Maintenance Mobility Adoption Should Grow in 2019

A recent blog post from Better Buys, a consulting group based in Malvern, PA, discusses trends in the computerized-maintenance management system (CMMS) space for 2019. CMMS technology is getting a boost lately due to its ability to connect to enterprise systems in an effortless way: via the cloud.

Recently, Pepsi Bottling Ventures (PBV) upgraded its maintenance management by enlisting Facility Dude from Dude Solutions (www.dudesolutions.com) a couple of years ago and began to digitize plant floor equipment via their cloud-based CMMS.

“One of the biggest advantages was the ability to have a checklist your preventive maintenance program, but also have access to all the documentation on that piece of equipment,” said Dale Stein, project engineering manager for PBV.

Going digital is a goal for many manufacturers, but many companies haven’t crossed this bridge. The Better Buys blog post discusses this issue and other CMMS related trends.

From Ryan Chan, Founder and CEO of UpKeep Maintenance Management:

It’s 2018, but scheduling maintenance and creating work orders is still very manual. Consider a boiler that is known to cause issues when it reaches a certain temperature and vibrational frequency. Currently, the boiler must reach its failure point before a problem is detected and a work order created. But with IoT, a facility manager can attach a small device to the boiler to monitor its temperature and vibration. When readings hit a “yellow zone” value, a work order can be created within the CMMS. 

The work order topic is essential with CMMS, as it spotlights how operator and maintenance (O&M) teams need to focus on the “process” component with addition of new technology platforms.

Another component of the PBV CMMS application is the move to mobility for the maintenance personnel. Maintenance technicians at PBV began searching maintenance records and documentation on rugged tablets tied to the CMMS and Andy Ruse of Maintenance Connection believes this will continue:

Adoption of Mobile CMMS will continue to grow. Many companies are still managing maintenance using paper or spreadsheets. Others have adopted a CMMS, but are not taking full advantage of its mobile capabilities. Our clients see tremendous advantages from mobile CMMS, including better and more accessible asset intelligence, increased labor productivity and efficiency, and enhanced maintenance workflow effectiveness.

For the entire discussion on 2019 CMMS trends, “What’s next for CMMS Software? 2019 Predictions.“