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A preventive maintenance checklist is a structured list of tasks and inspections designed to be performed on equipment or assets to prevent potential issues, maintain optimal performance, and extend operational lifespan. It typically includes scheduled maintenance activities such as lubrication, cleaning, visual inspections, component replacements, and other necessary actions to identify and address potential problems before they escalate into costly breakdowns or failures. The checklist ensures that maintenance tasks are systematically carried out according to a predetermined schedule, reducing the likelihood of unexpected downtime and maximizing equipment reliability and efficiency. If you're a facility manager, you've probably heard a variation of the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This mentality may work in the short term, but ongoing reactive maintenance may fail due to a lack of consistency, and proactive repairs cost thousands of euros each year. Unplanned equipment failures are stressful and time-consuming for facility teams to fix. If your team is still taking a reactive approach to maintenance, it's time to make a change. A solid preventive maintenance program is critical to keeping equipment safe and functioning correctly. [ez-toc] What Is Preventive Maintenance? Preventive maintenance is a systematic approach to building operations designed to predict and prevent catastrophic equipment failures before they occur. To achieve this, facility personnel routinely inspect, maintain, and repair equipment to ensure that it performs as expected by the manufacturer. As a general rule, it is better to prevent problems than to react to them. A preventive maintenance plan can help maintenance managers better predict costs and improve key performance indicators. Preventive maintenance reduces the likelihood of unexpected issues by optimizing equipment performance. The following list outlines a few ways maintenance teams can stay on top of preventive maintenance in their departments: Schedule and perform regular equipment inspections. Regularly clean buildings, grounds, and property. Lubricate moving parts to reduce wear. Amplified controls for optimal performance and energy efficiency. Repair and replace any defective piece of equipment. Develop clear PM Checklists. Define maintenance processes This article will introduce you to the ultimate equipment preventive maintenance checklist that will ensure your equipment's seamless and efficient operation. Importance of Preventive Maintenance Preventive maintenance (PM) involves regular, planned maintenance tasks designed to prevent equipment failure before it occurs. Unlike reactive maintenance, which addresses problems after they arise, preventive maintenance proactively addresses potential issues, ensuring equipment operates smoothly and efficiently. Benefits of Preventive Maintenance Reduced Equipment Downtime: Routine maintenance tasks help identify and fix issues before they escalate into significant problems, reducing unplanned equipment downtime. Extended Equipment Lifespan: Regular inspections and maintenance activities can significantly extend the lifespan of equipment, ensuring it remains operational for more extended periods. Cost Savings: Preventive maintenance reduces the need for costly repairs and replacements, ultimately saving the organization money. Improved Safety: Routine checks and maintenance of safety-critical systems, such as fire alarm systems and carbon monoxide detectors, ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure. Enhanced Efficiency: Well-maintained equipment operates more efficiently, improving productivity and reducing energy consumption. Source: WorkTrek Preventive Maintenance Checklist Equipment/Asset Name: [Insert Equipment/Asset Name] Date of Inspection: [Insert Date] Inspector: [Insert Name] Item Description: [Describe the equipment or asset being inspected] Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tasks: Visual Inspection: Check for any signs of abnormal wear or damage. Inspect for leaks, cracks, or corrosion. Verify proper alignment and positioning. Lubrication: Lubricate moving parts as per the manufacturer's recommendations. Ensure proper grease or oil levels. Replace lubricants if necessary. Cleaning: Remove any debris, dirt, or buildup. Clean filters, vents, and cooling systems. Ensure equipment surfaces are free from dust and grime. Functional Checks: Test equipment functionality according to its operational specifications. Verify safety features such as emergency stops and alarms. Conduct performance tests if applicable. Electrical Components: Inspect electrical connections for signs of wear or damage. Check for loose connections and tighten if necessary. Test electrical systems for proper functioning. Fluid Levels: Check fluid levels such as oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid, etc. Top up fluids as needed. Inspect for any leaks or abnormalities in fluid condition. Parts Replacement: Replace worn or damaged components identified during inspection. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for part replacement intervals. Keep a record of replaced parts for future reference. Calibration: Verify equipment calibration if applicable. Perform calibration adjustments as needed. Ensure accuracy and precision of measurements. Documentation: Record inspection findings, maintenance tasks performed, and any issues identified. Maintain a log of maintenance activities for tracking and reference purposes. Source: WorkTrek Utilizing CMMS Software for Preventive Maintenance Checklists Implementing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) software can simplify and automate the creation and management of preventive maintenance checklists. This digital tool allows maintenance managers to automate the scheduling of regular inspections and maintenance tasks, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. With CMMS, you can automate the creation of preventive maintenance checklists, generate task lists for specific equipment and assign them to technicians, set up recurring work orders, and track the completion of each item on your checklist. This level of organization and automation increases equipment reliability and streamlines the workflow, allowing technicians to focus on their work without worrying about administrative tasks. Moreover, CMMS software provides a centralized database for all maintenance records, making it easy to access historical data and track the frequency of maintenance activities. This data can be invaluable for refining your preventive maintenance checklists over time, as it reveals patterns and trends that may necessitate adjustments in maintenance frequency or procedures. Additionally, CMMS can alert managers to upcoming maintenance tasks, help prioritize work based on criticality, and ensure that the necessary parts and tools are available when needed, thus further enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of preventive maintenance programs. What Are The Different Types Of Preventive Maintenance? There are seven types of preventive maintenance: Preventive Maintenance Predictive Maintenance Corrective Maintenance Condition Based Maintenance Planned Maintenance Reactive or Emergency Maintenance Deferred Maintenance Preventive Maintenance Preventive maintenance is carried out at predetermined intervals or according to prescribed criteria to reduce the likelihood of failure or the degradation of the functioning of an item. This