The Computerized Maintenance Management System an Essential Tool for World Class Maintenance

The management of maintenance in a large industrial operation is complex and has a significant impact on the profitability of the business. Managing this process effectively without computer-based support is almost impossible, but achieving successful implementation of these systems requires a major change-management program over many years. It is not surprising then that there is a low success rate among even large organizations worldwide in implementing an effective Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to support improved reliability and performance. This paper focuses on understanding the reasons behind the low success rate achieved and outlines the essential elements that must be included to ensure a disciplined and well-resourced program that can deliver success. Emphasis is put on the need to gain and retain the support of top management to overcome the barriers to change by convincing them that such support makes good business sense.