Deciding which computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) software to use is one of the most important tasks for running a manufacturing or industrial plant. The best CMMS software for manufacturing will allow operations to run efficiently while limiting costs, and it will do this in several ways, which include: Allow for organization-wide visibility and control. Integrate systems which will minimize inefficiencies in the supply chain, ensuring that the right supplies, labor, and resources are available exactly when needed. Quickly alert maintenance teams when machines are running abnormally. Automatically trigger actions and notifications when maintenance procedures and work orders are needed.Reduce equipment downtime and...

What is CMMS software? Like a doctor’s bag, it gives you tools that allow you to monitor and manage the health and status of your most critical assets, machinery, and infrastructure. This can include the ability to use a machine’s real-time conditions and vitals to identify and address any abnormalities that might lead to system failures.  In today’s industry 4.0 environment, manufacturers are moving towards proactive maintenance—even predictive maintenance over reactive maintenance to improve machine uptime, optimize operations, and stay ahead of compliance and competition. The aim is to keep the productivity chain unbroken and mitigate future risks down the...

Supply chains are not impervious to disruption, be they caused by natural disasters (pandemics, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.), changes in political leadership, military actions, tariffs and viruses. That’s because manufacturers often rely on parts produced in countries around the world to manufacture their finished products. In the resulting world of turmoil, manufacturers can take decisive steps to deal with anticipated – and in some cases actual – disruption in their international supply chains. Part shortages are a distinct possibility, a situation that could cripple production and grind plants to a halt Fast action, advanced software required Though an extended parts shortage...

With companies across vertical industries seeking predictive maintenance to minimize costly machine and production downtime in industrial manufacturing, interest in enabling a mobile workforce is climbing quickly. Providing maintenance staff access to your data from a smartphone or tablet lets them stay on top of issues at any time of day, from any location. The difference between expensive problems and smooth maintenance resolution can be just a matter of minutes.  In fact, the average cost of downtime across all businesses is roughly $260,000 per hour. That's according to Aberdeen Group, a research and consulting firm. The answer? Provide your maintenance...

Red Cedar Gathering uses the asset management to do predictive and preventive maintenance by monitoring and analyzing historical and real-time data such as temperatures and pressures. “The additional data helps us keep a close eye on the condition of the equipment,” says Velasquez. “We now proactively measure the condition of our equipment and set historical and condition-based rules. We record machine data to see the condition of our equipment and use preset rules to identify out-of-spec conditions.” “We can also now analyze the data and optimize the treating capabilities. We keep tighter thresholds on temperatures now and have a more...

The lack of a spare part for one of the machines in your plant can lead to downtime. If a critical part is not in stock, the plant runs the risk of extended downtime from equipment failure. However, inventory is expensive. If a company is overstocked and has too many spare parts, it is overpaying for storage, and the parts may become obsolete as manufacturers update their lines. How do you find the right balance? With legacy equipment, a preventive maintenance approach could help provide that equilibrium between having too many parts sitting in stock rooms and not having a...

Downtime in a plant or facility leads to lost productivity. It disrupts operations, causes maintenance staff to divert time from scheduled projects, and can have significant negative business implications, including lost revenue, significant unplanned expenses, missed deadlines and damage to a company’s reputation. To avoid these problems, manufacturers and facility and plant managers are moving away from traditional maintenance methods where you wait for something to break, and then you fix it. Reactive approaches like this result in disruptions and unplanned downtime. A better approach is preventive maintenance, which is a routine for periodically inspecting equipment with the goal of...

Augmented reality (AR) allows users to enhance their field of view with real-time superimposed digital information. The technology is now being more widely used in maintenance and repair operations, and its value is enhanced when complemented with data and historical knowledge from asset management systems. Using AR in maintenance and repair allows technicians to receive information about specific assets instantly. Similar to the way a person can use different monitors and projection devices to view data, an AR system would take data (in this case from an asset management system) and project it onto goggles or camera-enabled mobile devices for...

Asset tracking in supply chains is undergoing many changes that promise to deliver new benefits. Traditional asset tracking technologies like barcode and RFID ID are being supplemented or replaced with IOT enabled tracking methodologies. These new Internet of Things (IoT) devices can provide real-time tracking, as well as information on the condition of items in the field or in transit. Specifically, tracking tags and sensors can provide real-time location data about goods in transit or sitting in a warehouse. Additionally, some sensors can collect temperature and pressure data, or whether packaging is damaged. Unfortunately, many companies that use such sensors...