strategy is based on performing maintenance at scheduled intervals, regardless of whether the equipment has shown signs of deterioration. The goal is to prevent unexpected breakdowns and extend the lifespan of the machinery. Benefits: Reduces the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns. Extends equipment lifespan. Enhances operational efficiency by minimizing downtime. Helps in planning and budgeting for maintenance activities. Predictive Maintenance Predictive maintenance is a more sophisticated approach that relies on condition-monitoring equipment and techniques to assess real-time machinery performance. By analyzing sensor data and statistical methods, maintenance can be more accurately scheduled to address issues before they fail, thus reducing unnecessary maintenance tasks and costs. Benefits: Minimizes unplanned downtime by predicting failures. Reduces maintenance costs by addressing issues before they escalate. Improves equipment performance and reliability. Enables better planning and resource allocation. Corrective Maintenance Corrective maintenance is performed to rectify identified faults, and restore the equipment to an acceptable condition. Unlike reactive maintenance, which occurs after a breakdown, corrective maintenance is often the result of inspections or monitoring that detect issues before they lead to failure. Benefits: Addresses issues that were not anticipated, ensuring equipment can be repaired promptly. It can be more cost-effective for non-critical equipment with lower failure impact. It helps identify underlying issues that might not have been apparent during routine checks. Planned Maintenance Planned maintenance is carried out at predetermined intervals or according to prescribed criteria to reduce the likelihood of failure or the degradation of the functioning of an item. This strategy is based on performing maintenance at scheduled intervals, regardless of whether the equipment has shown signs of deterioration. The goal is to prevent unexpected breakdowns and extend the lifespan of the machinery. Benefits: Allows for efficient use of maintenance resources. Minimizes disruption to operations by scheduling maintenance during non-peak times. Ensures systematic and comprehensive equipment care. Helps in long-term maintenance planning and budgeting. Emergency Maintenance Reactive or emergency maintenance, sometimes called breakdown maintenance, is the most basic form. It involves repairs only after a machine has failed or broken down. While this approach may seem cost-effective in the short term, it can lead to increased downtime and higher repair costs due to the unpredictability of equipment failures. Reducing the volume of emergency maintenance is best to improve equipment reliability and reduce maintenance costs. Benefits: Addresses critical failures promptly to minimize operational impact. Enhances safety by quickly mitigating hazardous conditions. Reduces the duration of unplanned downtime. Essential for maintaining business continuity during emergencies. Deferred Maintenance Deferred maintenance refers to postponing maintenance activities on buildings, equipment, and machinery due to budget constraints, prioritization, or resource allocation decisions. While this may offer short-term financial relief, it can increase long-term costs, safety risks, and potential system failures. Benefits: Allows for prioritization of critical maintenance tasks when resources are limited. It can be used as a temporary measure to manage budget constraints. Provides flexibility in maintenance scheduling. Condition-based maintenance Condition-based maintenance is similar to predictive maintenance but specifically focuses on the equipment's physical condition. It involves monitoring specific variables, such as vibration, temperature, or lubrication properties, to determine when maintenance should be performed. This approach ensures that maintenance is only done when warranted by the equipment's condition, thus avoiding unnecessary interventions. Benefits: Optimizes maintenance activities by focusing on actual equipment conditions. Reduces unnecessary maintenance tasks and associated costs. Enhances equipment availability and reliability. Increases the accuracy of maintenance interventions. Source: WorkTrek What Are The Four Key Preventive Maintenance Actions? Preventive maintenance adopts the active maintenance method, which mainly includes four significant actions: inspection, detection, correction, and prevention. Let's examine each concept in more detail to see how it can be the foundation of a successful preventive maintenance program and help the maintenance team. Inspections Inspections are necessary for preventive maintenance and help the organization in two ways. First, facility inspections ensure that equipment is safe to use. Regular inspections help avoid workplace accidents and provide the company with more liability protection. The second is to inspect and protect assets regularly. Check to make sure the equipment is operating as intended by the manufacturer. Detection Running in a "run-to-fail" fashion ultimately incurs facility service costs, which is why many facility managers opt for a preventive maintenance approach. Predictive maintenance allows facility managers to identify problems early, which are relatively easy and inexpensive to fix. Correction Preventive maintenance encourages facility managers to maintain equipment proactively and fix problems before they occur. When a problem (or potential problem) is identified, facility managers take action to resolve it before it escalates or disrupts operations quickly. Prevention Facility managers can combine inspection records and maintenance alerts to learn from past mistakes and resolve recurring equipment issues. Preventing equipment downtime reduces stress and increases facility team productivity. When equipment is performed according to inspections, personnel can focus on proactive (rather than reactive) maintenance tasks. What Are The Benefits Of Preventive Maintenance? The most obvious benefit of implementing preventive maintenance is to get ahead of problems before equipment failure. Some of the benefits include: Preventive maintenance reduces downtime and business shutdowns due to unexpected equipment failures. Using preventive maintenance checklists can improve overall efficiency Preventive maintenance will increase equipment life, saving you money in the long run. Preventive maintenance ensures that all equipment and employees work only during scheduled hours, eliminating the need for overtime pay due to unplanned machinery breakdowns, etc. Preventive maintenance will significantly reduce safety risks for employees and customers, reducing the risk of costly lawsuits and workers' compensation. Preventive maintenance helps reduce the energy consumption of your assets and equipment through high levels of operational efficiency, which will lower your utility bills. Preventive maintenance can help maintenance teams reduce urgent repairs Preventive maintenance can give maintenance technicians a well-defined maintenance strategy These are just a few of the specific benefits of regular preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance can reduce accidents and costly damage even if you own a small retail store or food stand and don't work with heavy machinery or equipment. What Are Repairs? Repairs are actions taken to restore an asset to normal function. It's about restoring a broken thing to its optimal working condition. The extent of repairs required depends on