While many facilities still operate on a pencil and paper system, and react in a "firefighting" mode, there is an ongoing trend to use computerized maintenance management systems. These automate preventive maintenance work orders, spit out purchase orders, keep a running tally of spare parts and inventory and can be viewed from your office, your home, or across the ocean.
The Current Status of CMMS In Our Facilities
Forecasting the future of CMMS cannot be adequately addressed without recognizing that many have tried, or have had imposed, such a system but have failed to successfully implement it. When it has been purchased by maintenance supervisors, or their superiors, there are high hopes and a real effort made to implement. For a time, they religiously produce and update work orders. After a time, they find that is too time-consuming, or they are told to get out there and fix that machine, "the staff are all threatening to walk out because the heating/cooling is down again". This often leads to a decision to only record important events. When the supervisor is away, or sees no benefit, or recognition, for this task, then that stops, too. The final stage is to enter only what is necessary to keep the statutory preventive maintenance up to date, whether or not it is effective. This does no good for the credibility of CMMS nor does it help the facility in any meaningful way.
While the tendency is always to think of the future in terms of new devices and automation, the biggest obstacle to CMMS success is recognizing where it can contribute to success. Managers need to recognize that not all systems are suitable for all facility maintenance environments. The traditional CMMS model was originally created for the manufacturing and process industries. Under the traditional model, the way forward is to provide detailed planning for every job; thus, ideally, every employee is informed of exactly what they are going to do, when they are going to do it, and have all the instructions, tools, parts and permits required to complete the job efficiently.
Although this methodology was then — and is now — very effective in some process industries and manufacturing plants, it has been greatly revised or found impractical in non-process and smaller scale industries and facilities. In facilities, facility managers do not typically have the resources to visit and plan every job. They may oversee the care for a few major critical pieces of equipment such as HVAC and plumbing with an anticipated lifetime of at least 30 years thus requiring long-term care and serviceability; and many small repair jobs. Unlike manufacturing, the essence of the facility maintenance is less concerned with downtime and loss of production but a need to identify potential problems, both short- and long- term, and respond efficiently to users' needs. The key is to collect detail information for short-term feedback and then use the CMMS to analyze that information for longer-term decisions. Due to these differences, managers must recognize that the methodology used to create a successful CMMS for facilities will differ from that of manufacturing.
A successful CMMS, now and in the future will incorporate the following elements:
- Make the recording of detail information on all the repairs to every Asset very easy to accomplish;
- Involve all technicians and tradespeople when implementing a CMMS;
- Use the data on a consistent basis to: Provide useful feedback to technicians, identify high maintenance/high cost assets, and establish and use a structured analysis technique on that data; and
- Use the results of the analysis to optimize preventive maintenance and make decisions on asset operation/repair/replacement and to direct continuous improvement.
There is a growing movement among, particularly, municipalities, to take into account the cost of maintenance and replacement of long-life assets such as storage tanks and pipelines. In order to schedule inspections and record costs, these assets need to be recorded in a logical hierarchy with defined inter-relationships. This process then allows the municipality to accurately predict future costs and their effect on local taxes. The selected CMMS need to be in conformity with this process.
Complete and credible data is the key to a CMMS that is an important tool at all levels. The computer can easily sort and analyze massive amounts of data. Incomplete data is worse that no data when used for analysis. The future will provide new tools and techniques to simplify, amplify and make more accurate the collection of data.
The Future – No Wires or Ware
Once you have a successful CMMS in place, there are other significant technological advances that represent the future of CMMS. These technical advances again aim to provide the maximum amount of data to the person doing the work and to minimize the amount of effort required to enter that facility maintenance data. While currently available, many facilities have not yet purchased these new devices due to their price and acceptance and adaptation into the facility's environment.
Web-Based Systems
While server-based CMMS multi-user systems remain the choice for most facilities there is a trend toward outsourced software. This is typically provided on a monthly fee basis and includes such things as updates, support and training. The software is accessed via a web browser and avoids the need to purchase and maintain a server and network. It can lead to a situation whereby expert diagnostic and/or repair expertise can be made available over the web.
