For most companies, what your CMMS should be tracking can seem obvious. You’ve got machines, they should be in there. Boom. Done.
But it’s not always as simple as it seems. You have machines, but you also have tools. What about work vans? And the tools inside those vans? And the warehouse that stores those vans? And for work orders– how much information is too much, or not enough? While no two companies and their needs are alike, all businesses should have three basic things in their CMMS- and one that might not be obvious without some thought.
Assets
WHAT? A CMMS should have ASSETS? Yes, a CMMS should obviously include assets, but they should be smartly incorporated into your CMMS. Keeping your assets segmented into machines, tools, parts, facilities, and more should be part of your asset foundation. Don’t forget things like vehicles, materials, and your locations, as these need maintained and restocked as much as your stationary machinery does.
A Proper Preventive Maintenance Schedule
Working as issues pop up already puts you at a disadvantage and sets your business up for failure from the start. Putting a fair amount of time and thought into tweaking and perfecting your preventive maintenance schedules should be a top priority as much of your time will be saved from doing unnecessary work on machines that don’t need attention to begin with. A proper preventive maintenance schedule is key to maximizing your budget and keeping your costs as low as possible.
Rich Work Orders
We’ve already covered what should be included in your work orders, but it’s worth reiterating here. Simplified work orders that cut out any unnecessary information is your key to quick reporting and easily checking through your work order history. Large enterprises may need to include detailed information for more advanced reporting, but if you don’t need it, don’t include it.
Regardless of your company’s size, however, you should probably think about including…
How You Fixed It Last Time
Keeping a detailed log of what the previous issue was, what the symptoms it exhibited were, what parts were required to fix it, any special steps you had to take during the repair, and any follow-up you had to perform on it after the repair can be crucial to future maintenance. These notes could save you time if there’s a rare issue you’ve only seen once eight or nine months ago, or if a new technician stumbles upon a scenario they’ve never seen but you’ve covered a thousand times. Think about including a walkthrough in the work order description- or, better yet, include it in your preventive maintenance notes.
All of the above should be included in your MicroMain CMMS. Your CMMS will save you the time, effort, and strain of attempting to keep track of your maintenance yourself- and will be one of the best values for your money. If you’d like to schedule a free demo to find out more about how a CMMS can help your company, contact us here!