the nature of the equipment failure. There are two main types of errors: Complete failure This refers to an outage that causes the asset to become unusable. The asset cannot perform its function until someone takes care of it. For example, an engine failure can stall your car and make it undrivable until you take it to a mechanic. Equipment failure often results in unplanned downtime, which is often costly and requires urgent maintenance. Partial failure In this case, the asset works to some extent despite the error. You can still use the gear, but it's either unsafe or extremely ineffective. For example, a driver might drive a vehicle with a dirty air filter. But he might notice that the air conditioner isn't as cold as it used to be, or he might sneeze because of the poor air quality. Often, you want to fix partial failures as quickly as possible before they lead to complete failures at the wrong time. Some repairs are more expensive than others. How much you spend on repairs depends on the root cause of the failure. While failures are inevitable, most equipment failures are avoidable. This is where maintenance comes into play. Proactive maintenance can help you avoid major and expensive repairs. Source: Huston Dynamic Service, Inc.  Conclusion A comprehensive preventive maintenance program ensures equipment and assets' longevity, efficiency, and reliability and reduces maintenance costs. Organizations can significantly reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns, minimize production downtime, and improve key performance indicators by creating preventative maintenance checklists and following good preventive maintenance processes. Following a structured preventive maintenance checklist, which includes regular inspections, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance techniques, and timely corrective actions, can also reduce costly repairs. The benefits of preventive maintenance extend beyond just minimizing downtime; it also enhances overall operational efficiency, improves safety, lowers energy consumption, and ultimately leads to substantial cost savings in the long run. By embracing a proactive approach to maintenance and leveraging tools like CMMS software, facility managers can streamline their maintenance workflows, make data-driven decisions, and foster a culture of continuous improvement within their organizations. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What is a Preventive Maintenance Checklist? A preventive maintenance checklist is a structured list of tasks and inspections designed to be regularly performed on equipment or assets. It includes scheduled maintenance activities like lubrication, cleaning, visual inspections, and component replacements to identify and address potential problems before they escalate into costly breakdowns or failures. What are the Different Types of Preventive Maintenance? The three main types of preventive maintenance are: Preventive Maintenance Predictive Maintenance Corrective Maintenance Condition Based Maintenance Planned Maintenance Reactive or Emergency Maintenance Deferred Maintenance What are the Four Key Preventive Maintenance Actions? The four critical preventive maintenance actions are: Inspections: Regularly inspecting equipment for safety and proper operation. Detection: Identifying problems early through predictive maintenance techniques. Correction: Proactively fix identified issues before they escalate. Prevention: Learning from past issues to prevent recurring equipment problems. What are the Benefits of Preventive Maintenance? Some key benefits of preventive maintenance include: Reduced downtime and business shutdowns due to unexpected failures Improved overall efficiency and equipment life Cost savings from avoiding expensive repairs and replacements Reduced safety risks and potential legal liabilities Lower energy consumption and utility costs What is the Difference Between Repairs and Maintenance? Repairs are actions taken to restore an asset to normal function after a failure. Maintenance, on the other hand, refers to proactive actions like inspections, adjustments, and replacements performed to prevent failures from happening in the first place. Proper maintenance can help avoid major and expensive repairs.  

Facility management software is designed to help facility managers and contractors ensure that buildings, whether construction sites, factories, educational buildings, or corporate headquarters, are well-maintained and utilized to their fullest potential. These software solutions are essential in managing the numerous maintenance and organizational issues common in various types of buildings. You may already have an investment management system, but that's not enough for complex assets. If you think it's time to invest in a facility management platform, but aren't sure where to start, this article should help. We've compiled a list of the top 10 facilities management software to help you find the right one. This should give you a better idea of ​​what to expect when looking. What is Facilities Management? A "facility" is a tangible thing constructed or installed for a specific purpose. Facility support organizations, eg. buildings, IT infrastructure and services, lighting, furniture, and grounds maintenance. Facilities Management (FM) focuses on how these facilities are managed. It can be defined as a management discipline that ensures effective and efficient support services to various organizations. It is a function within an organization that integrates people, processes, places, and technology into the existing environment and focuses on improving the productivity of the organization and people's quality of life. What Does A Facility Manager Do? The facilities manager is considered a "strategic leader critical to the organization's continued success." They are responsible for maintaining the "workplace" (such as offices, retail stores, and warehouses) and running business operations. The University now offers advanced degrees in Facilities Management, which has evolved from a "craftsman" position to a professional management discipline requiring initiative, foresight, and planning. Not to be confused with property management, facilities management is less concerned with the buildings and the processes and people needed to ensure safety. For example, they can organize regular fire inspections and communicate with electricians when needed. Inventory Of All Assets At the Facility, Maintained  To set up an optimal plan for the facility, it is first necessary to carry out an inventory of all the tools on which maintenance must be carried out not to omit any asset essential to the proper functioning of the production chain. Depending on the size of the industrial or agricultural company and the number of installations in its possession, the complexity of the maintenance plan can vary greatly. In the most complex cases, it is strongly recommended that this inventory be segmented by sector or production unit to manage sets of acceptable complexity. Definition And Prioritization Of Facility Maintenance Tasks To ensure effective facility maintenance, defining all tasks required for each asset, including their frequency and necessary skill level, is crucial. This enables technicians to assign tasks to technicians with the appropriate skills. Prioritizing tasks can also be helpful in complex situations, where tasks can be ranked to determine which should be completed first and which can be postponed if resources are lacking (such as due to unforeseen events or