The CMMS allows the complete management of the machine park, the organization and planning of regulatory preventive and curative interventions, the analysis and management of the stock and purchases of spare parts, the overall analysis of the activity through reporting, dashboards and statistics, while taking into account the reality on the ground and its constraints.
Tools that aim to improve the performance and traceability of interventions in real time. But it is also a turnkey analysis tool that can provide information to experts, cross-reference data from other systems to make better decisions and thus optimize maintenance costs. In some cases, it acts as a social network, specifically associated with industrial maintenance, which then makes it possible to share knowledge, good practices or spare parts, between experts from the same factory, the same group or between companies.
It also makes it possible to exchange with the official suppliers of the platform to recover technical information in order to fight against the obsolescence of machines. CMMS software is therefore the key to simple and connected maintenance management.
But how much does CMMS software cost and why is it not good to rely on free ones?
What is CMMS Software: Definition
CMMS software helps organizations track the maintenance of their assets and the costs associated with work, with the ultimate goal of extending the life of an asset at minimal cost. This could include maintaining assets at a single facility or a range of facilities, or maintaining a group of equipment such as a fleet of vehicles or other types of machinery. Computer-aided maintenance management software (CMMS) assists maintenance departments in their missions: management of a machine park, preventive interventions, etc.
Why Use Computer-Aided Maintenance Management Software (CMMS)?
Computer-Assisted Maintenance Management Software (CMMS software) makes it possible to manage the maintenance tasks of a company or a public administration. There are several types of maintenance:
Preventive maintenance: it aims to solve problems before they appear and cause a production interruption. In IT, for example, it is in our best interest to prevent viruses with antivirus software, antimalware software, or even with a firewall, because an infected computer system can be very difficult, very long, and very expensive to repair. If we also take into account the risks of data loss, the risks of this data being disclosed publicly, and the risks to the reputation of the company, it is far better to do preventive maintenance!
Corrective maintenance: aims to return to working order following a failure, for example by replacing certain defective parts. It can be planned (the machine is left running until a breakdown occurs) if the replacement of the broken part is easy to do and inexpensive. Unscheduled corrective maintenance, on the other hand, occurs when there is a problem that is difficult to solve.
Curative maintenance: when a machine or computer breaks down, it is sometimes impossible to replace a part or make a repair. In this case, all the defective equipment must be replaced with new equipment.
CMMS Software: An Essential Tool For The Performance Of Your Company
In recent years, CMMS software has established itself as essential tools for the proper functioning of maintenance activities.
Their advantages are indeed numerous:
- Optimization of team productivity.
- Increased security of interventions.
- Improved customer and production performance.
- Centralization of information and knowledge sharing.
- Traceability of operations.
Choosing a CMMS software adapted to the nature of your activities will therefore greatly contribute to the sustainability of your business. This is why the tool should be considered as a long-term investment, and not as an unnecessary financial constraint. The CMMS is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most effective solutions for optimizing all maintenance processes and for developing its activities over time.
Free IT Maintenance Management Software?
Here is a list of free software that has interesting performance in terms of computer maintenance:
Excel: All companies have Excel, so this solution is used by many of them. Managing maintenance with this software means you don’t have to invest in additional software. Then above all, if you already have spreadsheet practice, it’s child’s play.
What are the benefits of Excel?
- Creation of intervention plans.
- Data crossing.
- Establishment of lists of supplies, equipment and speakers.
- Production of dashboards.
- Reporting generation.
- Free tutorials on the net to deepen your knowledge and use.
- Mastery of Excel by your employees.
- Time saving and fluidity.
Nevertheless, Excel is fine to start with, but can be time consuming and data traceability is not present.
Fiix Lite: Fiix Lite is the free version of the Fiix software. Of course, it offers fewer features than the paid versions, but it allows you to discover the main features of the software. Fiix Lite is often used by companies in the tertiary and service sectors.
What are the benefits of Fiix Lite?
- Quick and easy handling.
- Professional features.
- Mobile app.
- Purchase order management.
- No credit card required.
- You may already have some sufficient knowledge if you are a small business.
MaintenanceCare: MaintencanceCare is an online software that offers maintenance management in a free version. It is the best known in its category, but it is only available in English at the moment. The free version is available for one entity and one user.
