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Computerized Maintenance Management
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Computerized Maintenance Management
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Computerized Maintenance Management - Integrated vs. Stand AloneQuestion: I like the idea of a simple, stand alone Computerized Maintenance Management system for my department, but my company is telling me they are looking into a fully integrated company wide computer system* and it will include my maintenance department information. Which is better? Answer: The precise answer is “That depends”: A stand alone Computerized Maintenance Management system is more focused on what you and your maintenance department need. The system is frequently designed by a maintenance professional who can build a specialized system designed to make your life easier and your department more productive.
An integrated system is usually focused on the numbers - it makes sure
the accounting information flows through from beginning to end, the
inventory balances, and the orders get shipped. It will also allow
you to do Preventive Maintenance functions within their standard
platform. This will make some parts of your job easier - your
purchase orders for instance, will be mainlined inside their system, and
your inventory will be included in their master inventory. On the
other hand, searching inventory can be more of a challenge when mixed
with other company inventory items. Also, responsibility for
maintaining your specialized parts list might be assigned outside your
department. Will your requirements get the attention they deserve
in the overall scheme of things?
So what is it you really need to make your maintenance operation more efficient, your company more profitable? You want a system that has all the information and tools you need, and is easy to use. Specialized items like a Preventive Maintenance wizard, equipment item copy functions, and graphical work order status lists, which are available on some CMMS systems may be missing from a typical company wide system toolbox. The real question, then, is what are the benefits to the company from an integrated solution? There are, as I noted above, some benefits to having all the numbers in one system. With a stand alone Computerized Maintenance Management system, Equipment maintenance costs, parts and labor entries, etc., can be captured but will not automatically transfer to your accounting system. On the other hand, these items do not usually involve a lot of data entry - so is the pain worth the gain? Judging by the overwhelming number of companies that choose a stand alone system - the answer is clear. *Company Wide Computer Systems are Frequently called an Enterprise Resource Planning System, or ERP System. They can also be referred to by their company brand name, but are basically systems that try to cover most of a company's information processing requirements. Computerized Maintenance Management - CMMS Software |
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COGZ Systems, LLC
Phone 203-263-7882 Fax 203-263-7885 Woodbury,
CT 06798 USA |