be attributed to the short tenure of decision makers and a need to make immediate changes versus long term investments in EAM or CMMS solutions.
2. What Can Happen in 100 Days When Maintenance Management Fails
Author: Stuart Smith
The 5th and hopefully final installment of a series examining the Gulf Oil Spill in relation to the role that unacceptable asset and maintenance management took place. This post lists 10 noteworthy events during the first 100 days of the catastrophe. Note that maintenance management was not the only contributor to the disaster but it did play a vital role.
Key Point: There is absolutely no excuse for gambling with peoples lives to make money.
Read Relevant Articles That We Found Last Week
But wait there is more. We have found several more articles that you might find to be interesting and even put them on our website for you to vote on. The 5 best this week are:
1. Gov Contractors Must Track Emissions or Risk Losing Contracts
Authors: Posted on Environmentalleader.com
The article talks about how new rules by the General Service Administration (GSA) will require contractors for the federal government to track greenhouse gas emissions or risk losing their contracts. The report goes on to state that the ability to track greenhouse gases will probably influence who contacts are given to.
Key Point: Poor energy efficiency will lead to a larger carbon footprint. Maintenance management is becoming more important than ever before.
2. The Aging of the American Water System
Author: Sam Winchester
Sam discusses the predicament faced by many cities after years of poor asset management of their water systems. Many municipalities are now overwhelmed by an increased demand in major repairs and a need for capital replacements. Sadly the current economic crunch is preventing water system overhaul.
Key Point: It is not too late to take back control of maintenance using an EAM system.
3. Company at center of Mich. oil cited for problems
Authors: Tim Martin and David Runk
Tim and David's article was included because it provides a good example of how disasters continue to happen as a result of poor maintenance policies and procedures. This article tells about a company responsible for leaking 1 million gallons of oil in Talmadge Creek in MI. the company has been repeatedly cited for improper maintenance such as failure to monitor corrosion and not following SOPs for maintaining couplings on the pipes.
Key Point: The Gulf Oil Spill was just a bigger example of what is happening through our country as a result of poor maintenance practices.
4. Wave of retirements could cause a shortage of qualified job applicants
Author: Posted on plantservices.com
This article posted on plantservices.com is another report on how the aging of professional maintenance workers will affect the ability of facilities to perform good work. The skill of retiring workers cannot be easily replaced leaving companies with untrained teams.
Key Point: The retiring of workers presents a larger issue in that it represents a reduction in the knowledge base. However, the knowledge base can be retained if facilities properly implement a CMMS or EAM system which will create a database of knowledge usable for training.
5. Answer 10 questions to attain reliability at the lowest cost
Author: Jeff Shiver
Jeff's post list ten questions that can be asked to help make a plan for equipment reliability. The questions center around making sure plant managers understand what will happen with out a plan in terms of costs and downtime.
Key Point: Maintenance management is more than just keeping machines in working order, it also includes contingency plans.
What We Learned This Week
It is evident from this week's articles that maintenance management requires long term planning as well as adequate management systems. Without proper planning of long term objectives our nations infrastructure will continue to crumble. Proper planning can be described as including; long term capital analysis, contingency plans, how to retain the knowledge base as workers retire and the use of EAM and CMMS systems to enable better controls.
Too read more visit our Vote on Links page.
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The middle of July, a relatively slow time but a good point in the year to reflect on the maintenance performance of assets as compared to budgets and problem projections. If your budget year started in January, asset managers should have a pretty good idea how the year will turn out but if the fiscal year just started it is not too late to adjust expectations with the right EAM/CMMS tools.
Our most popular article of from last week titled the 7 Deadly Sins of Asset Management continues to draw readers at a record breaking pace. This weeks early article discussed prison asset management from a decision making perspective about when is the proper time to retire an asset versus continuing to sink money into repairs. The final post today was a parody of the Universal Studios movie Despicable Me. We hope everyone had the opportunity to read our blogs and check out our website, but just in case you did not have the time to see our blogs and voter links as they were published, we have summarized them for you here. Please enjoy them and be sure to check back for new articles during the week. You can find a complete listing on the Mintek Blog.
