The ability to make smarter asset management decisions is one of the main benefits of implementing computerized maintenance management software (CMMS). And the driving force behind that ability are the reporting and dashboard features. Data mining is arguably the most important CMMS feature of all—it’s certainly a feature you should assess carefully when comparing CMMS software options. The CMMS reporting feature helps organizations accomplish the following:
1. Identify Trends & Weaknesses
Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), or quantifiable metrics that reflect performance, allows maintenance managers to measure success. Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is a common KPI reported on within CMMS software. It reflects the amount of time lapsed between occurrences of asset failure, enabling maintenance staff to pinpoint problem assets. For example, a low MTBF for a specific piece of equipment could indicate there’s an underlying issue. Reporting KPI measurements such as these help maintenance managers spot potential trends leading to equipment breakdown and lags in production.
2. Enhance Productivity
Accurate and reliable CMMS reporting helps organizations spot critical weaknesses, which paves the way for enhanced productivity. After a weakness has been identified, management can quickly begin finding ways to remedy the issue. Once the problem has been solved, the organization can get back on track to meeting important goals. Additionally, it’s likely that organizations will work toward a preventive maintenance strategy to help keep the problem from happening again. This ultimately results in increased efficiency.
3. Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement
While many production facilities may aim for total uptime, equipment breakdowns and failures help organizations learn more effective methods of operation. CMMS reports the data necessary to do so. In any organization, management should continually track KPIs, report and analyze results, take necessary actions and then measure again. Doing so helps create a culture of continuous improvement, rather than the unattainable goal of a perfect company culture.
4. Achieve Cost Savings
Opportunities to spot weaknesses, enhance productivity and continually improve operations ultimately leads to significant cost savings. This is the primary goal of implementing maintenance management software—to achieve a healthy ROI. The CMMS reporting feature helps management achieve this goal by giving them chances to problem-solve, again and again. Receiving data, analyzing it and making continuous improvements to operations is the three-step process to achieving maintenance success.
There are a multitude of ways to utilize reports to improve your asset management strategy. Each report provides a new opportunity, and fortunately there are over 200 ready-to-run reports available in iMaint enterprise asset management (EAM) software. Not to mention ample custom reporting options, and the ability to view critical KPIs in real-time for multiple locations. You can also tailor iMaint for your organization by customizing screens, fields and functions within an easy-to-use interface. Try iMaint free for 30 days to see how our powerful CMMS software can completely revolutionize your maintenance operations.
