A CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) is a digital tool focused on planning and managing maintenance activities. It helps maintenance teams keep track of machinery, equipment, and tasks, thereby ensuring stable operations and reducing downtime.
A CMMS like INEXTIA can be customized for any company or industry working with maintenance – regardless of size or scope. It enables the streamlining of all maintenance processes, ensuring that your business always remains operational and productive.
What are the benefits of using a CMMS?
Today, CMMS is an indispensable tool for the maintenance department. With the fast pace of digital development, collecting, storing, and measuring data has become more important than ever.
Working with a digital maintenance system helps reduce the operational workload. Without a CMMS, all information is stored in the minds of maintenance personnel or binders at the office.
Manage your maintenance digitally with INEXTIA
A digital system makes it easier to keep track of tasks and information. You get a clear overview by gathering data and job lists in one place. This eliminates the need to spend resources remembering details that can easily be forgotten in the daily rush.
With the INEXTIA App, you can always access information and important job details while on the go. The app allows you to manage all maintenance tasks directly from your phone or tablet, no matter where you are. See how easily you can manage maintenance tasks on the go:
A CMMS helps optimize and structure maintenance work while also making daily operations easier for the maintenance team by:
- Creating a structured approach that ensures oversight and efficient planning
- Using a digital platform to manage job frequencies and tasks easily
- Ensuring timely task completion with automatic reminders
- Centralizing all essential maintenance data for easy access
- Reducing workload by automating time-consuming tasks like manual documentation and data analysis
A CMMS is also a valuable tool for asset management, as it allows you to collect and analyze data within the same system. This provides an overview of when your equipment needs repairs, replacements, or upgrades. As a result, it extends the lifespan of your equipment and reduces the risk of unexpected breakdowns.
Extend the life of your equipment with digital asset management
Disadvantages of using Excel as a maintenance management system
Many companies use Excel for maintenance work because it is an accessible tool that can collect, summarize, and present data. However, when using it for maintenance, it often becomes challenging, especially when data needs to be updated and shared continuously.
The most common limitations of Excel as a maintenance system are:
- Manual data entry can be time-consuming
- Tracking history becomes difficult with multiple spreadsheets
- Hard to ensure everyone has the latest information
- Often limited to one person, increasing the risk of information loss
- Access control is not possible – anyone with access can edit or delete data
- No reminders or notifications for upcoming tasks
- Reporting is labor-intensive and requires manual effort
Therefore, you should consider the scope of your maintenance activities. If you have multiple colleagues and want to optimize your maintenance processes, relying on Excel can be a fragile solution.
Read more about why you should choose a more efficient maintenance system
CMMS vs. Excel
Do you recognize some of these challenges with Excel but still feel unsure about investing in a cloud-based maintenance system? Take a look at the key differences between Excel and a CMMS here:
We often see a shift toward digitalization when employees retire or change jobs. Their knowledge needs to be transferred into a system so it becomes accessible to the rest of the company.
With a CMMS, you can ensure that valuable information is not lost and that all employees have access to maintenance history, planning, and routines.
What is the difference between a CMMS and an EAM?
A CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) and an EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) system are both used to manage machinery, but they have different focuses and functions.
CMMS focuses on:
- Maintenance and daily operations
- Automating tasks such as planning, tracking, and inventory management
- Optimizing maintenance to reduce downtime and ensure stable operations
EAM is a more comprehensive system that:
- Manages the entire asset lifecycle from acquisition to disposal
- Covers all aspects of asset management, from investment to decommissioning
- Involves multiple departments and supports strategic decision-making across the organization
CMMS vs. EAM
With several different maintenance systems to choose from, it can be challenging to determine which one best suits your company’s needs. To make it easier, we have created an overview in the table below:
If you are looking for a system that primarily focuses on maintenance and operations, a CMMS is often the better choice. Since a CMMS is dedicated to maintenance, it is typically easier to implement and requires less setup compared to an EAM, which often involves multiple departments.
A CMMS like INEXTIA is user-friendly and simple to use. It makes it easier for your maintenance team to incorporate it into their daily work, as it is tailored to your specific needs and free from unnecessary features unrelated to maintenance.
See how a CMMS works in this introduction to INEXTIA:
How to implement a CMMS
Successfully implementing a CMMS starts with a solid plan. To ensure the system meets your needs and creates value for your company, it’s important to have a structured approach. Here are some key points to consider to make sure your new maintenance system becomes an asset rather than a burden:
- Do the internal groundwork to clarify goals and needs within the organization, ensuring that the CMMS meets both the company’s and employees’ requirements.
- Create a requirements specification that outlines system requirements, such as features, integration with external systems, and user-friendliness, by collecting input from those involved.
- Contact suppliers to gain insight into how they meet your requirements.
- Evaluate and select a supplier based on the knowledge you have gained about their system and choose the one that best matches your requirements.
- Prepare for implementation with internal guidelines for data structure, routines, and documentation.
- Involve and train users by engaging employees early in the process and providing training to ensure everyone understands the system.
- Follow up and evaluate with users and other stakeholders to ensure continuous improvements and that the system is functioning optimally.
Make a specification of requirements
It is essential to know what requirements to set for a supplier, which is why creating a requirements specification is an essential part of the process. You can send your requirements specification to suppliers and based on their responses, you can assess which one best matches your needs.
Learn how to create a requirements specification
Finding the right system is about more than just features. It is also about choosing a supplier who can support you throughout the implementation process and help you get the most out of your system. For this reason, it can be beneficial to reach out to other companies in your industry that use a CMMS to hear about their experiences with the system and its implementation.
Read more about how INEXTIA supports you in getting the most out of your CMMS