1. The Despicable Facilities Manager
Author: Stuart Smith
The post is the story of an asset manager wanting to make a case and purchase a new boiler for his facility and what he willing to endure to achieve his goal. Making reference to the new movie release Despicable Me, from Universal Studios he overcomes the obstacles through the use of a super EAM tool.
Key Point: If you can achieve buy-in from the minions you can achieve anything.
2. Repair, Refurbish or Replacement Maintenance Decisions for Prisons
Author: Stuart Smith
The article discusses the type of detailed information that is required to make sound decisions about repair, refurbish or replacement within a prison system. Knowing what to detail to have is important but is useless unless you have the tools necessary to collect historical information and then produce usable management reports that can view the maintenance history over the lifecycle of the asset.
Key Point: Prisons don't just need maintenance tools they the capability to use the information to manage assets effectively using an EAM.
Read Relevant Articles That We Found Last Week
But wait there is more. We have found several more articles that you might find to be interesting and even put them on our website for you to vote on. The 5 best this week are:
1. Baseline and monitor efficiency of compressed air systems
Authors: Bill Scales and Ron Marshall
The authors have put a nice piece that identifies the use of compressed air as a non-efficient source of energy in a plant that is often the biggest end user of a plant's electricity. Despite its use of energy, there are some things a plant can do to increase efficiencies such making a plan that best understands compressed air as a system and then executing a 7 step action plan detailed in the article.
Key Point: The use of compressed air and its management is often misunderstood and leads to a fair amount of waste.
2. You Don’t Pay for What You Don’t Use
Author: Larry Simpson
Larry's post reflects the growing importance that total real estate management takes in achieving an environmental sustainable facilities solution. Include in Larry's post are the importance of understanding how the different components from occupancy planning to maintenance costs play a role in defining operational success.
Key Point: Building and facility management especially over multiple locations takes careful planning and analysis.
3. Energy Efficiency Examples For Your Business
Author: Daniel Stouffer
Daniel discusses the impact of a PEW Center report on Global Climate Change for business that do not wait for EPA regulations before they action. The article discusses some of the low hanging fruit that business can reach for that can curb their carbon footprint.
Key Point: Energy efficiency is directly tied to lowering maintenance costs.
4. Who is in Charge of Maintaining a Building?
Author: Connor R Sullivan
This article discusses a little known public fact about how and where large buildings keep their equipment and supplies to conduct maintenance. Conner describes how mezzanine locations can enable out of sight storage as well as strategic placement of need maintenance support. I like the reference to ghost floors.
Key Point: Have you ever wondered where a skyscraper hides it maintenance staff, critical equipment and supplies? It may not be in the basement but located properly can increase the efficiencies of staff.
What We Learned This Week
This weeks lesson centered around making you have the best information available to make intelligent decisions. Defining the best information is going to be different for every company but it will include a good historical record of past maintenance history. However, the steps are similar, the first step is making sure you have the right tools to collect the necessary information to make your case. Making use of a tool like an EAM system will help validate your decision.
Too read more visit our Vote on Links page.
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If you want a EAM & CMMS system, but can't afford to implement one this budget year; then this contest is perfect for you. We are offering a chance to win a FREE EAM & CMMS software suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/mobile licenses and support, as well as, training and implementation.
Tired of reading CMMS articles that always seem to say the same thing but leave you wondering what good is it? Then perhaps it is time to take in a new perspective. By working backward from a determined set of asset maintenance needs you will be able to tell if a CMMS software solution is right for your business. As strange as it sounds the answer is in the questions.
15 Maintenance Management Questions
A good operations consultant can get a feel for an operation in just a few moments. The type of things they look for are not always obvious to the people (especially management) working in the company. Although each operation is different, the same principles to understanding work flow will apply. The following set of questions are intended to help you understand your operational needs.
