There’s no denying the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) on our everyday lives. Connected devices provide us with the convenience we’ve become so accustomed to. Take the Amazon Echo, for example. It’s much easier to ask Alexa to add an item to your grocery list than it is to write it down. But IoT technology doesn’t just impact consumers, it’s transforming the way companies do business. And integrating IoT with CMMS software opens up a world of new possibilities for maintenance management professionals.
It’s All About Data
The use of CMMS (computerized maintenance management systems) software to streamline maintenance operations and reduce costs has existed for many years. However, new capabilities within CMMS software have been realized thanks to IoT technology. Aside from convenience, the IoT provides greater reliability through its vast data connections. Going back to the Amazon Echo example, you can’t always rely on yourself to remember to bring a written grocery list with you to the store. But you can rely on a list generated by a cloud-based voice service and access it through your mobile device. Data stored within the cloud works to the same advantage for maintenance professionals—it gives them the ability to simplify and improve many tasks.
QR codes and barcodes within mobile CMMS applications are a great example. Codes can easily be scanned with your mobile device, which simultaneously uploads pertinent information and stores it within your online CMMS system via the cloud. This eliminates the need to manually type information into fields such as parts, locations, assets, etc. This use of IoT technology has been adopted for quite some time, but new and more exciting uses are on the rise.
New CMMS Capabilities Utilizing IoT
Through the use of sensors and data collection instruments mounted on equipment, maintenance professionals are able to monitor assets more effectively. Data collected from equipment is stored in the cloud and connected to modern CMMS systems, making it even easier to track important information including usage meters (products produced, mileage for vehicles) or condition monitoring such as temperature or vibration spikes. This information can then trigger work requests based on defined thresholds in the CMMS. This feedback loop can happen in real time, improving reliability and productivity.
Eliminate Unnecessary Maintenance
Traditional preventive maintenance tactics include routine inspections and scheduled repairs. Even in predictive maintenance, data from assets must be measured and manually entered into CMMS systems. IoT technology, however, allows continual monitoring and storage of data from assets. Assets essentially monitor themselves, report real-time data and store it in the cloud. By setting the right parameters, your CMMS can alert you when an asset requires maintenance. You can even automate the generation of work orders, ensuring repairs occur only as they are needed.
Pave the Way for Proactive Maintenance
Many maintenance managers have difficulty moving away from reactive maintenance, or waiting until an asset breaks down to fix it. IoT technology makes it easier and less time-consuming to adopt proactive maintenance strategies, or those strategies that help predict failures before they occur. Real-time data captured through sensors attached to each asset can be processed and uploaded to your CMMS via the cloud. Historical data stored on each asset within your CMMS system combined with access to real-time data collected from each asset is powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it gives maintenance managers the opportunity to repair equipment before it has a chance to fail. The IoT gives us the ability to perform proactive maintenance strategies without exerting much effort.
The Bottom Line
The IoT’s impact on CMMS is simple—an increase in both data analytics and cost-saving opportunities. The more data connected to your CMMS, the better it can prevent equipment failures and avoid unnecessary maintenance. What this all leads to is a significant reduction in downtime and labor as well as material and maintenance costs.
It’s important to stay up date on changes such as product enhancements and new releases to your CMMS software. Incorporating IoT technology with your maintenance management strategy may be closer than you think. For more information on integrating IoT with CMMS software, contact DPSI. We offer innovative CMMS and EAM software as well as a variety of cloud-based solutions for companies of all sizes.
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