CAFM software is an effective way in which manufacturers can improve productivity and reduce overall operating costs. CAFM software provides the infrastructure to facilitate asset monitoring, maintenance planning, work order management, compliance tracking and more. In this blog post, we will explore how CAFM systems can help you to enable more efficient maintenance and operations.
A CAFM system entails a broad range of capabilities, which can be customized and tailored to meet the needs of the application at hand. CAFM systems may comprise:
- Work order management
- Task scheduling
- Asset monitoring
- Cost tracking and management
- Vendor management
- Equipment status monitoring
- Communications infrastructure
- And more
In addition, CAFM systems can play a key role in maintenance planning, based on the capabilities mentioned above.
Read on to learn more about the capabilities of computer-aided facilities management system frameworks and software.
What are common capabilities of CAFM software?
What is CAFM software useful for? The below examples describe some of the ways that this technology can help to contribute to more effective operations.
- Building management and administration: Building management is one of the most critical aspects of any manufacturing operation, and CAFM tools can help facilities managers to find new efficiencies and areas in which processes can be improved. CAFM software can generate analytics and metrics for building management tasks and processes, allowing manufacturers to enable more efficient equipment layouts and facility floorplans while also creating more effective maintenance planning and personnel allotment.
- Maintenance management: As referenced above, CAFM systems can make a significant impact on maintenance effectiveness. CAFM software can enable maintenance task ticketing and monitoring and can help technicians to prioritize and carry out tasks in the most productive way possible. These systems can help track scheduled maintenance, and with the right tools, equipment and analytics in place, can introduce vast efficiencies by enabling predictive maintenance.
- Space management: Space management is a key consideration for facilities and operations of any size, large or small. This area of operations involves floorplan and footprint planning, logistical procedures, inventory space management and more — and can make a major difference in the overall productivity of the facility. Applying CAFM to space management can help to create more efficient overall processes throughout the plant, through monitoring inventory availability, tracking movement to complete tasks, and ensuring that the efficacy and value of available space is being recorded and analyzed.
- Asset tracking: Industrial asset management should play a role in overall logistical and process analysis as part of maximizing efficiency and value in operations. By monitoring asset health, condition and availability — especially when using real-time monitoring as enabled by industrial sensors — facilities can enable significant efficiency in maintenance planning, supplier management and resource scheduling.
- Energy management: CAFM can help to optimize energy management and usage through equipment performance monitoring, using technology to deliver insights into equipment energy intake and helping to alert if abnormal energy draws are identified. By illustrating the overall picture of energy needs and use across the facility, management software can help to meet sustainability goals and requirements.
Benefits of CAFM software
CAFM software offers numerous benefits. These include:
- Maintenance efficiency: CAFM can play a key role in more targeted, focused and efficient maintenance practices, such as predictive maintenance. By providing the framework to collect and analyze real-time equipment performance data through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, software and technicians can identify the underpinnings of any potential maintenance issues long before they become bigger problems. CAFM software can then help to identify the least impactful time to take equipment offline for further diagnostics and any required maintenance. In addition, CAFM scheduling tools ensure that scheduled maintenance tasks are conducted on-time and when required.
- Improved organization and record-keeping: CAFM software provides a centralized location for, essentially, any type of information and record-keeping that the facility requires. The customizable, modular nature of CAFM tools means that one piece of software can be set up to serve many purposes for different departments throughout the organization while enabling all systems to “talk to” one another to facilitate effective reporting and analytics. With reports and analytics in hand, personnel are better equipped to make knowledgeable decisions that can drive further productivity and cost reductions.
- More efficient asset usage: CAFM can help manufacturers to get more value out of every dollar that they spend on assets, whether inventory, equipment, personnel or processes. By monitoring processes, status and performance across the board, software tools can help identify potential areas for improvement and increased efficiency and can track the results of every decision made for further analysis and refinement.
With this information in hand, you are prepared to ask the right questions about how CAFM systems can help you. Industrial maintenance services from ATS provide leading IIoT technologies. Contact us today to learn how we can work with you to improve maintenance and operational efficiency.