- When was the last time your procedures for handling work requests, writing work orders and performing maintenance were updated, changed or created?
- How many manual procedures are there? Manual is defined as the filling out of paperwork or performing a function without the aid of technology that could expedite the process.
- Is there a work flow map/brownpaper/set of manuals that detail how maintenance work is processed from beginning to end? Or is the work flow a collection of band-aid procedures and solutions to problems as they arose?
- What percentage of the maintenance team time is spent fire fighting the daily problems versus performing planned or scheduled maintenance? Is the ratio anywhere near an ideal 80% planned and 20% reactive (80/20) that well run maintenance organizations achieve ?
- How often do you inspect assets or equipment to make sure all is in optimal working condition?
- What performance measurements are in place? Do you know if your team is working efficiently? How long does it take to process a work request or what is the average time to repair a broken valve etc.?
- How do you determine if an asset or piece of equipment should be replaced? Do you track the maintenance and repair costs versus the cost of replacement?
- Does your maintenance department make use of technology or automated (computerized) processes that can reduce the time from submission of work request to work order completion?
- How many maintenance strategies do you employ? Do you rely on predictive technologies, condition based principals, six sigma, preventive maintenance, when do you use each one and why?
- How much of equipment maintenance is dependent on the knowledge of one or two people? Is a key player getting ready to retire?
- How much downtime do you have? Why?
- Do you know what your energy costs are per asset? Do you understand the relationship between preventive maintenance and energy efficiency?
- How much overtime do you have? Why?
- Do you encourage feedback from maintenance staff for process improvements such as the use of mobile handheld devices to eliminate paperwork and meeting times?
- The most important question of all is do you know where all your assets and equipment are, what condition they are in, their maintenance history etc.?
Asset Maintenance Needs
Every organization will respond to the preceding questions differently. Suffice to say that if the answers include more than one, I don't know, No, Not very often, We don't need technology then your maintenance management can use an upgrade. Upgrading the tools you use will bring greater efficiencies, lower MRO costs, professionalize operations and by making changes will keep your company competitive by stabilizing or enhancing operational margins.
Is a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for you? The answer depends on how much better you want your maintenance team to become. The core functionality of a CMMS solution is that it makes the work order lifecycle (work request to work order completion) take less time, keep better records and ultimately positively impact costs. The other advantages of a CMMS program is that it will address all of the questions above by helping you understand and manage your work flow and just as importantly, it does not require an advanced degree to learn how to use.
A final note. When shopping for a CMMS software program be careful not to choose off the shelf boxed programs. Choose a CMMS solution that allows for customization to meet your needs and requirements. Vendor stability and support are two additional parameters for your selection as you will want a company with a proven track record and the depth to provide quality technical support. Lastly, functionality and design should meet the maintenance team needs to ensure a successful CMMS program adoption.
Tell us what tools you make use of to ensure an efficient well run operation. If you like this post you may also enjoy reading:
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Lodging chains have taken a hit the last couple of years as occupancy rates declined forcing management to discount prices to be competitive. Naturally, when revenues decline management's first reaction is look for ways to reduce operating expenses in order to maintain gross profit margins. It is unfortunate that sometimes the knee-jerk reaction of slashing headcount or deferring maintenance and repair can have unforeseen negative long term consequences on the financial health of Lodging Chains. This article will highlight several areas that an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system can help reverse the damage done by short-sighted management decisions on Lodging Maintenance Repair and Operations (MRO).
Lodging Cost Containment With an EAM
Good managers adjust to difficult economic environments by discovering where the opportunity for improvement lies. For Lodging professionals this means understanding where your expenses originate and discovering a path that allows you to do more with less. Three of the biggest expense opportunities are reducing utility costs (energy costs), reducing emergency repair and operational expenses and of course labor. EAM cost containment for these three areas comes from the automation of the work order process as well as using EAM features that allow for complete asset lifecycle management tools. For example:
- Reducing energy costs. Energy costs include electric, gas or any other energy source used to power equipment, heat water, heat or cool spaces and so on. When equipment is not properly maintained it requires more energy to achieve the same output. To visualize this imagine a clogged air filter obstructing the air flow in an asset. The reduced air flow causes the HVAC unit or industrial dryer to run longer to achieve the same result.
