4 Benefits of the Best Equipment Maintenance Software
Equipment is exposed to demanding physical conditions like mechanical wear and high temperatures. Without adequate maintenance, even the best equipment will break down eventually. Software programs can help companies manage their maintenance programs, especially when they use many types of equipment in daily operations.
As the size of a company increases, keeping track of maintenance for all equipment becomes more challenging. The optimal frequency for maintenance tasks depends on the type of equipment and the application. When maintenance is too frequent, it becomes disruptive and expensive, and some procedures may actually damage equipment. On the other hand, lack of maintenance leads to downtime and costly repairs, and workers may suffer fatal injuries.
Equipment maintenance software can help companies keep their machinery in optimal working condition by preventing downtime and accidents. Safety software gives quick access to any document while tracking equipment across several sites. Because local governments have regulations for specific equipment, a reliable safety system also helps with compliance.
Here are just 4 great benefits of equipment maintenance software.
1) Keeps Equipment Operating Efficiently
Preventive maintenance focuses on being proactive and fixing issues before they turn into expensive incidents and broken equipment. Maintenance needs to be provided regularly, even for equipment that is working normally. Maintenance can be planned based on criteria such as time or usage, depending on the application. For example, a commercial vehicle may receive routine maintenance once per month and also for every 5,000 km traveled.
Paper-based equipment management is impractical when the amount of equipment increases and planned maintenance becomes more complex. Equipment maintenance software is useful when dealing with several types of machinery that have different maintenance needs.
A software system can send an automatic notification when a specific piece of equipment must be inspected based on a schedule or other parameters. In addition, equipment maintenance software will often come with clear and concise reporting on almost all the data that is entered.
2) Merges All Information in One Place
Managing physical documentation is another challenge for companies that use equipment. Maintenance involves documents like operation manuals, warranties, inspection forms, insurance documents, and technical specifications. Physically managing all of these files is time-consuming, especially in large companies. Software programs offer huge time savings as they can be accessed with a few clicks. For example, a company may use multiple devices that require large document libraries. With equipment maintenance software, these files can be classified and sorted with ease.
Using printed documentation is not only time-consuming but can lead to lost or damaged documents. Paper documents also increase the chance of human error, misfiling, and misplacement. The management of paper documents is ultimately more labour intensive and costly, as it requires more manual work from employees.
3) Tracks Equipment
Maintenance planning and documentation are easier with equipment software; however, software can also provide the current location of each piece of equipment and its current status including whether it is:
• Operational
• Undergoing maintenance
• Locked out
• In transit
• Decommissioned/retired
A software system can also store important equipment information such as: pictures, serial numbers, and manufacturer data. The software can also list the personnel with authorization to operate each piece of equipment. Another key feature is that workers can update information such as mileage or hours of use through their mobile device.
Equipment tracking is especially useful for companies with large facilities or with operations across many sites. Managing equipment is much easier when a company can check its location and condition in real-time. This feature helps prevent accidents since operators can check the condition of equipment before using it. With paper-based reports an important issue may go undetected.
4) Helps Keep Your Company Compliant
Depending on the industry, local regulations may have specific maintenance requirements for some equipment. For example, Canada requires pre-trip inspections for commercial vehicles, and any malfunctions must be reported immediately. Even if a malfunction is detected on the road, affected vehicles cannot be used until the issue is fixed.
Maintenance software can keep track of standards and regulations by ensuring that the maintenance program is followed and alerting supervisors and managers when it is not. For example, companies can rely on software to complete reports and prepare for audits. Reports can be designed with digital formats that ask for all the necessary information, and workers can fill them in digitally.
Conclusion
Equipment maintenance software is a useful management tool that also contributes to workplace safety. Providing maintenance for a single piece of equipment is relatively simple, but the task becomes complex in large organizations with many types of machinery. Therefore, companies can utilize software to manage maintenance and equipment documents with ease. Effective maintenance improves productivity because it reduces the chance of accidents that may cause downtime. Equipment management software can be used to design maintenance programs that follow local regulations, which assists with compliance.
By introducing equipment software into your organization, you can ensure your valuable assets are properly maintained and operating safely.