What is Wrench Time? (And How to Calculate)
Maintenance technicians are busy individuals. They’re constantly assigned tasks, traveling around, procuring equipment, asking for permissions, and waiting for access to particular machines. So many tasks, yet none of them actually constitute Wrench Time, also known as Tool Time. That is perhaps the biggest hurdle in studying Wrench Time: the inability to clearly define it and, from there, analyze it. In this blog post, we’ll clarify what it really is and its relevance. What is Wrench Time? In the clearest of terms, Wrench Time refers to the amount of time a technician actually spends performing maintenance tasks on a specific...
What is the First Time Fix Rate (FTFR)?

When your maintenance or service team heads out to address a machine breakdown, how often do they resolve the issue in just one visit? That measure is called the First Time Fix Rate (FTFR), and it’s a critical performance metric for service-oriented operations. But what does FTFR mean for your business? In this context, FTFR directly reflects your technicians’ effectiveness and preparedness. Understanding FTFR’s meaning and how it influences your bottom line is a foundational step in optimizing how you handle maintenance calls, service work orders, and equipment repairs. At its core, FTFR gauges the percentage of issues solved successfully...
What is Work Order Management in Manufacturing?

Work order management solves the confusion and inefficiency caused by scattered task assignments, missing tools, and unclear priorities in manufacturing. Without it, workers often rely on verbal instructions, handwritten notes, or scattered communication, leading to delays, mistakes, and frustration. Tasks may stall because the necessary tools or materials aren’t ready, and managers waste time chasing updates instead of focusing on productivity. With work order management, everything is straightforward. Tasks are digitally assigned with clear instructions, priorities, and deadlines, ensuring workers know exactly what to do and when. A software can track progress in real-time, to ensure materials and tools are...
Preventive Maintenance in the Automotive Industry Guide

As technology advances, the automotive industry is challenged to grow and adapt to these changes. Specifically, networks of sensors, instruments, cameras, and fault detection systems require proactive maintenance, along with a vehicle's internal mechanics. A preventive maintenance approach can be a reliable solution to enhance vehicle performance and reduce unexpected downtime. In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of preventive maintenance in the automotive industry, best practices, and the benefits of using an advanced computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) like LLumin’s CMMS+ to help support your maintenance program and streamline maintenance processes. What is Preventive Maintenance? Preventive maintenance (PM) is...
Preventive Maintenance in the Trucking Industry: Best Practices

The trucking industry has faced several challenges recently, including high fuel prices, strict regulations, and driver shortages along with the pressure to deliver goods on time. Implementing an effective maintenance program is an important practice for ensuring a fleet's safety, efficiency, and longevity. This article will discuss preventive maintenance in the trucking industry, how it can help trucking companies reduce downtime and operational costs, and how LLumin's Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS+) can help you implement it and achieve the best results. Understanding Preventive Maintenance Defining preventive maintenance is critical before delving into best practices. Preventive maintenance is a proactive...
How To Decrease Heavy Equipment Maintenance Costs

Heavy equipment is used in several industries and is commonly business-critical, meaning that when unexpected breakdowns occur, expenses can mount quickly. The costs associated with maintenance can be direct, such as emergency repairs and parts. However, costs can also be indirect, such as downtime, reduced productivity, and customer satisfaction. Understanding how to decrease heavy equipment maintenance costs and implementing an effective maintenance strategy to keep them low will be essential to successful maintenance management and your company. It will also provide additional benefits, such as increased equipment reliability and lifespan. This article will discuss the top strategies to decrease heavy...
Power Plant Maintenance: A Guide for Maintenance Teams

Power plant maintenance requires a proactive maintenance strategy where more effort is put into addressing maintenance concerns well before they happen. The process requires doing more to prevent unexpected equipment breakdowns, extend asset lifespan, improve equipment performance, and reduce safety risks. The costs of not taking a proactive approach are high: loss of productivity and perhaps even consumer trust. The best way to facilitate this process is with an Enterprise Asset Management Software or a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) like LLumin’s CMMS+. LLumin’s CMMS+ can enable you to implement condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance models that significantly improve maintenance...
5 Best Equipment Maintenance Software in 2024

The best equipment maintenance software for 2024 will provide your organization with the features and support it needs to keep business-critical equipment up and running at peak performance for more extended periods of time. The right computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software can help your organization avoid costly maintenance repairs and unexpected downtime. The best software on the market for 2024 includes advanced features like: Features of the Best Equipment Maintenance Software in 2024 Asset Management: Preventive Maintenance Scheduling: Work Order Management: Inventory and Procurement Management: Reporting and Analytics: Tracking and managing business-critical equipment, including maintenance history, location tracking, and...
Work Order Templates (Download for Free)

Across industries, work order templates serve as the backbone of successful maintenance and asset management. Whether used to initiate a maintenance work request, service for clients, or as part of routine facility management, properly configured work orders detail essential information to facilitate work and service completion processes. If your company uses paper-based work orders, you likely already know the benefits of digitizing their creation using the right software. However, to clarify what these documents are, their different types, what should be included, and the benefits of using a Computerized Maintenance Management System like LLumin’s CMMS+, we’ve put together this article...
CMMS for Inventory Management: 4 Benefits

Managing spare parts, tooling, and MRO inventory effectively can be a big challenge. However, powerful computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) like LLumin's CMMS+ have revolutionized how organizations overcome it. An advanced CMMS inventory management system that leverages the latest technology can save organizations time, reduce costs, and free them up to focus their energy and resources on other important initiatives. Today we will discuss how the right CMMS can help organizations streamline and automate their maintenance and operations-related inventory and materials management processes. We will also explain how LLumin's CMMS+ can track inventory levels in real-time, automatically order replacement inventory...