Military Logistics and CMMS Systems

Tracking and analyzing the usage of important assets and assessing manpower is valuable not only to the manufacturing plant or apartment complex, but also in the armed forces.

Humble Logistical Beginnings

Napoleon Bonaparte famously said, “an army marches on its stomach.” That quote rings as true today as it did during Napoleon’s era. Food and supplies are vital to the well-being of a military organization. The method of how these supplies are tracked and make their way to where they are needed have changed since the Napoleonic Wars.

Napoleon restocked his supplies by utilizing the first supply system in the modern era (in addition to a fair share of looting and pillaging). The ledgers and pens used to document and track inventories and assets have existed for decades and centuries. An extra tent pole here and a spare wagon yoke there could be accounted for using old-fashioned addition and some wise organization methods. This method of inventory management worked well for the military and private industry as well.

A Modern Era of Military Maintenance Management

Fast-forward to the dawn of the information age. In front of you is a computer and a mouse. No longer does the pen and pencil rule the day. Information is processed at the speed of light. The abacus and hand calculator have been replaced by the microprocessor and spreadsheet software.

The military can be a stodgy and slow-moving organization in some respects, but it has realized the importance of maintenance management and maintenance management software. The Air Force has whole job class for maintenance management analysis. The official description describes the position.

CMMS Solution for Military

As you can imagine, the Air Force must maintain tens of thousands of pieces of equipment ranging from bombers to pickup trucks. As a Maintenance Management Analysis specialist, your job will be to make sure we’re as efficient with time and money as possible. By analyzing man-hours, costs and other data, you’ll determine efficiency and report up the chain of command if things start to slip or if you see where improvements can be made. Every penny counts, and you’ll help make sure we get the most from every one of them.

The Marines have 1,000s of maintenance management specialists in their ranks.

CMMS Solutions Military Trucks

The maintenance management specialist provides advice, guidance, and assistance to the equipment commodity manager, the maintenance commodity manager, and maintenance personnel who perform maintenance and maintenance management duties.

The maintenance management officer and maintenance management chief supervise maintenance management personnel, monitor maintenance management programs, policies, and procedures, and analyze maintenance and maintenance management functional areas to ensure effective management of equipment, maintenance, and materiel.

The maintenance information coordination specialist assigned to the Maintenance Information Systems Coordination Office (MISCO) ensures the proper functioning of the field maintenance subsystem of the Marine Corps Integrated Maintenance Management System (MIMMS).

MicroMain’s Experience

MicroMain’s own Eric Miller served honorably for eight years in the Marines, with three and a half years as a Maintenance Management Specialist. Eric commented on his time in maintenance management:

“As a maintenance manager for the Marines, we always had to be on our toes to keep our equipment up. Often times you’re dealing with very large and expensive equipment that can directly affect the combat readiness of a unit or a particular mission. When equipment breaks or a vehicle flat-lines, it can have many unintended consequences and could cost a lot of taxpayer money. To limit equipment breakdowns, schedule preventive maintenance, track every cent and part used, and provide accurate reports to our commanders, maintenance managers utilize a CMMS, just like their civilian counterparts.

A good CMMS is crucial to tracking equipment through every step of the maintenance process, from initial failure all the way up to the completed work order. By keeping accurate records I could give my unit commander a detailed briefing of where every vehicle or piece of equipment was within in the process, which allowed him to make more informed decisions.“

What the military knows today is that quality logistics and systems, supported by software and processes, can save time and taxpayer money. Dozens of military complexes and organizations use MicroMain’s software to strive towards logistical success and efficiency. Contact a MicroMain expert today to see if the principles of computerized maintenance management can help your organization be all it can be.