ABSTRACT

To improve the quality output of an asset• To ensure maximum equipment availability or uptime, or, conversely, mini-• mal downtime To improve the optimal life of the asset• To ensure a safe operating environment for both the operator/maintenance • worker and the environment

Many tools have been developed to assist in or accelerate the attainment of these goals within the maintenance process. Fortunately, we live in an information age, and today, more than ever, decisions are driven by hard information, derived from data. In asset management, particularly maintenance, you need readily available data for the kind of thorough analysis that produces optimal solutions. The world is growing increasingly intolerant of asset failure, particularly where environment and safety is concerned, so the importance of having good maintenance processes and effectively selecting, planning, executing, and recording maintenance activity is also growing. In this chapter, we discuss the key aspects of modern computer-based maintenance management systems:

Maintenance management systems: computerized maintenance manage-• ment system (CMMS) and enterprise asset management (EAM) Evolution and direction of maintenance management systems• Technology’s impact on maintenance systems• Emerging technical enhancements to maintenance management processes•

First, we explore CMMS and EAM-how they work and how they can help you attain maximum results. Often, the terms CMMS and EAM are used interchangeably. But you will see that CMMS, the packaged software application, is really the enabler for EAM, just as a word processor enables you to manage text on a computer.