The CMMS: Where Data Goes to Die – Unleashing the Potential of Your Maintenance Digital Backbone
In the bustling realm of modern manufacturing, where precision and efficiency reign supreme, the digital technology of Industry 4.0 plays a pivotal role. Among the myriad of tools and systems at a maintenance managers disposal is the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). The CMMS can be the digital backbone for maintenance, providing streamlined planning and execution, parts management, and data-driven decisions that importantly drive reduced downtime. Yet, for many manufacturing enterprises, the CMMS has earned a dubious reputation – as the place where data goes to die.
The Power of Data
We have learnt the lesson that as engineering and maintenance managers we need data. We have spent thousands of Dollars/Euros/Pounds implementing great data gathering Computerized Maintenance Management System. We have upgraded, added functionality, attached BOMs and listened to the evangelists for critical asset care, management of storeroom parts and data driven iterative maintenance management.
However, maintenance defects can still account for more than 30% of all machine lost time, and machine availability in the OEE equation can frequently be less than 60%. Maintenance departments are still too busy to fix a problem correctly the first time but invariably find time to shut down a machine for a second or third time until they eventually ‘find’ the fix. Lastly reacting to breakdowns in some businesses can expend more than 40% of maintenance person hours and cost the maintenance budget 4 to 15 times more than if data driven PMs or fault finding were used in the first place.
So what is going wrong? What I often see is that data is put into the CMMS almost as a comfortable place to rest and ‘die’, and all too often this data which is costly to collect has little or no effect on building reliability, driving OEE or building business profitability. The purpose of a CMMS is not as a repository but as a fuel tank to drive the engine of reliability.
Intelligent use of CMMS data is key to:
- PM design and ongoing optimization.
- Intelligent FRACAS.
- Business altering FME(C)A.
- Problem solving that is done once and once only.
- Building a data set as evidence for a business case for adding people or skills to the maintenance team.
- Driving machine availability e.g through Autonomous Maintenance.
- Improving business impacting OEE.
- Saving time across all the 8 wastes.
- Intelligent structuring of the maintenance team.
- Location of the Maintenance team and tool kits be that central and satellite locations and impact on MTTR.
- Future layout changes to optimise flow.
- Future equipment design.
- Purchase of additional maintenance equipment to reduce MTTR.
- Further technician training to reduce MTBF
- Optimisation of assets in the storeroom min/max levels, inventory value etc.
CMMS software is designed to capture and manage data to drive equipment reliability and impact business. If your CMMS is not being used to drive the list above you are not maximising the CMMS potential of exploiting its value to you as the Maintenance or Engineering Manager. When I take a look at how CMMS data is used by my clients that I see far too often that data underutilization is rife, and that data is metaphorically buried never to be seen again. So the simple message to my fellow maintenance professionals is that when it comes to the CMMS don’t bury data, be a data miner!
Reviving Computerized Maintenance Management System Best Practices
It’s time for maintainers to rethink their CMMS strategy and unlock its full potential. Here are three best practices to ensure that your CMMS becomes a data mine, rather than a data graveyard:
Budget and Time
A major change that is needed in implementing CMMS optimisation is provision of an ongoing budget to manage and train our people to interrogate and manipulate CMMS data. If our employees do not know how to add intelligence to the data to solve problems, then we can’t expect them to use that data to improve machine reliability. Plan time into the budget to train staff on FRACAS, 6 Sigma DMAIC, trend analysis, FMECA, and other established statistical and Lean tools that will exploit your collected data. A well-informed team is more likely to use the system effectively and consistently.
Set Clear Expectations
There should be a business expectation that data is a source to drive business. When leaders set the expectation, lead by example, and remove the barriers, then data driven business becomes a source for driving revenue and increasing margin.
Regularly Review and Refine Computerized Maintenance Management System Processes
Continuously evaluate your CMMS data interrogation and mining processes and adapt them as needed, such as to drive ongoing PM Optimisation. Solicit feedback from your team as to which area or equipment data should be analysed to identify areas for improvement. Use data to find and improve your top 10 unreliable pieces of equipment. CMMS data interrogation should be your first point of contact for improving machine reliability and continuous improvement.
Conclusion – Computerized Maintenance Management System Potential
The CMMS, once relegated to the shadows as the place where data goes to die, can become a beacon of efficiency and intelligence in building your machine reliability. To achieve this transformation, we as maintenance professionals must recognize that the CMMS is not just a data repository but a powerful tool for optimizing machine reliability.
By investing in training, integrating with cutting-edge tools and technologies, setting data entry standards, prioritizing data use and fostering a culture of data interrogation and continuous improvement, maintenance leadership can breathe life into their CMMS.
Only with use will your Computerized Maintenance Management System evolve from a stagnant data graveyard to a fuel tank to drive machine availability and operational excellence in the Industry 4.0 digital age.