absences). Therefore, the purpose of this prioritization is to organize the maintenance work better, leading to better efficiency, reduced stress in the teams, and easier management of unforeseen events. Computer-Aided Facilities Management Software Computer-aided facility management (CAFM) software assists facility managers in planning, executing, and monitoring activities, including preventive maintenance, space and migration management, asset management, and facility service operations. Implementing software is also a relatively quick way to reduce facility management expenses. In addition to the cost-cutting benefits, using a software manager can help save time on documentation, leaving more time to think about preventive measures. Preventative measures can also help save money by reducing breakdowns, repairs, and unnecessary equipment replacements. Another type of facility management software is computerized maintenance management software (CMMS). This software is similar to CAFM software but provides greater insight into a company's maintenance planning and execution. It includes automated maintenance schedules with a greater focus on preventive maintenance. With the increasing use of CAFM software and CMMS, facility managers must be aware of technological changes. They should understand the system and keep up with rapid software changes. They should also be flexible and able to adapt to these changes. Choose A Facility Management Solution While there are a dizzying array of variables that can influence your choice of any particular facility management software, general advice can still be given on choosing the right type for your particular business. Using this logic, we managed to formulate three recommendations: Determine the features you need.Different types of facility management software tend to create a lot of confusion, mainly because their features overlap. Fortunately, certain characteristics differentiate the various types of facilities management systems. For example, EAM solutions are known for their rich functionality for managing disparate assets from a single point of access. CMMS software, on the other hand, has a more limited feature list and is usually only usable with physical assets and a range of medium-sized facilities. That's not to say that these types of software aren't mutually exclusive, it's not uncommon for them to coexist and even integrate to work better. Define the main goals of the solution.Knowing exactly what your facilities management software will be used for is an important selection part. Single-site installations usually only require basic maintenance management software, and a CMMS is best. Other more complex examples may require a hybrid solution or something more specific since the increase in complexity doesn't always correlate to the size or number of installations. For example, if your equipment includes mobile assets such as public sector vehicles, these assets will be grouped separately from your company's stationary equipment.  Research possible deployment options.Facility management system deployment methods often vary widely. There are three general approaches to deploying a facility management system: cloud, on-premises, and hybrid. Cloud deployments are relatively cheap, but prices can rise quickly for larger organizations with larger workforces or many customization preferences. Also, since it is the cloud service provider that protects your data in this case, it is not uncommon for them to have the most advanced data protection solutions on the market. On-site facility management uses your hardware as the primary storage for the entire system. On-premises offers more customization than the cloud, but where the data is, you also have to worry about network security. You can expect many different features from a building management system, including but not limited to: The ability to analyze expenses, as facilities management systems need to be able to process information in many different ways—including benchmarking, overviews of historical data, trend detection, and more. Greatly simplifies access to all contractor information - certifications, payment information, insurance tracking, and more. Eases the difficulty of managing work orders, especially for facility maintenance requests. The ability to install software that integrates with various business platforms (payment systems, accounting systems, etc.) to simplify the payment process and minimize data entry errors. Comprehensive customer support is always available to help you manage your facility management tools. Top 10 Facility Management Software Facilities management solutions are designed to assist facility managers and contractors in ensuring that buildings, including construction sites, factories, educational buildings, or corporate headquarters, are always in top condition and utilized best. These solutions are essential in addressing the many maintenance and organizational issues in various types of buildings. You may already have an investment management system, but that's insufficient for complex assets. We've compiled a list of the top 10 facilities management software to help you find the right one. This should give you a better idea of ​​what to expect when looking. 1. WorkTrek That's us! The most important thing is to find the solution that best suits your needs, which means that the best CMMS software is often the one that best meets your expectations. And we try to fulfill those expectations! Easily manage requests across multiple business locations and perform crucial maintenance tasks, including creating, assigning, and tracking work orders. Benefits of WorkTrek Facility Management: Greater transparency and control: Use one platform to track work orders and tasks and monitor your technicians’ locations in real-time. Reduce the number of interventions: Plan interventions and handle work orders promptly. Improve understanding of processes: Create internal knowledge to keep a centralized work history record and better understand maintenance activities. Built-in safety and compliance: Give your technicians easy access to health and safety information about specific work orders, ensuring your organization adheres to the highest safety standards across all activities. Digitize your workflows: Our solution replaces paper and spreadsheets with a centralized repository of electronic documents. Increase customer satisfaction: Meet and exceed your client’s expectations by shortening response times. [cta title=" Now is the time to reduce equipment downtime and associated costs!" text="Stay competitive with WorkTrek CMMS software!" link="https://login.worktrek.com/Account/Register?_gl=1*fpersd*_ga*MTcwMjE1OTkzNy4xNjU0NTA3NTI2*_ga_8N6446P9LX*MTY3Mzk2ODEzNS4yNi4xLjE2NzM5Njg4MDAuNDguMC4w"] 2. Infraspeak Infraspeak is a cloud-based maintenance management solution designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage preventive and corrective maintenance, audits, inventory, and more. The platform offers dedicated apps with custom features for facility managers and technical assistants. It offers a wide range of features, including a centralized dashboard, NFC (Near Field Communication) beacons, asset management, task calendar, agenda, economic analysis, IoT sensors, and electronic signatures. The platform includes a fault-reporting interface that allows staff members, maintenance managers, employees, custodians, and customers to report faults directly. Users can check various failure statuses and plan interventions with information about resolved and open queries, as well as upcoming preventive maintenance tasks. Infraspeak offers a building management module that allows managers to organize infrastructure across multiple sites, identify and trace assets, and view real-time information regarding maintenance, inventory, costs, and productivity.  