Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices. Ramesh Gulati
it. Other features to consider include the system’s security, data security, modifications, user customizable screens, and customizable user reports.
Ease of Use
The CMMS should be easy to learn and should come with training aids and documentation. It should also be easy to use. The package should be icon- and menu-driven, contain input screens to enter information in an orderly manner, and provide error-handling and context-sensitive help.
Vendor Support
Consider the qualifications of the potential CMMS vendors. Obviously we want a vendor who is both knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to CMMS. Also, consider the vendor’s financial strength. A CMMS project is an investment in time, resources, and money. Therefore, the vendor must be established. Ask about references, delivery, payment options, source code, and warranty.
Also, investigate the level of vendor support for training. Whether this training is provided at the vendor’s facility or on-site, this small investment can save a great deal of money and frustration in the long run. Other factors to consider include the vendor’s system support,upgrade policy, and overall system cost. Select the vendor that provides the best combination of characteristics for your particular situation.
The bottom line is that there is a need for a CMMS for maintenance no matter how small or large the plant is. We should be aware of the barriers and be well prepared to face them during the justification process. We can avoid failure by looking at why so many installations have failed and making the right selection for application for the organization.
Why So Many CMMS Projects Fail
Many CMMS projects fail to reach their full potential. The following are some of the reasons:
1. Selecting the wrong CMMS system for your application
2. Lack of understanding by the team of the objective for the CMMS; what do you need/expect the CMMS to do?
3. Employee turnover
4. Lack of adequate training during implementation
5. Employee resistance
6. Locked into restrictive hardware/software
7. Inadequate supplier support for the CMMS
8. Unrealistically high expectations, including expecting a quick return on investment
9. Internal politics—whether financial or IT heads the CMMS/EAM implementation team
Note: Ideally, senior M&R professionals should lead the project because they understand the need more than anybody else. Partner with IT and finance employees for continuous support.
In general, incremental gains in CMMS features and functions have made many packages better at handling the myriad and specialized requirements of particular industries and facilities. Many organizations are simply looking for a CMMS package that meets their unique needs and for a vendor that understands their industry. Some examples are as follows:
• Pharmaceutical organizations require a CMMS that has an electronic signature capability to comply with FDA 21 CFR Part 11.
• Municipalities are looking for a CMMS package with sophisticated linear asset functionality for handling utilities, underground water, wastewater networks, and so on. They need the capability to comply with GASB 34 requirements.
• Organizations with considerable mobile equipment are looking for fleet management functionality, such as compliance with the vehicle maintenance reporting standards (VMRS) coding structure or the American Trucking Association’s standard list of components.
• Pipeline companies need inspection and risk assessment features.
• Chemical, oil and gas, and nuclear plants need sophisticated safety-related functionality such as lockout/tagout.
• Third-party service providers want features such as contract management, third-party billing, help desk, and dispatch.
• Government departments are keen on sophisticated budgeting capability including encumbrance accounting.
• Asset-intensive companies experiencing considerable capital expansion can save millions of dollars if the CMMS can help integrate and follow the complete life cycle of asset-related data from engineering design to deployment to maintenance.
An effective CMMS has proved to be an invaluable tool for many plants and facilities. Various internal obstacles to acquiring a CMMS also confront businesses. When deciding to acquire a CMMS, take the following steps:
1. Form a team of stakeholders.
2. Receive management buy-in/sponsorship.
3. Identify problems with the existing system if you have or establish requirements.
4. Define the objectives, features, and benefits of a CMMS.
5. Conduct a financial analysis.
6. Establish CMMS selection criteria.
7. Select two to three systems and compare.
8. Visit sites to see actual applications.
9. Make the final selection.
Identify a project manager, preferably a senior M&R professional,not an IT or financial person, to lead the project.
New CMMS packages are so feature-rich that most users can hope to exploit only a small percentage of the functionality they buy. It has been reported that most of the users utilize less than 50% of the capabilities and functionalities of the CMMS they have. The true differentiation is how the CMMS is implemented. Organizations should set quantifiable goals and objectives, reengineer processes in light of those goals, configure the CMMS to optimize the new processes, and change behavior across the organization to embrace these changes.
It is said that “accidents do not happen; they are caused.” The same is true for asset failure. Assets fail due to basically two reasons: poor design and human error. Our negligence, ignorance, and attitude are the prime factors of human errors. Several studies have indicated that over 70% of failures are caused by human errors such as using an inadequate design, overloading, making operational errors, ignoring failure symptoms, having untrained or unqualified operators or maintainers, and not repairing an asset when needed. There is usually a human factor behind most asset failures. Because most failures are caused and do not happen independently, they are preventable.
If a survey is taken among operations and maintenance personnel about whether there can be zero failures, the overwhelming answer will be zero failures are theoretically possible, but impossible in an actual work environment. Yes, zero failures are difficult to achieve, but they may not be impossible. If all concerned operations and maintenance personnel set a goal of zero failures and diligently work toward that goal, it is attainable. However, total commitment is needed from all involved, from top management to supervisors and down to the operator and maintainer level. What we need to do is implement some good and best practices, as well as strict adherence to the procedures.
Quality of Maintenance Work
All maintenance work involves some risk. Here, the risk refers to the potential for inducing defects of various types while performing the maintenance tasks. In other words, human errors made during the PM,CBM, and CM tasks eventually may lead to additional failures of the asset on which the maintenance was performed.
For example, a review of the data from the power plants that examined the frequency and duration of forced outages after a planned maintenance outage showed that the outages reinforced this risk. The analysis of data revealed that in 55% of the cases, unplanned maintenance outages were caused by errors committed during a recent maintenance outage. Most of the time these failures occur very soon after the maintenance is performed. Typically, the following errors or damages may occur during PMs and other types of maintenance work:
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