A Handheld or PDA
Already in use in many facilities, there will be increasing use of these devices as features increase and cost decreases. These handheld computers, originally designed as personal organizers, can be online or synchronized. Online means the handhelds have constant contact with the database via a wireless connection. Thus, downloads and uploads are in realtime. Synchronized handhelds are uploaded with maintenance data at the beginning of the work shift and then downloaded during regular intervals or at the end of the shift. In most cases, the synchronized handheld will be loaded with all of the work orders that the employee is expected to accomplish during the next work period. Synchronization is required to ensure that when the data is downloaded, it does not overwrite any changes that may have been made to the database since the initial upload to the handheld.
Radio Frequency Identification Tags
RFIDs are already in use in many areas such as large shipping crates and security applications. RFID is a method of identification through the use of radio waves. Basically microchips, these devices or "tags" listen for a radio query and respond by transmitting their unique ID code, according to CNETnews.com. In the simplest form, they consist of a memory chip and antenna encapsulated in some form of protective cover. Most RFID tags have no batteries; these devices use the power from the initiating radio signal to transmit their response.
RFID tags are labeled either passive or active. An active RFID tag requires batteries; passive do not. Passive devices are the simplest and typically would be programmed with a unique number. When they are "read", the antenna is excited and transmits the unique number to the reader device. This is very similar to a bar code application. Active devices can contain large amounts of data and in some cases can be updated over time.
The advantages of a RFID tag are:
- Compared to a physical tag or bar code, it does not have to be readable visually
- It can be read at a distance
- It can be made resistant to heat, dirt, chemicals, etc. within a very wide range
- Active tags can contain very large amounts of data
So what do these RFID tags have to do with facilities management and maintenance? Typically, an RFID tag would be attached to a particular asset, and at the very least, the tag would contain a unique ID number. However, what is more impressive, the tag can be filled with all of the repair history and condition reports of that asset, be it a room or a machine. For instance, a RFID tag for a roof could contain the history of that roof so that an inspector equipped with an RFID reader could make a tour and quantify deterioration since the last inspection. It also is foreseeable that multiple roofs could be surveyed from a helicopter.
RFID Readers
RFID readers can be a custom handheld device or a flash card inserted in the PC card slot of any handheld device or PC (via an adaptor). In facilities management, a typical scenario would be that the technician would upload their handheld online or via a synchronized connection. They would then read their ID number into the device and follow the instruction of the first work order. The handheld would automatically record the data and time it was activated. Arriving at the location where the work order is to be performed they would read the RFID tag using the flash reader. There would be no need for validation of this number within the software, as no false entry could be made. If the RFID tag was active, it would enable them to see any relative data relating to that asset, such as room size, manufacturer, model number, etc. Data and time would be automatically recorded. They would then perform the required work and enter their comments on the work done. Materials and parts used could also be recorded. Some handhelds are equipped with a camera enabling them to take and store images against the work order, particularly where damage was evident. At completion date and time would be automatically recorded
Predictive Maintenance
Tremendous progress is being made in the use of devices for thermography, infra-red spectrometry, vibration analysis, etc. These techniques collect huge amounts of data that needs analysis for it to be useful. Once the rules for analysis and alarms have been established then those alarms can be used to generate work orders with a description of the device creating the alarm and the nature of the problem. With online systems, these alarm work orders can appear directly at an appropriate technician's handheld, with an instruction to prioritize the needed correction.
Conclusion
As buildings become increasingly complex and energy efficient, the job of the facility manager becomes more technical, while at the same time there is continual pressure to reduce manpower costs. There will be an increasing need to use automated tools to provide this data with no increase in manpower.
All of the above devices and techniques exist, but none of them alone are a panacea. The challenge will be to incorporate them into a management system that uses them to generate useful data and then use appropriate analysis techniques to benefit from that data for continuous improvement.
David Griffiths is the senior management consultant for CWorks Systems Inc. of Williamsville, New York, www.cworkssytems.com. (This article previously appeared in the May/June 2007 issue of Facilities Engineering Journal, flagship publication of The Association for Facilities Engineering, www.afe.org).
|
If you like this article and want to share it with friends, please use the social links below:
|
Back