3. FMS: Workplace FMS: Workplace is a facility management solution designed to help companies get the most out of their workspace and assets. It provides users with powerful visualization and planning tools, as well as reporting options to help you gain data-driven insights into how your facility is being used. Capabilities include scenario planning, sustainability financial forecasting, environmental impact analysis, building assessment tracking, and lifecycle planning. Additionally, it has a built-in solution for service request management. Benefits of FMS: Workplace? Workplace planning and optimization: It has functions such as scene modeling, visualization, two-way drawing, and model integration. These features allow users to plan and optimize the use of office space and identify unused space that can be rented out. End-to-end inventory management: FMS: Workplace allows users full control over asset inventory management. It helps you monitor your assets across locations, tasks, and owners. The solution also records maintenance history so you know if they are still up to date. Centralized facilities management process: The platform consists of eight components, namely Regional, Relocation, Maintenance, Real Estate, Projects, Sustainability, Wealth, and Strategic Management: From one hub, users can easily handle all processes related to facility management. Plus, with its integration capabilities, the platform is designed to work with your existing software ecosystem. 4. eMaint CMMS eMaint Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software helps increase asset reliability and extend equipment life with excellent customer support. You can minimize labor costs by standardizing workflows and optimizing operations with eMaint. Use the system to manage work orders, automate PM schedules, and ensure spare parts availability. Cloud-based technology enables teams to access crucial data from anywhere, whether on-site, in the field, or working remotely. eMaint is part of the Fluke family and is an award-winning CMMS solution designed with the idea of partnership in mind, both in its software and delivery model. Its adaptive interface enables users to connect data for actionable insights, connect teams for streamlined operations, and connect systems for extended ROI. 5. UpKeep UpKeep is a mobile computer-aided maintenance management system (CMMS) that utilizes cloud technology, allowing it to be used on mobile devices. In various sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, distribution, warehousing, utilities, hotels, restaurants, the food industry, churches, education, and more, UpKeep offers a mobile computer-aided maintenance management system (CMMS) that uses cloud technology and is accessible on mobile devices. The system allows users to manage maintenance scheduling and work orders, with tools for creating work orders, prioritization, signature capture, image annotation, importing asset data, inventory management, barcode scanning, chat and collaboration, invoice creation, and more. UpKeep allows users to create custom work orders for multiple purposes, such as creating checklists and measuring values, using templates and form elements. Users can add files, images, and parts to tasks and prioritize work orders based on their urgency. Asset data can be imported into UpKeep from existing files, and barcodes can be assigned to parts or assets, which can be scanned and included in work orders. Inventory can be managed by location, and part history tracking provides users with information on where each part has been used. 6. Hippo CMMS Hippo CMMS is a maintenance management software tool for businesses of all sizes. It is fast and easy to implement SaaS solutions. Hippo CMMS offers a custom interface designed according to users' operational maintenance needs. Since 2004, Hippo CMMS has provided user-friendly maintenance software to companies in the following industries: manufacturing, healthcare, education, hospitality, sports and recreation, property management, and municipalities. This CMMS can be used by everyone in an organization, whether it's a VP, CIO, or non-technical employee. The system allows all employees (regardless of hierarchical rank) to process work orders, process maintenance requests, and manage preventive maintenance and spare parts. Hippo CMMS is coming with all the modules and functionalities needed to streamline maintenance operations: maintenance request portal, on-demand work order management, preventive maintenance, inventory management, fleet maintenance, and maintenance order management. mobile work, reporting, and extraction tools. Each subscription offers an unlimited number of users. 7. Quickbase Quickbase is an app-building platform that allows users to create custom business apps without programming. This out-of-the-box solution offers tools including workflow automation, notifications and reminders, task management, team collaboration, interactive dashboards, and more. Quickbase includes simple web forms to speed up data collection, point-and-click integration into other cloud apps and data sources, robust APIs, unlimited reports and dashboards, and landing pages customizable, and appropriate governance, with role-based access control. It includes asset tracking, inventory management, and maintenance request management features, making it one of the most comprehensive applications for facility management systems. 8. ServiceNow Facility Management ServiceNow Facility Management software provides tools that maximize resources, improve preventive maintenance, and align services with company priorities. This system, which is part of ServiceNow's selection of top-of-the-line products, is designed to offer innovative solutions for facility managers. Using the platform, you can address corporate goals for sustainability, operational efficiency, staff productivity, and even cost control. 9. POC System POC System is a cloud-based facilities management solution that helps medium to large businesses manage commercial real estate and seating assignments. The platform provides a real-time view of inventory and work areas, allowing managers to design seating plans and optimize utilization. It comes with an interactive space management tool designed to manage the layout of cubicles, access points, and conference rooms. A graphical interface allows teams to create table plan simulations, view empty boxes, and manage assignments. Users can use color codes to divide floor plans into different types such as vacant areas, common areas, parking lots, etc. The POC System includes a marketing tool for administrators to select marketing placements using metrics and zoning. POC System's drag-and-drop functionality helps large companies streamline the entire moving process. The platform automatically backs up data and stores activity logs and changes for later reference. POC System integrates with various HR systems and third-party applications like Namely, Active Directory, SAP, and Oracle. 