What are the benefits of MaintenanceCare?
- Mobile app.
- Purchase order management.
- Asset management.
- Preventive maintenance.
- Functional coverage.
With professional CMMS software, the invested money can pay off many times over.
Ensure savings with professional CMMS software.
What Are The Limits Of Free CMMS Software?
If you decide to go with computer-based automated maintenance management, the freeware option can help you get started. However, in the long term, it may be less attractive. Free CMMS software comes with limited features.
Although free CMMS software has the advantage of almost zero acquisition cost, the features you have access to are limited. Indeed, if you want to benefit from software adapted to the growth of your activity, you will have to pay for additional functionalities. Free CMMS software only offers an overview of the features of a complete software to encourage you to subscribe to the paid solution.
Also, the number of users for free CMMS software is limited. As a result, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for all of your technicians to benefit from a free CMMS solution.
Moreover, the freeness of a CMMS software is intrinsically linked to the fact that it meets a specific need. For example, to bill your customers, you will opt for precise accounting software. But an additional tool will be required to plan or monitor your interventions in real time.
What are the main limitations of free CMMS software?
- Features are restricted.
- The number of users is limited.
- The configuration can be complicated if you have no skills in the field.
- Lack of customer service or support to help you with any issues.
Should I Opt For A Professional CMMS Tool?
Switching to a paid professional CMMS tool offers many advantages, starting with much more advanced features than free software. The configuration is much more advanced and allows you to precisely adapt the tool to the needs of your company.
In addition, opting for a paid solution allows you to benefit from the support and expertise of the publisher. The advisors help you choose the best offer and provide support in the installation of the software and support throughout the duration of use. This represents a considerable saving of time and you will be able to take advantage of it to improve your internal processes and benefit from the feedback from the editor if he has encountered cases similar to yours.
Finally, a paid solution allows you to benefit from regular updates to guarantee the security of your data and take advantage of the publisher’s latest innovations. In addition, user feedback is regularly taken into account and helps developers to improve the CMMS software continuously and iteratively. The goal of paid CMMS software publishers is to always offer great ease of use and optimal efficiency.
CMMS, A Quickly Profitable Investment
The CMMS is a tool generally considered essential in large industries, but often underestimated in small and medium enterprises, because the return on investment is not always clearly perceived. The product is then considered out of reach…
And yet, its profitability – even for small companies – is a tangible reality and quite easy to estimate, as we will show you.
To calculate the return on investment (ROI) of the CMMS, simply relate the costs and the net gains (gains-costs), according to the following equation:
For example, if the CMMS costs 2500 euros per year to the company, but allows it to save 13250 euros, the ROI is 12.8 for its CMMS. This result is obtained by dividing the net gain (€32,500 – €2,500) by its costs (€2,500).
Identifying the gains may prove to be the only difficulty in this estimation. These must be well identified for the calculation of the ROI of its CMMS platform to be efficient.
How Much Does A CMMS Cost?
Since most maintenance workers are in the field, CMMS solutions, are usually deployed via the cloud with mobile-friendly interfaces. As a result, CMMS vendors charge businesses on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) pricing model. In a per-user-per-month subscription plan, companies only pay for the number of employees who actually use the software.
These plans often come in multiple tiers based on feature level and user types, such as technicians, managers, and system administrators. For example, a technician might need work order management functionality, but not business analytics functionality. A manager, on the other hand, may need both functions.
This option is best for small businesses with basic operations and a limited number of users. Some plans also provide a maintenance portal where anyone can submit a work order request.
Here you can see CMMS software prices and book a free demo version on WorkTrek.
How To Choose A CMMS Software?
Several solutions exist and can meet varying expectations. Thus, it will be necessary, first of all, to clearly define the expectations of the maintenance team and the expected depth of field.
It will be necessary to be vigilant on the user experience and the adaptability of the maintenance software to your operating modes.
In addition, you will need to ensure the quality of customer service to deal with possible problems and know that your request will be handled in the shortest possible time. It’s when you need it most that you realize the need for a good partnership.
Be sure, then, to choose a scalable solution so as not to end up with a tool that will not evolve over time.
