Across all industries, maintenance departments are often viewed as cost centers. When the economy struggles, this department is targeted for cutbacks. While organizations often fail to see the real value that maintenance plays in daily operations, the reality is that maintenance departments keep operations from bottlenecking. They ensure that every physical aspect of a business runs smoothly and efficiently, which has a direct effect on an organization’s bottom line.
A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a tool that uses sophisticated software to improve efficiency in maintenance departments. CMMS's help maintenance professionals work smarter by streamlining workflows and generating data that managers can use to make better decisions about facility, asset, and equipment maintenance. Many tangible benefits of adopting a CMMS are realized within the first year of implementation. In fact, many organizations see savings anywhere from 15 to 30 percent on their facility maintenance budgets through the restructuring of work allocation practices, asset management, event scheduling, and preventative maintenance. Other benefits include:
• Fewer equipment and asset breakdowns
• Lower labor costs
• Less material and parts usage
• Reduction in inventory stockpiles
• Cutting down on use of paper
• Energy savings
• Extended equipment life-cycles
• Accurate performance measurement
Other, more intangible benefits are also generated through a CMMS. Most come from transitioning away from paper and less standardized ways of managing maintenance work. A good CMMS increases the ease of maintaining, reporting, managing, and scheduling maintenance work because it:
• Creates standardized processes
• Increases customer satisfaction
• Results in less stressful work environment
• Makes it easier to train
• Organizes work loads
• Simplifies compliance with regulations
• Improves safety
• Improves communication
• Holds technicians accountable
• Leads to more educated maintenance decisions
For a more in-depth look at CMMS benefits, take a look through our benefits white paper.
The Q Ware Group at C&S Companies offers our clients a custom CMMS solution. Q Ware software was developed in 2001 and has since grown into a fundamental CMMS that streamlines facility maintenance needs for small- to medium- sized companies. It is a user-friendly, internet-based software designed for maintenance professionals to process preventive maintenance scheduling, manage assets and inventory, and track maintenance work being completed throughout the organization.
Q Ware allows users to maintain their own systems and comes with turn-key set up. Because it is module based, it caters to each organization’s specific facility needs. The system has the capability to standardize
tracking information and space management. Unlike other CMMS packages, Q Ware only manages assets that each maintenance or facilities department deems necessary.
Q Ware is currently used by healthcare, education, aviation, facility maintenance, industrial and equipment maintenance entities of all types and sizes. It has helped airports reduce operating cost by reducing terminal congestion and increasing safety and security. Educational campuses benefit by simplifying the management of multiple buildings, large grounds, student requests, and seasonal maintenance. Healthcare facilities use Q Ware to help maintain the strict standards required by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which creates multiple tasks for maintenance to track daily. Q Ware generates scheduled reminders to ensure tasks are completed to remain up to code for inspections, check on safety and security equipment, and ensure a sterile environment.
Mix and match five software modules— work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, inventory management, asset management, and event scheduling modules— and only pay for the features you want. Set up of the CMMS software is turn-key. We consult with organizational leaders on how the system needs to be customized to meet their specific needs. C&S then sets up a custom site and imports existing data. We can also send a team of professionals in to gather technical data to load into the system. Within the program, fields are customized, emails automated, and workflows created. We also lead in-person or online training and demonstrations to show users how to operate the system and make updates. For more information about C&S’s Q Ware product or setup services, visit www.qwarecmms.com or contact Sales at (888) 697-2811.
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