The Leader’s Journey from Command and Control to Mission Command
Every maintenance leader has their own leadership style either by intent or nature. Here I consider two styles of leadership and make comparisons in their operation between military and industrial practice. Those two styles are ‘Command and Control’ and ‘Mission Command.’
The journey from command and control to mission command represents a major and sometimes difficult shift in management and leadership style.
Command and Control
Command and control refers to a hierarchical management style in which decision-making and control of information flows from the top down. This style of management can be effective in certain contexts, such as in military operations or in emergency response situations where swift and decisive action is needed. However, it can also stifle innovation and creativity, limit employee autonomy, and result in a lack of engagement and buy-in from team members.
Mission Command
In contrast, mission command is a more collaborative and decentralised approach to management that emphasises trust, autonomy, and shared purpose. In a mission command environment, teams make their own decisions and solve problems on their own, while still working towards a shared goal. Leaders in a mission command environment focus on facilitating communication and providing resources to support their teams. Having spent 30 years in the military I certainly saw command and control in action but a civilian reading this article may be surprised that we practised mission command rather than command and control whenever possible.
The Journey from Command and Control to Mission Command
The journey from command and control to mission command requires a fundamental shift in mindset, as well as a willingness to embrace new ways of working. This transition can involve changes in organisational structure, processes, and culture. It also requires leaders to adopt new leadership practices, such as active listening, coaching, and providing feedback. Having now spent 15 years in the civilian industry, I as a military veteran am often surprised at how often command and control operates on the shop floor rather than mission command and will take a few moments to reflect on why that might be.
Sink or Swim
Whether leaders sink or swim, in both the military and the civilian world is reliant on several factors amongst which are training and opportunity.
The civilian world does not seem to train leadership before appointments are made with one statistic putting the average age of leadership training in industry at 41-45 years old!
Is it any wonder then that the default method of command and control or ‘leadership by shouting’, is the self-perpetuating norm.
I can speak from experience that when in ‘live fire’ situations nobody is looking for a discussion on the pros or cons of taking cover and shooting back. Our immediate action is well-rehearsed, practised and refined; command and control is exactly what is needed. Command and control in this instance is a fallback built on instinct, necessity and an overwhelming sense of survival ensuring your team mate is safe even before considering your own safety. One of the team screams out “take cover,” and every team member does a duck and roll, opening fire on the enemy or awaiting the fire instruction.
In a safety situation in a paper mill I have used that same command and control to immediately shut down the machine if I see an unsafe condition, a missing safety guard, a broken light curtain or a technician working alone when they should have a safety watch.
But even in the military command and control is not the norm, it’s exhausting, demoralising and does not provide our soldiers, sailors and airmen with the experience, the headspace, to be able to think for themselves: which is vital in peace and war and in both military and civilian life.
More interesting then, is why so many leaders in industry adopt command and control as a primary style when no one is being shot at and everyone is safe. In large part I think that this is due to a fundamental difference between military leaders and shop floor leaders. As a 16 year old in basic training I was being taught about leadership and followership long before I began my engineering training. In fact, if a recruit did not pass leadership training they would be ‘shown the door’ without any chance of beginning engineering training. So, Leadership came first.
Now I am not saying that we should train our technicians to be leaders before they start an apprenticeship or join our company but, we should be providing leadership opportunities throughout a technician’s career and certainly be providing leadership training before we promote them to be supervisors or managers with leadership responsibilities. We would not let a technician carry out a job if they were not trained or certified in that task but we will let them lead others without preparing them to be successful. Industrial experience is replete with stories where poor leadership has caused people to be hurt or worse, so why the reticence to spend some budget money on training our people to lead.
Once we passed leadership in the military we were then given opportunities to practise leadership under as realistic a scenario as possible. Likewise, if we do not give our people opportunities to raise their game and practice leadership before they get into a leadership position then how can they be ready for the responsibilities of leadership?
How can they promote physical and psychological safety if they do not get the training and opportunity?
Climate Control
Providing for the application of mission command on the shop floor is what I think of as Climate Control. That is the responsibility of leadership to control an organisational climate, wherein people are provided with the opportunities to practise leadership, where they are coached not told, where there is a climate of learning in a safe environment so that when they are put into the position of leadership they are somewhat prepared to know how leadership ‘feels.’
The move from command and control to mission command is not easy, but this change consistently results in better leaders with greater employee engagement, more innovation, and increased productivity. Climate control can also help organisations to better adapt to a rapidly changing business environment and better serve their customers. However, this transition does not happen by accident and takes planning, training, and opportunity.
If we want great companies we need great leaders and that always starts with you and me.
