Unexpected equipment breakdowns disrupt business operations, reducing work efficiency and increasing costs. When a facility houses hundreds of vital infrastructure equipment, ensuring that they remain in top operating condition at all times is the biggest challenge. CMMS maintenance software helps organizations schedule, monitor and manage maintenance schedules based on different scheduling options. This helps them lower repair and replacement costs and reduce the time lost in last-minute troubleshooting. Companies using computerized maintenance management systems have seen a dramatic improvement in operational efficiency which ultimately results in improved product quality and increased customer satisfaction. If you want to reduce your maintenance costs and prevent expensive equipment failures, revamp your maintenance management strategy with these PM scheduling options.

Scheduling Options for Fast and Efficient Preventive Maintenance

  • By Date

This is the most commonly used PM scheduling approach where you can predetermine the frequency of work orders. You can choose to do it weekly, monthly, quarterly or every 6 months depending on your budget, labor, production outputs and machine run times. The only downside of this approach is the possibility of scheduling maintenance tasks less optimally than the actual requirement. This can happen when preventive maintenance is scheduled for equipment that is not used much due to shutdown or when maintenance is delayed for a machine that is made to run extra hours to meet production deadlines. When PM is scheduled too early, you are unnecessarily spending and when it is scheduled too late, you are running the risk of a major failure.

  • By Usage

Scheduling maintenance by machinery usage or meter reading requires you to keep a constant track of equipment performance. So, if you manage a fleet, you may want to change the oil after every 3000 miles and if you are running a machine that makes widgets, you would want to schedule a maintenance task after the production of every 2000 widgets. While this ensures optimal maintenance scheduling, it needs periodic monitoring of meter readings and machine usage. You also need to enter the readings manually or import the readings on your system for accurate and timely recording. Another easy option is deploying preventive maintenance software that accurately tracks everything from location and usage to operational expenses and daily maintenance. It can also estimate machinery usage and accordingly schedule maintenance tasks on a work calendar where you can also enter run times, shutdown times and holidays.

  • By Priority

Organizations that need to complete work orders in chain can schedule tasks based on prior completion. This will ensure preventive maintenance is performed on time even if different work orders are outsourced to different contractors.

  • Based on Asset Condition

There are certain internal and external factors that trigger an alarm condition which means your equipment needs maintenance. When a machine gets overheated due to prolonged run times, you may have to lubricate vital components to prevent a sudden failure. Integrating a predictive maintenance system with asset management software will automatically flag potential problems so you know when to schedule maintenance tasks on different assets.

How computerized maintenance management systems reduce reliance on maintenance schedules

CMMS maintenance software overcomes all the challenges and issues that crop up with manual methods. It allows you to schedule preventive and predictive maintenance tasks without having to rely on manual records and external systems. It is a single software solution that seamlessly integrates with different technologies to streamline everything – from asset management and work order management to preventive maintenance planning and inventory management.

With NEXGEN’s Asset Management software, you can monitor inventory, manage resources and maintain assets while ensuring that no equipment suffers a sudden breakdown. Control costs, minimize downtime and maximize resource utilization with preventive maintenance software that has everything an enterprise needs for efficient maintenance scheduling and comprehensive asset management.