"For a full-service hotel, energy costs are usually between 4 and 6 percent of revenue, but historic and luxury properties may see energy costs hitting 10 percent or more."
Source: Managing Energy Costs in Full-Service Hotels
An EAM schedules regular inspections and preventive maintenance on designated assets to ensure optimal operating conditions. Management reports can provide corporate managers a listing of properties not complying with corporate standard operating procedures. How much is 10% of your Lodging revenues?
- Reducing emergency repairs. When maintenance is deferred on lodging assets, they are far more likely to fail requiring emergency repairs. For example, a corroding joints on piping if left unattended could rupture or a clogged storm drain can backup and flood portions of the premises. On top of raising liability issues for negligence, emergencies repairs will cost more in parts and labor further draining cash flows.
"Information is King ...Efficiency seems to be the watchword of every year, but for 2010 it is an imperative... Efficiency in the internet age is particularly crucial to the effective leveraging of available information."
Source: Bruno Perez and Jean Francois Mourier on ehotelier.com
Increasing maintenance efficiency is a snap with a Lodging EAM software solution. Through the organization/automation of work requests and work orders lodging maintenance teams have the time to become more aggressive scheduling preventive maintenance and inspections which are key avoiding unplanned MRO activities. In addition, the results of all work performed is recorded by the EAM allowing corporate managers to identify the known issues throughout the properties. The identification of company wide issues enables better repair or replace decisions as well as more accurate capital budgeting planning.
- Reducing Labor expenses. Although maintenance and repair workers command higher wages (see table below), lower revenues does not always mean that there will be lower maintenance requests. In fact as assets age, it is likely that the number of work orders will actually increase. When work orders remain constant or increase, slashing headcount is rarely the best alternative to reducing labor expenses. A better solution comes from implementing an EAM to increase lodging efficiencies at all locations.
Source: United States Department of Labor
An EAM can increase labor efficiency several ways. The first is the use of mobile handheld devices which transform paper based maintenance operations into online, automated maintenance systems. The second advantage is that by implementing a Lodging EAM, maintenance operations shifts from reactive firefighting to pro active maintenance giving local managers better scheduling flexibility and controls. In this manner more work can be done with the same amount of resources.
Lodging EAM is a Long Term Cost Solution
Increased efficiencies resulting in maintenance expense savings are only part of the corporate benefits of an EAM system brings to the table. When EAM software is used properly the entire useful lifecycle of an asset can be tracked from the planning stages through its retirement/replacement. The reason is all asset information such as location, description, cost, vendors and complete maintenance history are recorded. EAM system output reports can then provide corporate or local managers with the frequency of maintenance work orders, the associated costs, parts used, technician and many other details.
Astute management can use this information to make more accurate predictions of capital needs or provide new maintenance staff across multiple locations a knowledge base of maintenance procedures or answers. Given that the average of a maintenance professional is over 50, it makes good sense to be able to accumulate their knowledge before they retire.
The Final Analysis
Economic adversity is a time when great Lodging managers can think through the knee jerk operating actions such as cutting headcount to find a maintenance solution with both immediate and long term benefits. An EAM is one such solution because of the features and customization available that enable a tailored lodging maintenance solution.
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The development of technology has presented building maintenance professionals with new choices for addressing facilities management. But before purchasing new technologies or EAM/CMMS software, there are several factors facility managers really need to consider in order map out how they are going to address their issues. One of these issues, the question of hidden costs, came up at a recent event, aptly named the Building and Facility Maintenance Show, in Florida. The show had several interesting technologies exhibits/demonstrations. The one common theme the vendors pushed was the need for preventive maintenance for facility assets. It was sort of surprising because the vendors pushing new technologies such as vibration analysis or infrared thermal scanning understood that predictive maintenance (Pdm) was part of the greater umbrella of preventive maintenance.