Effective Strategies for Management of Critical Spare Parts and Stocks
Working closely with storeroom and purchasing leadership is essential to determine asset criticality and managing spare parts inventory. The goal is to maintain high OEE through availability and optimum process speed while minimising inventory value. Often, excess inventory ties up capital while critical components are lacking.
Here are effective strategies to build a robust critical asset and inventory management process:
Conduct an Asset Criticality Assessment
- Identify assets with the greatest impact on production and maintenance costs. Consider factors like function, process criticality, failure history and failure impact.
- Assign a criticality ranking to each asset:
- Criticality 1 – Shuts down entire plant or multiple lines
- Criticality 2 – Shuts down one line
- Criticality 3 – Slows production
- Focus time, effort and money where it will achieve the best ROI.
Perform Failure Mode Analysis
- Do Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) on critical assets. Identify potential failure modes, causes and consequences.
- Prioritise assets based on failure severity and likelihood.
- Alternatively, leverage existing failure data to build a Failure Reporting and Criticality Analysis (FRACAS) database. FRACAS supports proactive failure management, reducing downtime and costs.
Analyse Reliability Data
- Analyse historical maintenance data and reliability metrics like MTBF, MTTR.
- Identify failure patterns and critical spares for frequently failing or long lead time components.
Classify Spare Parts
- Categorise spare parts as critical, essential or non-critical:
- Critical – Required to restore asset/line functionality promptly
- Essential – Necessary but may have longer lead times
- Non-critical – Readily available or minimal production impact
Evaluate Spare Part Availability
- Consider availability, lead time, supplier reliability and cost for each critical spare.
- Prioritise spares with higher failure probability or long lead times.
Optimise Inventory Levels
- Determine appropriate stock levels based on asset criticality, failure rates and lead times.
- Implement inventory techniques like JIT and min/max to balance availability and excess inventory.
Build Supplier Relationships
- Foster supplier relationships and service agreements to enable prompt delivery of critical spares.
Continuously Review and Optimise
- Regularly review assets, inventory and strategy based on updated data and operational changes.
- Continually align maintenance strategy to business needs.
Set Minimum and Maximum Levels
To establish component min/max levels:
- Analyse historical usage, lead times and failure data. Understand consumption rate, frequency and lead times.
- Calculate reorder point (ROP) based on lead time demand and safety stock to account for uncertainties.
- Set minimum level above ROP to avoid stockouts before replenishment.
- Determine maximum level based on storage space, costs of excess inventory and other factors.
- Prioritise levels based on component criticality.
- Optimise using techniques like EOQ, JIT and MRP.
- Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined removal tracking.
- Continuously monitor, review and adjust levels based on changing requirements.
The criticality of assets and required spares evolves over time. Maintain ongoing evaluation and adjustment to align your strategy with business needs. Setting stock levels is an iterative process requiring discipline, data analysis and refinement based on circumstances.
Embarking on the Path to Operational Excellence
Operational Excellence is the ongoing practice of enhancing business operations to achieve superior performance and efficiency. Here are the steps to guide you on your own path towards operational excellence:
- Define your objectives: Before initiating any improvement efforts, it’s important to establish your aims and objectives clearly. What do you want to accomplish? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will evaluate success?
- Identify areas for improvement: With a clear understanding of your objectives, you need to pinpoint the aspects of your business that require enhancement. This may involve scrutinising your current processes and systems to identify inefficiencies or opportunities for optimisation.
- Develop a plan: After identifying areas for improvement, you must devise a plan to achieve your objectives. This plan should encompass specific goals, timelines, and metrics for monitoring progress.
- Implement the plan: With a plan in place, it is time to begin implementing it. This might involve altering your processes, systems or organisational structure.
Small incremental changes contribute to significant changes over time!
- Monitor progress: As you carry out your plan, it is essential to observe progress and evaluate results against your KPIs. This will enable you to identify areas that are functioning well and those that might need further enhancement.
- Continuous improvement: Operational Excellence is an ongoing process, with ample room for improvement. Ensure that you persistently monitor and analyse your processes and systems to identify additional optimisation opportunities.
- Trusted Partner: If your organisation lacks an Operational Excellence expert on staff, expedite your programme and significantly increase your likelihood of success by collaborating with a trusted partner who will guide you through this intricate cultural shift.
The Unilever Case
To understand how these steps plan out in reality, let’s take a look at how Unilever approached its journey to Operational Excellence.
Unilever’s OpEx success can be attributed to its implementation of the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodology, which emphasises efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing.
Unilever faced challenges in managing the complexity of its vast product portfolio and maintaining a competitive edge in the market. To overcome these hurdles and achieve operational excellence, the company embraced TPM as part of its broader continuous improvement strategy.
Unilever outlined specific objectives, such as reducing downtime, minimising waste, and increasing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
The company then analysed its processes and systems to identify inefficiencies and areas requiring optimisation, such as equipment maintenance and production line workflows.
