Advancements in CMMS Technology

Technology is advancing at warp speed, and CMMS is no different. As the 2020’s begin, there are amazing advancements in the world of asset maintenance and management every day. Here are just a few that are really stirring the pot.

Mobility and Accessibility

Think about the last time you had a task you absolutely had to complete on a stationary computer. Would that task have been more convenient if you had been able to perform it on a mobile device? Did you forget information or have to perform additional data entry tasks that made the job tedious or challenging? The list of problems with this restricted access could go on.

One of the key advancements in CMMS in the past few years has been the increasing focus on mobility and accessibility. As cloud-based deployment becomes more popular, native apps and improved browser-based access make your maintenance software available anytime, anywhere. This helps technicians perform work accurately, efficiently and remotely, streamlining your maintenance operations and improving your workflow.

Real-Time Data and Analysis

This may seem like the purview of business intelligence, but the asset management and maintenance sector can gain a lot from real-time data. Users can collect a variety of data sets from their assets, including meter usage, repair costs, mean-time-between-failure, depreciation method, and downtime.

Collecting this data is useful in and of itself, but getting those updates in real-time has some additional perks. For instance, what if a machine breaks down unexpectedly? You can receive an alert right away that lets you know there is a problem before further damage or a safety hazard occurs.

Performing analysis of the data collected has additional benefits — users can make decisions based on concrete data. For example, you can track the barcodes of the spare parts you use to repair assets and find out if a particular part wears out quickly and consistently causes problems. You can use this information to either make sure you order extra of that part or to switch to a new manufacturer of that part. These kinds of business decisions are plentiful and made possible by CMMS analytics like FacilityONE’s SMARTPRINT Alpha™.

AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t relegated to science fiction these days. It has a huge range of real-life applications, and that applies to CMMS. According to a study by Boeing, 85% of equipment will fail despite calendar-based preventive maintenance. Artificial intelligence works to reduce that number by offering more thorough and accurate maintenance management practices like real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and analytics.

What does this look like in practice? Let’s say you run a manufacturing plant with huge, complex machines. Through continuous monitoring, AI uses a combination of failure and anomaly agents to constantly watch the machine. If there is a specific pre-identified pattern in the data (failure) or a significant deviation from normal data patterns (anomaly), the system will recognize that as a potential problem and alert you immediately. The sensitivity and immediacy of this monitoring is an unmatched advantage for maintenance managers and is likely going to be a core feature of all maintenance software in the near future.

IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) goes hand-in-hand with AI, but comes with its own benefits. The basic concept of the IoT is a network of interconnected smart devices that communicate with one another and with users. Think of a smart home, for example — the smart doorbell can send you notifications of visitors, the smart thermostat lets you remotely set the temperature, the smart lights turn on and off on a set schedule or by voice command.

Smart devices work basically the same way in the world of asset monitoring. IoT-enabled devices collect data, monitor asset status, alert users of issues and offer a range of benefits. This graphic breaks down the different kinds of IoT:

These technological advancements are just scratching the surface of what lies in store for CMMS, and the future looks bright!