In this article, we will analyse what is expected from a CMMS to make it the necessary tool to advance into mobility in maintenance, analyse the process for the implementation of this mobility and go through the advantages of all this, using a real case scenario, Prio Parque Tanques.
Mobility in maintenance is a reality; and it is the future. (…) It is necessary, however, in this transition to mobility, that companies are self-aware of their ‘maturity level’ or the development stage their Maintenance is in.
A WEB App complements a maintenance management software, it does not need and cannot have the same level of complexity / features of the main application. It is an application that is suited to the day-to-day maintenance technicians, for them to register corrective tasks, report planned work, check information regarding the maintenance, make quick records (operational parameters and running records), check the availability of the spare parts in stock and apply them (stock outs) to maintenance interventions. For maintenance service providers, it can also be a vehicle for communication with their clients, since the clients have access in real time to the tasks that are being carried and can even Approve those tasks carried out. This tool should also allow the maintenance manager to set the level of access that each user is allowed within the available information.
Overall, a maintenance management WEB application should hold the following features:
- Accessible – When it comes to a WEB application, it should be accessible anywhere and it dismisses any need for actual installation;
- Simple – Simple to use; so simple that the users can actually learn by themselves how to work with it; And it shouldn’t contain all the features available in the CMMS system, running in the backoffice;
- Restrictive – It should be possible to set all access privileges for each user;
- Paperless – All of the people involved in the maintenance processes access the application, dismissing any kind of printouts;
- Include a workflow of approvals – the application should include the status of the interventions (for example: planned, in progress, executed, approved and ended) allowing each user, depending on the access they have, to change the status, leading to a workflow of approvals without the need for physical signatures.
Mobility in maintenance is a reality and it is the future. Paper and Folders are becoming increasingly obsolete in maintenance. The tablet is the new paper, where we can access any information, anywhere we are. However, when making the transition to mobility, it is necessary that companies are self-aware of their current ‘maturity’ or status in Maintenance. If the company does not yet have a CMMS, if it doesn’t have a complete equipment list or it doesn’t have an effective planning of their maintenance work, introducing mobility in maintenance might be a too ambitious step to take and a big reason for any CMMS not to work in that company. All the processes have its stages. First and foremost, it is necessary to have all maintenance processes properly structured, a CMMS running smoothly and, if necessary, use paper during the initial stage, allowing the technicians to adapt to the new processes and to the discipline of reporting the work they carry out. Only after consolidating all of the previously mentioned steps, should a company move towards mobility.
The full document can be accessed HERE