Unilever then created a comprehensive plan, including setting goals, timelines, and KPIs, to track the progress of its TPM implementation, before rolling out the TPM programme across its global manufacturing facilities, involving employees at all levels in problem-solving and improvement initiatives.
The company regularly monitored progress, evaluating results against KPIs, and adjusting the plan as needed to ensure continuous improvement. Unilever maintained its commitment to TPM, embedding a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organisation. This ongoing effort has resulted in further optimisation of processes and systems over time.
Not one to go it alone, Unilever collaborated with TPM consultants and experts, leveraging their expertise to facilitate the implementation process and ensure the successful adoption of TPM principles.
As a result of embracing TPM and operational excellence, Unilever has achieved significant improvements in efficiency, waste reduction, and overall productivity. This commitment to continuous improvement has enabled the company to remain competitive and maintain its position as a leading consumer goods manufacturer.
Key Takeaway
Remember that operational excellence is a journey, not a destination. It requires a commitment to continuous improvement and a willingness to adapt and evolve as your business grows and changes.
Project7 Consultancy are acknowledged experts in partnering with manufacturers to ensure they achieve sustainable success in their journey to Operational Excellence. Save time in achieving your success by speaking with us today.
Change Readiness
Remember those days of frenzied change in your organisation? A whirlwind of decisions, shifting goalposts, and that knot of uncertainty in the pit of your stomach? Change is an inevitable part of the business landscape, akin to an endless rollercoaster ride. But what if we could replace the stomach-churning drops with a journey characterised by strategic manoeuvres and anticipatory excitement? Enter: Change Readiness.
Picture this: an organisation that’s not just reactive, but embraces change as a standard operational procedure, consistently capitalising on opportunities, minimising risks, and maintaining performance. Can you see it?
At the heart of such an organisation is a new breed of leadership – one that reframes, reinterprets, and reforms operations at a moment’s notice. Sound challenging? It is. But necessary. After all, “just to get things done” (McWhinney, 1996) doesn’t cut it anymore.
Now, let’s talk about the people factor. Remember those faces clouded with uncertainty during the last change? Change, as chaotic as it might seem, fundamentally revolves around people, whether it’s a new product launch or a return to the office after remote work.
Before diving into the sea of change, it’s vital to check our readiness. Are we ready for change? It’s a straightforward question with complex answers. Studies suggest that over 70% of change efforts miss the mark due to top-down approaches and inadequate consideration for the individuals affected. We might be in dire ‘need’ of change, but do we possess the competence, commitment, and resilience to achieve the desired business results?
Reflect for a moment. How well-prepared are your teams to confront the fear of the unfamiliar and embrace the exciting unknown? Do they see themselves as ‘partners in change’ or ‘victims of change’? Have their concerns been addressed? Do they comprehend their role in effecting a successful change?
It’s about striking a balance between keeping employees motivated and avoiding a steep plunge into anxiety, confusion and disengagement. And it’s not just about ‘coaching through change’, but how kindness and respect play into the change readiness equation.
Remember those delays in implementing organisational changes? The wasted time, effort, and resources? Assess your organisation’s readiness for change, strategically plan the journey through change, and then swiftly expedite your change programme with the backing of your teams, not against them.
So, are you ready to embrace change readiness and transform those tumultuous rides into a journey of strategic, anticipatory excitement? Let’s start turning the wheels of change with the proper preparation and a people-centric approach. Are you ready to hop on board?
Achieving TPM Excellence, the Fast Jet Way
My career spanning nearly four decades in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) still amazes me with the quick progression and significant gains achieved by moving through the 8 stages of TPM.
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Remember when you first stepped into the corporate world? A mixture of excitement and uncertainty consumed you. It was a brave new world full of opportunities, challenges, and tough decisions. How well you navigated this landscape often depended on who was there to guide you. This is a tale of two generations, with differing expectations of work and the pivotal role mentoring and coaching play in bridging that gap.
How to Turn the Right People into the Wrong People
When I am working with clients across multiple disciplines, I am sometimes surprised when they tell me they have the wrong people in some key positions and my task as the business coach or consultant will be to turn these wrong people into the right people.
Maintenance, Lean Processes and the Drive to Net Zero
Never has there been a greater responsibility for every business to maximise its efforts to drive to net zero. Correct machine maintenance coupled with Lean processes (once just the domain of operations) is now proving to be a force multiplier across maintenance and engineering in the drive to net zero.
Who Is Driving Your Leadership Career?
Your leadership career is a journey, and just like any journey, it requires a driver. The question is, who is driving your leadership career? Is it you, or are you letting external forces take the wheel? Taking control of your career is essential for your personal and professional growth. In this article, I will explore the importance of taking control and offer some insights from my 45 years in the world of work that may help you steer your career in the right direction.