Multiple Solutions
Too often I read or hear that time-based preventive maintenance is a dying methodology, usually from people trying to promote a specific maintenance management software or from people not able to see a bigger picture that preventive maintenance is not just time-based. However, every facility is unique in its own regard. The size, cost and complexity of assets vary greatly. As a result is it rare that only one maintenance solution is applicable in any or all facilities. For example, high value equipment such as boilers or chillers certainly have a need for advanced technology to detect issues before they result in catastrophic failures. On the other hand, this same equipment also requires regular scheduled inspections and preventive maintenance work to maintain optimal operating/energy efficiencies or to identify issues not being detected by sensing equipment. The early visual detection of corrosion, roof debris or excessive condensation are other examples of the need for timely inspections.
"By instituting a work order/maintenance solution, Best-In-Class enterprises have effectively been able to track, monitor and act on various work orders that plaque the modern facilities management team. Aberdeen Research has found that enterprises utilizing this system have achieved a 25% lower cost to process a single work order."
Source: The Aberdeen Group - December 2009
Most facilities usually have lower value assets somewhere such as small motors, office equipment, smaller HVAC units, plumbing/piping as well as other assets whose value is somewhere between throw away when broken or fix as needed. For this type of equipment, new technology detection systems may not be economically feasible. However, if using an EAM/CMMS the useful lifecycle of these assets can be extended by a little regularly scheduled TLC. After all, the object of any maintenance solution is to better manage the asset lifecycle.
The Cost of Change
The challenge for any vendor selling to maintenance management is to show enough value so that the decision maker can justify an out of pocket expense to either begin a new program or replace an existing maintenance management policy. Therefore is critical to be able to demonstrate that the technology being purchased will save them enough money to cover the immediate out of pocket costs as well as the inherent cost of change. The cost of change includes but us not limited to:
- Loss of productivity until new methods are fully adopted. New technologies or a new CMMS software system look great on paper. The reality is system implementation takes time stretching out the time it takes to see the desired ROI. Standard operating procedures must be developed, benchmarks must be established. Management time is often unaccounted for in the calculation of expenses.
- Employee turnover, loss of knowledge base, dragons. People are naturally resistant to change. Some maintenance team members will walk away, some will be vocal opponents (dragons). It is critical to slay the dragons early to achieve the needed adoption rates because all employee turnover contains a cost to replace, recruit or retrain. In addition, staff turnover may result in an unwanted loss of maintenance know-how.
- Integration with other preventive maintenance programs. Will the new technology play nice with existing maintenance programs? It would be great if that new infrared scanner could integrate its findings directly into a web-based CMMS. If not, will facilities maintenance personnel be required to perform rounds with multiple handheld devices or will results be delayed until the information is brought back to the office to be manually uploaded?
Applying New Technologies
It is important to note that some of the new technology can have widespread applications. The seminar put on by FLIR Systems, Inc. demonstrated how infrared cameras can be used for everything from detecting gas/steam leaks at a plant to detecting heat signatures of mold growing in an apartment complex. Their video below was made for building and home inspection but should catch the attention of property managers as well as manufacturing plants.
When applying new technologies to building maintenance management it is important to remember the end game of increasing efficiencies, lowering MRO expenses, maximizing uptime and extending the useful asset lifecycle. There are tools available to help you do this. An Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system is the tool of choice for many operations. An EAM/CMMS promotes the management of assets from conception through retirement by tracking work requests, scheduling work orders and reporting preventive maintenance tasks in great detail. Implementation can also accommodate new technologies. For example, scheduling infrared inspections or contract management of vibration equipment.
How does your organization integrate technology for maintenance management?
If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading
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PlantServices.com recently published a 2010 EAM/CMMS review that listed selected vendors based upon 10 key trends occurring in the industry. A recently published article by David Berger discussed how these key trends should be considered when examining the features and functions of EAM/CMMS software. Although not listed as a vendor on this years list, Mintek looks forward to being listed the future year. With that we would like to add some key points to the article's 10 key trends.