10. OfficeSpace OfficeSpace Software is a cloud-based facilities management solution that allows users to create and allocate workspaces for critical administrative tasks using a wide range of features including desktop reservation, resource tracking, as well as travel, space and demand management, etc. Many industries, including government entities, healthcare, banking, telecommunications, and real estate, use the visual tool. The tool automates and simplifies the complex task of managing large-scale organizational moves and day-to-day employee transfers. Users can employ OfficeSpace Software to manage rooms and track boxes with their assets and attribute information. They can access the software via the web using single sign-on (SSO). A mobile visual directory allows them to find people on the go. Thanks to the space management module, they can fully control their office space. They can also view space usage and view a real-time floor plan. Powerful reporting tools help them make smart decisions about space usage. OfficeSpace Software includes an Asset Tracker, which helps users quickly identify enterprise-wide assets and equipment. They can easily find, monitor and share organizational resources from conference rooms to printers and more. They can also access critical medical and safety reports or generate accurate and up-to-date reports related to attributes and equipment. Which Facility Management Software Should You Choose? Facilities management software is an incredible tool that can improve a business's productivity in many ways. Selecting facility management software requires careful consideration of several key factors. When evaluating software options, consider the software's features and functionality, ease of use, ability to integrate with other systems Also evaluate the level of software training required, data security measures, and customer support options. The most important thing is to find the solution that best suits your needs, which means that the best CMMS or facility management software is often the one that best meets your expectations. And WorkTrek tries to fulfill those expectations!   

What is maintenance metric? Maintenance metrics serve as essential performance indicators (KPIs) employed to monitor and gauge the efficacy of maintenance procedures. They offer valuable perspectives on the adequacy of asset maintenance, resource allocation, and the effectiveness of strategies in averting equipment breakdowns and operational downtime. Six asset maintenance metrics warrant your attention for comprehensive evaluation. Any business that uses equipment invests in its maintenance to ensure that the equipment is safe to use and fit for purpose. However, at some point, you need to understand the effectiveness of your service processes and your team and what you can do to improve, which is why maintenance metrics are essential. The article explains what these measures are and how they can benefit your business. What Are Equipment Maintenance Metrics? Metrics are measures you can use to understand how efficient or productive your resources, employees, or processes are. Companies use them to determine where they are doing well and to identify where there is room for improvement. Since equipment, production, and business often depend on resources, maintenance plays a vital role. It is essential to have productive maintenance, use the correct maintenance method, and allocate resources wisely to ensure that problems are resolved quickly by eliminating downtime and protecting the health and safety of employees. If you have the numbers to explain how well your team or processes are performing, you can compare them to the standards set for achieving your goal. Once that baseline is established, you can often measure some metrics to understand how well your team is developing over time. Therefore, you can find the root of a problem and fix it to improve overall metrics and performance. Leading vs. Lagging Metrics A standard metrics division is the one between leading and lagging metrics. The first metrics refer to future goals and standards and indicate what needs to be solved to achieve them, while the second ones report results that have already been achieved and take time to measure. To be more precise, leading metrics refer to something that will affect future performance, and lagging metrics report past performance. An example of a leading metric is the relationship between estimated and actual performance, which indicates what to expect from the article, employee, or process in the future. Downtime is an example of a lagging metric because it measures the hours of inactivity for a given asset or set of assets. Why are maintenance metrics useful? Once you have established maintenance metrics in your organization, you will reap many benefits. First, you and your team will understand how each employee's actions impact the bigger picture and increase efficiency. This knowledge helps keep employees more engaged, more productive, and less likely to leave the company, which is your goal. An employee may not understand the direct impact of their work on the company's objective. But once you have some metrics in place, it's easy to explain how, for example, the great work done by the team member on preventative maintenance has a positive impact on a project, on production, and on the company in general. Maintenance statistics can also help you reduce downtime and improve health and safety. They help you understand how much downtime you have and what's causing it, so you can develop an improvement strategy. Some preventative service metrics help you determine how efficient you are at preventing damage or breakdowns that could impact the health of your employees. Additionally, such metrics can help you understand if you are spending more money or time than necessary on certain parts of the process. You get numbers that show how much you're spending on processes, and you can compare them to the numbers that a new solution or process would bring. Here are some important maintenance metrics you should track if you want to improve and optimize your maintenance operations: Planned maintenance percentage (PMP)  As you know, there are two types of maintenance activities: planned and unplanned. Planned maintenance is what’s done as part of your preventative maintenance program. Unplanned maintenance is what’s done in response to a machine breaking down. Your planned maintenance percentage is the percentage of total maintenance time that falls into the first category. PMP = (Planned Maintenance Hours / Total Maintenance Hours) X 100 There is no such thing as 100% PMP — even the best-made machines will break down eventually, but your PMP should be at least 85%. Inventory Turnover Inventory turnover represents the rate of inventory flowing through your storerooms or warehouses in a specified period. This metric calculates the cost of purchased stock vs. the cost of items on hand. Tracking inventory turnover helps you evaluate sales and ensure you can meet customer demand. Maintenance schedule compliance Compliance with the maintenance schedule measures the amount of maintenance work performed as a percentage of the planned amount. It's not as easy as it sounds. Dr. Palmer, who wrote the book on maintenance planning, calls this "the most dangerous measure of planning." It's also essential, so here are some tips to get it right: Don't go for 100%. It sounds like a good cause, but consider how easily it can be manipulated. If I plan two activities and complete two activities, my compliance is 100%, not to mention that two activities could only cost me 4 hours when you pay me 40. Palmer suggests loading weekly schedules with 100% of available working hours but only expecting between 40% and 90% compliance. The difference is the amount of unscheduled maintenance that must take place in a given week. Measure compliance weekly, not daily. Anything can happen on a normal day and cause maintenance to be postponed. Palmer notes that "focusing on the week as a whole leads to high productivity without committing to the daily bottom line." Measure work orders, not hours worked. Unless you're a brilliant estimator, working hours may not be indicative of real results, as tasks often take longer than expected. Work assignments are easier to understand and explain. Don't reward or punish employees for extra work. Instead, focus on the success of the original scheme. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) OEE takes three factors into account: availability, performance, and quality. OEE % = Availability X Performance X Quality A 100% OEE would mean your machines are always running at peak performance and every product that comes off your assembly line is perfect. As with 100% PMP, this outcome is impossible, but the calculation can help you assess gaps in your maintenance process. Mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTR) We combined these two metrics because, as a group, they provide an overall picture of how much time manufacturers regularly lose to minor issues like device congestion. While these numbers may be small individually (on the order of minutes), over time they can add up to significant productivity and profit losses. Mean time to repair The MTTR metric concerns the time it takes for your service team to find the issue and solve it, and it helps you understand how successful you are at handling unexpected breakdowns.  MTTR considers the time that passes between the moment that the problem occurs and the time when you can use the asset again. You can calculate MTTR by dividing the total hours spent on one asset’s upkeep by the number of its completed repairs: MTTR = total maintenance hours/number of repairs. This metric can indicate that an item needs to be replaced instead of wasting hours on repairs, saving you money. It can also be helpful to understand if any equipment had scheduled maintenance before the failure, as this is a clear indication that your maintenance process is flawed. The purpose of scheduled maintenance is to fix minor problems and prevent breakdowns and downtime. If you experience unexpected problems despite regular maintenance, you should investigate the cause of the problems. Mean time between failures The MTBF metric helps you measure the time an asset spends working between two unexpected upkeeps. It determines how long you can use an asset before it breaks down again. It does not include scheduled maintenance, as this is not a failure, but a planned activity to avoid resource problems. This metric helps you understand how fruitful your maintenance process is by showing how much time elapses between two failures and how reliable the asset is. If a resource fails often, you won't be able to use it often and its availability will be low. MTBF can also serve as an indication of faulty equipment or assets that need to be replaced when the value is below normal. To find the average, don't rely solely on the manufacturer's manuals. Instead, consider industry standards, equipment health, and maintenance history, which can help you determine acceptable MTBF levels for your assets. Determine the MTBF hours by dividing the total number of operating hours of the asset by the number of failures that have occurred: MTFB = operational hours/failures. The higher the MTBF is, the longer you can expect your system to run without failures. If the number is deficient, you need to find the cause of the issue, whether in equipment or the upkeep process. Maintenance cost per unit produced Maintenance cost per unit produced is a simple equation that can tell a lot about the efficiency of your maintenance operations. For a specific measurement period: Total Maintenance Cost / # Units Produced If your maintenance costs are too high, check your PMP for the same measurement period - it's probably below the 85% target. Conclusion Maintenance metrics help you understand how productive your equipment or team is and how efficient your maintenance process is. When you perform these checks regularly, you can easily see progress or setbacks in certain areas. Using specific metrics, you can determine exactly where the problems are, so you can focus on that point and fix the problem. Software that tracks the factors needed to calculate maintenance statistics is a much better solution than pen and paper. It gives the entire team access and understanding of processes, resources, and maintenance, making everyone more productive and informed.

What is a work order? A work order is a document used to detail the details of a request for goods or services received from a customer. In some industries, the work order is created using information obtained from a sales order prepared by the salesperson working with the customer. There are also situations where the sales order and the work order are the same documents, with the terms used to identify the current status of the fulfillment of the customer's request. Any firm, whether it operates online or off, must have documentation as a necessary component. You will encounter numerous commercial documents throughout the course of a firm, including bills of supply, standard operating procedures (SOP), and invoices. What is work order used for? A work order is a highly regarded document that, once issued, triggers your company's equipment to begin providing the goods or services and begin earning money once the order has been fulfilled. If you lack experience in writing and handling such papers, job orders for internal or external business operations may be extremely difficult to understand. However, you shouldn't worry because this article will enable you to learn enough about this aspect of the company. The exact structure of the work order will vary depending on the type of goods or services required. For example, the landlord can open a work order in response to a tenant's request to have a room in their apartment painted. The owner will prepare the order in a way that documents the task at hand, the materials needed to complete the job, the time needed to handle the repainting, and the expenses involved in successfully completing the task. In this application, the work order essentially functions not only as a record of the client's request, but also as the escalation list of steps needed to complete the job, and a record of how much it will cost the owner to comply. What Work Order includes? The work order in a manufacturing plant is often prepared from data obtained from a customer order drafted by the sales department. Here, the order will include details of the product ordered, including size, number of units, color, and any other applicable information. The ticket will often include details of the delivery date agreed upon between the sales department and the customer. If the customer has expressed a preference regarding the method of shipping the items ordered, this information may also be included in the work order. Regardless of the context, the purpose of the work order is to ensure that all parties involved in the fulfillment process know exactly what the customer has ordered, what it will take to fulfill that order, and when the order needs to be fulfilled. From this perspective, the order can be viewed as a necessary document that increases the potential for products to be prepared to customer specifications and delivered to the customer in a timely