Transform Maintenance With A CMMS

A multi-site computerized maintenance management system can provide standardization that increases reliability.

By Michael Mills, Fluke Reliability

The sheer scale of a modern multi-site enterprise presents unique challenges. Complexity arises from the size of operations and differences between each worksite. Operating in several locations means managing a variety of environments, equipment, and teams, each with its own way of doing things. 

Variations in workflow and data collection can lead to inefficiencies, increased costs, and miscommunication between siloed teams. These variations also squander a golden opportunity to harness collective insights and the strengths of unified teamwork to increase each site’s output.

The best path for operational coherence firmly points to standardization. Across sites, core processes should be kept consistent to elevate every facility’s performance. But implementing new standards is far easier said than done. Achieving this level of coordination and oversight across multiple sites in different countries is complex and demands a solution that can match the scale of the challenge. 

This is where a multi-site computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can modernize and streamline the process. With a cloud-based infrastructure and adaptable features, this software is an indispensable tool for standardizing the modern enterprise.

Benefits for Maintenance

Once implemented, a CMMS can quickly become the backbone of day-to-day operations within and between worksites. The right software anchors each facility’s workflow in a way that collectively drives the entire enterprise forward. A CMMS can help by:

• Streamlining multi-site maintenance strategies: Maintaining consistent maintenance practices across an enterprise network poses a significant challenge, given the varied operational demands and standards at each location. A comprehensive CMMS enables an enterprise to establish a clear hierarchy of sites, including parent and child assets, that have customizable settings and permissions. This flexibility allows a tailored approach that respects the unique operational needs of each location while maintaining overall coherence. 

• Creating baselines for continuous improvement: Standardization is deeply rooted in the concept of continuous improvement, which relies on consistent data to identify variations. Whether it is your team’s workflow, maintenance practices, or how asset data is captured, each process can be thoroughly tracked to eliminate waste.

• Empowering end users: Standardization within a CMMS empowers users to take control of their day-to-day operations and promotes safety by ensuring adherence to standardized procedures. It also enhances education and training outcomes and fosters employee retention by equipping users with the skills needed to succeed within the system and their roles.

• Re-enforcing compliance across borders: With features designed to meet stringent regulations such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and SQF, a CMMS ensures every site adheres to the highest standards. Audit dashboards offer clear evidence of compliance, while customizable security settings, detailed audit trails, and secure e-signatures protect data integrity. Moreover, by standardizing work-order procedures and centralizing compliance documentation, a CMMS reduces the risk of non-compliance and fortifies a culture of best practices throughout the organization.

Building on this foundation, the CMMS extends its capabilities to track and analyze recurring machine issues and failures across the enterprise. With the help of asset data and insights, maintenance tasks become more streamlined, leading to an increase in uptime and overall efficiency.

By pinpointing enterprise-wide operational trends, a CMMS highlights areas for optimization and directly informs the creation of standardized, effective maintenance strategies. Photo courtesy Fluke Reliability

Boost Efficiency

By pinpointing enterprise-wide operational trends, a CMMS highlights areas for optimization and directly informs the creation of standardized, effective maintenance strategies, processes, and schedules. This is accomplished by:   

• Creating a centralized spare parts inventory. On any given day, it’s a real headache to keep track of what spare parts are available. Spending extra time locating a part can lead to delays. Extra costs can result from either running out of essential parts or overstocking them. This disjointed approach disrupts maintenance work and can reduce productivity. 

A CMMS unites spare parts inventories in a centralized system, making it easy to tell what’s available, what needs restocking, and what parts can be shared among sites. This streamlines repairs, cuts downtime, keeps costs in check, and fosters a culture of collaboration and resource optimization across the enterprise, perfectly complementing your multi-site maintenance strategy.

• Providing better oversight through reporting and data standardization. Unified reporting and data standardization allow all sites to be analyzed under a uniform lens, leading to straightforward comparison and analysis across locations. This approach helps decision-makers spot inefficiencies and pinpoint areas for improvement, providing the crucial insights needed for informed strategic planning and alignment with overarching business objectives.

Consider Martinrea Metallics, Toronto (martinrea.com) for an example of CMMS features in action. The automotive parts manufacturer unified its 12 North American plants with a CMMS to achieve a cohesive, standardized maintenance operation and system-wide accountability. 

Using the system’s configurable capabilities, the company evaluated each plant’s maintenance practices and tool usage. Then, the technical group manager developed automatic workflows to standardize predictive maintenance processes and maximize efficiency. Administrators and gatekeepers were set up to safeguard the standards so that there was better accountability for individual plants.

Following implementation, the organization achieved seamless continuity across all divisions, with most plants consistently meeting or surpassing a 95% work completion target. Each location also sees better compliance with internal predictive and preventive maintenance mandates.

Maintenance Standardization

While the advantages of a CMMS are many, the prospect of using a single management system for all of your sites might raise eyebrows. This is especially the case if your facilities span various countries and continents. Where and how do you start?

First, it’s critical to lay the groundwork with a clear vision. Determine what you want to achieve with the CMMS, as this clarity will guide your process and make sure that the system aligns with your operational goals.

Then, choose a pilot site. Provide targeted CMMS training and form a dedicated group to lead the rollout so everyone involved can use the system to its fullest potential from the outset. 

After pilot site employees know the game plan, migrate your data and configure the system to meet the organization’s specific needs. Around the same time, be sure to thoroughly test all standard practices to confirm they are operating as intended and meet company standards. 

Then, launch the CMMS. Set up a team responsible for monitoring progress and furthering improvement. After the site has proven its success, the cloud-based CMMS software can be quickly deployed at other locations and facility members trained on its use.

Advanced Atomization Technologies, a joint GE Aviation-Parker Hannifin venture, Clyde, NY (advancedautomization.com), implemented a CMMS at one of its facilities to simplify work-order management. The result was transformative: monthly reactive work orders dropped by 90%, from 500 to 50, and uptime soared to 95%. 

Emboldened by this success, the company expanded their CMMS system to more sites. They plan to share historical data from their pilot plant so that each location can benefit from insights into how to manage similar assets and handily tackle challenges that the first plant already faced.

Adopting a CMMS symbolizes a move toward a more standardized, connected, efficient, and reliable future in maintenance management, where every site’s potential is fully realized. It’s a strategy that champions the collective over the individual, embodying the essence of teamwork in the corporate world.

Michael Mills, Technical Manager at Fluke Reliability, Everett, WA (reliability.fluke.com),  leads a team of solutions engineers dedicated to integrating sustainability into maintenance, reliability, and operations  strategies. With more than a decade of experience in Enterprise Asset Management and Reliability Centered Maintenance for Condition-Based Maintenance and Integrated Condition Monitoring, Mills excels in driving the implementation of asset-management systems, mobile, and IIoT solutions across diverse sectors.