The top ten trends identified in the article 2010 CMMS/EAM Review: CMMS/EAM software tackles today's toughest challenges authored by D. Berger were:
- Industry specialization.
"In the eyes of customers, one of the most important criteria in selecting a CMMS/EAM vendor and its products or services is the perception of how well vendors can demonstrate that they fully understand your business "
Source: Berger
This section has very valid points. It is important to note that rarely will an off the shelf product have the necessary tools to address the specifics of a given industry or application. The selection of a vendor is a process that is best accomplished by determining the company needs in combination with the quality of services offered. Price should not be the driving force for vendor selection. The ability to address the pain of the organization is paramount.
- Enterprise thinking.
"The trend towards more strategic asset management across the enterprise is accompanied by a greater need for integration of various applications, from the shop floor to the executive suite."
Source: Berger
A true Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system enables facility/plant managers to manage assets from the planning stage through retirement thus increasing the useful asset lifecycle by organizing the maintenance function. Since each organization or industry is different, decision makers must realize that a Best of Breed EAM has the capabilities to increase the visibility of asset management. Using an EAM will help standardize operating procedures, stabilize inventory, and enhance the ability of maintenance staff to do more with less time significantly cutting labor costs.
- The Web.
"...many customer IT departments insist on web-enabled software only, due to a long list of advantages "
Source: Berger
Mr. Berger's description is very good. When moving to a web based system it is important to consider the impact that your EAM will have upon the IT department as well as reliability and security. Options include
- Internal solution development.
- SaaS solutions where the software is run on local servers. data storage is this case is normally the responsibility of the facility company. More control by the IT department but also has higher costs associated with additional IT capacity, staffing and support.
- Hosted solutions, the same software, but hosted by vendor or in combination with an established third party data center. IT costs are incremental, all data is available 24/7/365.
- Operational excellence and best practices.
"With today’s intense global competition and the recent economic downturn, it’s not surprising that companies are fixated on best practices, measurement and the pursuit of operational excellence."
Source: Berger
An excellent reference for operational best practices has been published by the Aberdeen Group.
- Sustainability.
"...on average, manufacturers spend almost four times as much on energy as they do on MRO capital equipment and services."
Source: Berger
Energy consumption and power costs are the hottest trend of all. From government incentives to pending legislation on carbon footprints no company can afford to be behind the curve. Well written section by Mr. Berger.
- Risk management.
"As assets become smarter, computers more complex and humans more dependent on technology, the risk of catastrophic failure increases."
Source: Berger
Safety and liability varies by industry. We agree that you should make sure your EAM can handle the tracking of required information necessary to be complaint with regulations and lower liability.
- Mobile technology.
"In my view, one of the most important emerging trends is the growth of mobile technology."
Source: Berger
Mobile technology is critical in increasing efficiencies and reactive flexibility. In fact, mobilizing employees saves 44 minutes per day per employee. But there are numerous other benefits and considerations for integrating handheld devices making mobile technology no longer an option but a requirement for many companies. A few of these are
- Understanding the TCO of the selected devices. Although Blackberries, iPod etc. are cute and relatively inexpensive they often lack the durability and reliability of commercial devices such as those found on the Motorola lines. Productivity will stop and expenses skyrocket if the handheld device cannot function after being dropped on cement or gets wet.
- Handheld devices are fantastic for inspections as they can be set with predetermined questions that must be answered. The data transmitted back will include the results, who checked and be able to retransmit actions.
- Mobile applications should be able to work in both in connected and disconnected environment. This is important when maintenance staff may be in basements or other locations where signals are blocked.
- Integrating handheld devices has direct benefits for the corporation as a whole. The training and use of devices increases adoption rates, is very easily learned by employees at all levels (not just young ones) and is a transferable skill.
- Condition based maintenance.
