Unplanned downtime disrupts productivity, inflates maintenance costs, and impacts revenues. Find out how to reduce it with equipment maintenance software. Planned or unplanned, downtime is a drain on company finances and other resources. Manufacturers in the UK and Europe are expected to lose more than £80 billion due to downtime disrupting output, putting compliance at risk, and creating bottlenecks.
However, planned downtime for regular maintenance aimed at preventing minor issues from worsening and causing major unplanned operational disruptions almost always takes less time and costs less money. Designed to support a proactive, preventive approach, FMIS’ equipment maintenance software can help reduce downtime. It’s the difference between calmly staying in control and reacting to chaos.
Proactive maintenance also depends on timely visibility into equipment performance and connected systems. Monitoring tools help teams spot irregular behavior early, before it results in operational disruption. A free snmp mib browser enables maintenance and IT teams to review device metrics, track performance trends, and address potential issues before they lead to downtime.
The Cost of Reactive Maintenance
A recent report found organisations in the UK spend 55% of their maintenance budgets on reactive maintenance, indicating that relatively few have implemented preventive maintenance. One of the problems here is that reactive maintenance usually comes at a higher cost, as a relatively minor issue has usually become a much bigger problem, requiring bigger and more expensive replacement parts, expedited delivery, and longer repair times leading to higher technician wages.
There’s also the issue of reactive maintenance leading to reduced asset lifespans. Performing minimal maintenance irregularly or waiting for minor issues to escalate increases the risk of damaged components affecting those that aren’t damaged, leads to greater daily wear, and places equipment under constant stress, leading to it failing sooner than expected. Additionally, allowing equipment to run until it fails increases worker safety risks. Excessive unplanned downtime and injured workers are a recipe for reputational damage that most organisations can do without.
The Case for Preventive Maintenance
Unlike a reactive approach, preventive maintenance ensures small problems are dealt with before they get worse, saving time and money. There’s seldom a need to order expensive components or replace machines before they reach the end of their expected lifespan, and technicians are paid at standard rates rather than at emergency call-out rates.
Organisations may also see their energy bills shrink, as equipment and machinery are kept in good running condition. There’s no need for them to use more power or work harder to achieve the desired output. Operational disruptions are fewer and shorter-lived, workers have fewer safety risks, and brand reputation is protected.
How Equipment Maintenance Software Reduces Downtime
FMIS’ powerful equipment maintenance software makes it easier for organisations to maintain their assets proactively, resulting in reduced downtime. It’s a comprehensive solution designed for every stage of the asset lifecycle.
Asset Register Creation
Using FMIS’ software to its full potential begins with creating an asset register, as it’s difficult to understand maintenance requirements if the relevant information isn’t readily available. With this software, organisations can configure fields based on asset type, import spreadsheets, and upload attachments such as manuals and warranty, registration, and insurance documents. Asset records can also be created through goods receipts, non-PO goods receipts, or barcoding audits.
This is only the beginning, as FMIS’ equipment maintenance software supports full asset lifecycle management. In addition to creating entries and uploading warranty and other documents, managers can use it to support maintenance and repairs, assign assets to specific users or departments, record asset loans and transfers, earmark assets for replacement, and ensure accurate asset counts or audits.
Maintenance Schedules and Alerts
Using asset information, organisations can then create full preventative maintenance schedules based on dates, meter, or both. This can be taken a step further by defining the tasks to be performed, parts to be used, and any third-party purchasing.
The software can be configured to generate and route maintenance reminders or work orders automatically, ensuring nothing is left to chance. The results are increased uptime and consistent productivity, which allows managers to schedule more disruptive downtimes for maintenance during traditionally quiet periods.
Tracking Assets on Loan
There’s no need for organisations to worry about assets out on loan missing out on preventive maintenance entirely. Managers can use FMIS’ software to allocate assets to specific users, departments, or projects and track return dates and overdue loans by user, location, or other criteria.
They can also check specific assets’ availability and status by site or department, making it easier to get those assets returned for maintenance or to reschedule maintenance for when they are returned.
Analysis and Reporting
The analytical and reporting functions of equipment maintenance software have a role to play in reducing downtime. By analysing the cost, value, and frequency of maintenance and repairs, managers can identify which assets are approaching the end of their lifespan, enabling them to plan for replacement through purchase, unused stock, or leasing.
While some downtime may be involved in the replacement process, it should be considerably less disruptive than dealing with massive breakdowns or other unplanned disruptions.
The ROI of Proactive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance’s return on investment (ROI) isn’t limited to saving money on parts, repairs, and technicians’ fees. At the end of the day, proactive maintenance means your organisation stays efficient and productive to generate higher revenue for longer.
Choose equipment maintenance software from FMIS to support your approach to keeping things running smoothly. Your bottom line will thank you.
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