manner. For this reason, small and large businesses are very likely to use this type of document in one form or another. Other phrases that business people could use in place of work orders are: Service ticket Job order Work ticket Job ticket Download the free work order template. The Purpose of Work Orders Such a document is only meant to serve the single function of maintaining a record of all work authorizations, service provider information, charges, and job completion times. A service ticket can be created by both internal and external clients, such as customers and staff. Depending on whether it is an internal or external request for work, the paper is then sent to the appropriate team. Vouchers are frequently created by businesses using computer software and circulate through numerous physical or digital desks. Find a quick list of the following work objectives here: Describe the problem, the fix, and the installation or delivery of the products the provision of materials and tools required for the task or maintenance work Provide thorough instructions on the work, job, or maintenance to the technicians. recording formally the resources, labor, and materials used to complete the work Track all repair and maintenance jobs that have been performed on each authorization Contains monetary data like cost, taxes, levies, cess, etc. Work Order Management Terms Work Approver The assignment and authorization of maintenance requests for equipment management are handled by an administrative or a member of that team. The approver function may occasionally be performed by the warehouse manager and the front desk support for customer interactions. Work Requester The person or group that makes the request to execute a certain task is known as the requester. In the services and goods sector, customers generate task orders through online or in-person purchases. Business-to-business requests for work may originate from commercial clients or an internal team, such as when a manager of customer service operations demands workstation maintenance. Field Technicians Field technicians are engineers, millwrights, repair personnel, etc. who are qualified to carry out the task specified in the work order document in maintenance job tickets. The Components of a Work Order Using job order records, a business can keep track of several things and related information. Here are some examples of what you need to write. Mandatory Elements: Any job ticket's main element is the asset. Additionally required is the name of the person requesting the work. Another crucial component is the scope of the work, which will decide the required expertise, equipment, and standard operating procedure (SOP). The description of the issue field must also be completed by the person requesting the work. It makes it easier for the service coordinator or technicians to recognize the issue promptly. Replacement parts for equipment or specifications for specialized tools must be included in the document. Every industry has some form of health risk. The work order needs to make note of it. Additionally, dates and timings are crucial. A start date, start time, expected end date, expected finish time, actual end date/time, etc., could all be present. Contact information for the requester, order manager, technician, etc. should also be included in a service order. As a result, you are able to include things like office addresses, verified email addresses, websites, FAX IDs, and mobile numbers. Voluntary Components: A job ticket can contain multiple signer fields for the customer, manager, technician, accountant, etc. Working hours must also be scheduled for proper billing and reconciliation. It is useful to have a list of tasks on a service order form. It allows the work order manager, facilitator, and client to stay informed about the work done. Modern service ticket formats also have a special field for order importance. For example, depending on the priority level, managers plan service orders. You can also add a checklist of tools, computer applications, spare parts, consumables, etc. to check and return to inventory. You can provide the estimated cost of the delivered order for open-cost orders. In the case of blanket orders with predetermined prices, some companies indicate the actual costs. Finally, there should be an Order ID and Job Title, as this will help you with the work order documentation. The Benefits of Using Work Orders Your company documents all work tickets with the necessary records. The accounting firm will ask for these records during any audit to validate the performance of your business. You make your business more transparent by including service tickets for each service. Clients like working with agencies that value documenting work, going through a client approval process, and sharing collected data. Quickly pay internal or external technicians by viewing the work order and keeping them satisfied. Help the inventory team procure all spare parts in advance so that machine maintenance does not encounter bottlenecks. Review work order notes and take appropriate action to prevent future downtime. Service- and product-oriented businesses can reasonably estimate annual revenue by reviewing completed and billed service order documents. Finally, work orders act as a communication thread between several departments. As a result, your business units can eliminate the harmful effects of working in silos. How to write a good work order? Step 1: The task is identified Maintenance tasks fall into two groups, scheduled maintenance and unscheduled maintenance. Planned maintenance includes all tasks that you know in advance, such as B. Routine inspections and unscheduled maintenance includes all tasks that you cannot predict, such as B. Unexpected failure. Step 2: The maintenance request is created Job details are compiled and presented to the maintenance team for further processing. For example, if a machine breaks down, an operator creates a work request and submits it for maintenance. When a task is scheduled, a work order is created and triggered at the right time. Step 3: The work order is prioritized and planned Some jobs are more time sensitive than others. A blown light bulb does not need to be repaired immediately, unlike a broken treadmill. For this reason, you need to prioritize every work order that comes to your desk. After prioritizing, it's time to plan. Work orders can be scheduled based on a set deadline, scheduled maintenance triggers, or dedicated time blocks. Setting a deadline makes everyone accountable and informed so that nothing falls between their heads. Step 4: The work is assigned and completed It's time to put those words into action on a page. The work order is assigned to a technician, who completes the task. This could be a five-minute equipment check or it could be a complex repair job that takes several days. Step 5: The work order is closed and documented Once you have completed all the terms of the work order, you can close it. Managers may need to sign the work order for compliance requirements. Once closed, the work order is archived. A well-organized work order log is critical for building asset histories, reviewing past solutions, preparing for audits, and more. Step 6: The work order is analyzed and/or reprocessed Completed work orders contain valuable information. They can provide insights into your processes and systems with which you can refine your business operations. A work order log also allows technicians to quickly identify missed steps or workarounds if a problem reoccurs.