"For many years, there has been a growing interest in reliability as maintenance departments move from a firefighting mentality to a more planned environment. To accomplish this transition, managers must establish for each asset or component a maintenance policy describing on what basis maintenance is triggered."
Source: Berger
Condition based maintenance is and should be highly dependent on the type of facility. If the equipment being maintained is of moderate value or is serviced by outside vendors expensive techniques such as vibration monitoring etc. don't make a lot of economical sense. On the other hand, if the majority of equipment costs more than a few thousand dollars to replace a different strategy should be used. Regardless of the situation, an EAM will help track the repair history and organize the maintenance workflow so the best decisions can be made. There is an interesting discussion thread on this subject at myfacilitiesnet.com.
- Scheduling.
"Moving to a more planned environment requires better tools for planning, scheduling and coordinating maintenance activities, including major shutdowns."
Source: Berger
One of the biggest advantages a properly implemented EAM has is its ability to capture historical data. This data includes work order, inspection and maintenance history including details such as what, where, who performed work, costs, parts needed.
The collection of the historical database does more than just enable better maintenance or replacement forecasting. The data acts a reservoir of knowledge or know-how. Mr. Berger makes mention of the potential issue of aging workers retiring without passing on their knowledge. It is out belief that the procurement of knowledge gathering and transfer tools will be the most important issue over the next ten years.
- Pricing.
"There are almost as many pricing schemes as there are CMMS/EAM packages available. The latest trend in pricing appears to be the recent rise in popularity of software as a service, or SaaS."
Source: Berger
It would be nice if there was a better way one could compare apples and oranges but the truth is price is the value you place on a product that addresses your pain. Hence the key point is to find a product that adds value to your asset management program. Two additional critical price components are training and support. Good training is not free and makes significant difference to the adoption rates of employees. Lower adoption rates means less than anticipated savings. Technical support should be available during your hours of operation. Identify issue escalation procedures as well as the quality of support. After selecting 1-2 vendors that meet your needs, you can then start to consider negotiating pricing. Due to the complexities of software installation, integration, and training there are numerous areas where a software vendor and integrator can potentially reduce costs. Look for an upcoming article on the best ways to negotiate EAM/CMMS pricing soon.
Cause for the trends
Every year new trends surface and others fade. The driving force behind the recent trends is a result of the increased visibility of the maintenance management function as well as a better recognition of the impact that good maintenance management can have on the bottom line of an organization. The result is facility management has taken on a whole new perspective and asset intensive organizations are becoming more sophisticated and professional in their approach to solving the problem.
Tell us how your company is handling the increased visibility of asset management.
More information can be found at
Register for your chance to win a Free EAM & CMMS Worth $23,000
If you want a EAM & CMMS system, but can't afford to implement one this budget year; then this contest is perfect for you. We are offering a chance to win a FREE EAM & CMMS software suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/mobile licenses and support, as well as, training and implementation.
Springtime has arrived and thoughts of vacations or spring cleaning sometimes mask the need to get back to work. We hope everyone had the opportunity to read our blogs and check out our website, but just in case you did not have the time to see our blogs and voter links as they were published, we have summarized them for you here. Please enjoy them and be sure to check back for new articles during the week. You can find a complete listing on the Mintek Blog.
The most popular article of the week was addressed the issue of the number of maintenance professionals that will be retiring over the new few years. Another article discussed how springtime has left many parts of the south covered in pollen much like a light snowstorm. The final blog of the week is for those looking to enjoy life on the high seas this summer. In all articles the need for proper maintenance planning, data collection and total asset management was discussed.
1. Battling The Skilled Maintenance Worker Crisis With An EAM
Author: Stuart Smith
There seems to be a growing concern among plant and facility managers that retirement of so many skilled professionals will leave organizations with a gigantic hole in their knowledge and as a result MRO will suffer. The article discuses the opportunity to build a long term solution by developing a knowledge base using an EAM system. Keys to success include a well thought out implementation plan and buy-in from all corporate departments.
Key Point: The loss of company know-how can be critical to asset intensive organizations. Data collection can be done efficiently and effectively using a true Enterprise Asset Management system.
2. Preventive Maintenance and The Laws of Physics
Author: Stuart Smith
This article is a lighted hearted look at the pollen being dropped by oak trees in the southeast. In some areas pollen is so thick that gutters, parking lots and out door equipment is completely blanketed. Beside being an allergy nightmare, pollen can block HVAC airflow as well as absorb moisture beginning the corrosion process. Property managers must be persistent in their removal of pollen which includes regular inspections and preventive maintenance. This is best accomplishes with an EAM/CMMS system.
Key Point: Pollen, debris and dust can all negatively impact the performance of equipment either quickly by inhibiting airflow or slower through corrosion.
3. Preventive Maintenance and Inspections For Yachts
Author: Stuart Smith
Yachts like their larger counterparts cruise ships are subject to intense elemental forces. Without proper inspection and preventive maintenance a yacht might leave its operator stranded on the high seas. The article provides a checklist of major equipment that should be checked on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
Key Point: A CMMS system will help organize yachts equipment and assist with the orderly scheduling of maintenance management ensuring critical components are not missed before sailing.
Read Relevant Articles That We Found Last Week
But wait there is more. We have found several more articles that you might find to be interesting and even put them on our website for you to vote on. The 5 best this week are:
1. Property Management from A-Z: W
Author: Kathleen Richards
Kathleen's blog post is a great source of common sense for property managers. This weeks article made a point of not wasting money by intelligently engaging vendors as well as performing annual preventive maintenance checks. These checks are in the best interest of the tenant and the property manager.
Key Point: Apply common sense to property management operations from managing the books to inspections to tracking wear and tear.
2. 6 Aspects About IWMS That Everybody Ought to Know
Author: Posted on iwmsnews.com
If you were unsure what an IWMS is this article clarifies the role these systems take within an organization. The article lists 6 points and includes 5 main solution areas required to be an IWMS.
Key Point: The blog post is an excellent description of what an IWMS software solution is.
3.BOMA International Testifies Before Congress on Commercial Building Maintenance
Author: Heidi
BOMA recent testimony before Congress highlighted that private and government buildings spend between 25% and 28% of the buildings operating expenses on maintenance and repairs. This is a substantial amount for any building. The article goes on to say that "buildings must have a management plan in place and adequately budget for repairs and maintenance".
Key Point: The higher the percentage of operating costs the lesser amount of preventive maintenance is usually being performed.
4. Procuring Facility Management Services isn’t the same as Procuring Paperclips
Authors: Michel Theriault
Michel discusses vendor management for facility management from a practical business perspective. In this article he suggest the first focus should be on finding a vendor who fits well with your companies needs, image and culture. Secondly, he suggest that instead of focusing in on price, first make sure they can provide the level of service that you require before looking at price.
Key Point: Quality vendors deserve respect when negotiating terms. When you deal with vendors honestly and fairly you will ultimately enhance your own facility management image.
5. Why are so few organizations investing in systematic energy productivity planning?
Authors: Peter Garforth
We thought this was one of the more interesting articles published for some time. The article discusses why energy initiatives often to fail to get off the ground because of skepticism. What Peter actually discovers is the true show stopper which is too often executive management relies on individual prior knowledge for guidance. The result is an unwillingness to go new directions or step outside the box because of distressed comfort levels. This is more than just an educational issue and is very much a leadership concern that many organizations face.
Key Point: Change requires an open mind.
What We Learned This Week
The most important aspect of this weeks articles including voter links is that maintenance management for facilities, plants, buildings etc should be treated like any other well run business. Good management understands that innovation (energy initiatives), planning (knowledge control) and common sense (pollen buildup or regular inspections) are critical to well run and growth oriented businesses. It short - it is time to professionalize maintenance management. Utilizing an EAM will assist with professionalization actions.
Too read more visit our Vote on Links page.
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