What is CMMS for manufacturing?

Before the widespread adoption of CMMS software, maintenance managers depended on manual tools for managing maintenance activities. In the manufacturing industry, as new technologies made facilities and systems more complex, these methods became inefficient and outdated. Today highly autonomous CMMS platforms can complete sophisticated maintenance tasks on their own and maintain detailed records of asset repairs and improvements.

The global market for CMMS solutions, especially in manufacturing, is growing fast. According to a recent report, it is expected to reach USD 3.5 billion by the year 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 10%. The manufacturing industry alone is expected to be responsible for 35% of that growth.¹

In the manufacturing industry, asset downtime can cause expensive disruptions. Modern CMMS platforms function like centralized maintenance hubs, helping businesses increase asset uptime by integrating new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Through the ingestion and monitoring of real-time data gathered from IoT sensors, CMMS platforms help maintenance teams optimize critical aspects of their maintenance workflows. Here’s a closer look at the core capabilities of CMMS solutions and how they apply specifically to the needs of the manufacturing industry.

CMMS tools help maintenance teams in the manufacturing industry evolve from inefficient reactive maintenance practices to more modern and efficient predictive ones.

A modern CMMS platform can automatically schedule maintenance based on real-time data it’s gathering from IoT sensors and proactively schedule the repair or replacement of parts before they fail. This approach, known as predictive maintenance, helps prevent costly breakdowns and unplanned downtime and extend manufacturing equipment lifecycles.

CMMS software automates critical aspects of work order management that have been done manually in the past, such as assigning technicians, ordering parts and documenting completed maintenance work that’s been done.

A CMMS for manufacturing platform can track each maintenance task and keep comprehensive maintenance histories for each asset in its system. This feature ensures rigorous documentation that meets warranty requirements and audit standards.

CMMS solutions help procurement managers in manufacturing manage their spare part inventories more efficiently.

CMMS platforms can be programmed to automatically reorder items when stocks are low and to anticipate shortages of parts before scheduled maintenance. CMMS for manufacturing helps inventory management teams reduce parts shortages, increase cost savings and eliminate human error.

Modern CMMS software systems help manufacturing teams monitor all aspects of asset performance in real-time.

CMMS software platforms are equipped with cutting-edge dashboards that visualize metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) like uptime, downtime and wear-and-tear. This capability enables teams to track how assets are performing and spot opportunities for improvement.

Modern CMMS solutions are centralized, intuitive, data-driven maintenance systems that streamline and automate a wide range of maintenance tasks.

Often, these platforms can be connected to other systems like enterprise asset management (EAM) suites or computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) software. This approach gives maintenance managers a unified view of how all their assets are performing and being maintained.

The manufacturing industry depends on CMMS tools to maintain its most valuable assets. From automation to increase efficiencies, to cutting-edge AI and IoT systems that can perform autonomously, here’s a look at the top benefits of CMMS for manufacturing.

One of the most important ways CMMS tools help improve asset maintenance in the manufacturing industry is by ensuring assets are always performing at peak levels. They also minimize downtime as much as possible. By closely monitoring asset health and performance and automating critical aspects of maintenance scheduling, modern CMMS solutions reduce downtime, increase uptime and extend asset lifecycles.

CMMS software can be set up to schedule maintenance according to time intervals and meter readings, ensuring assets are repaired before breakdowns and equipment failures cause work stoppages. Relying on IoT devices like sensors attached to complex manufacturing machines and parts, CMMS software can measure KPIs like vibration, fluid levels, pressure and temperature. The software can then alert technicians when they reach unsafe levels.  

A strong, well-implemented CMMS platform can help a manufacturing operations team evolve from an outdated, manual approach to a more efficient, modern approach that uses new technologies. Facilities managers, for example, use CMMS software to forecast maintenance needs in advance and schedule maintenance at a time that won’t interrupt the production line.  

CMMS solutions are critical to helping manufacturing enterprises achieve their digital transformation goals. According to a recent report, 57% of maintenance managers in the manufacturing industry still run assets to failure before repairing them, a costly and risky approach known as run-to-failure maintenance.² Modern CMMS solutions help managers shift away from run-to-failure practices and allow them to repair and replace assets more strategically.

CMMS platforms for manufacturing help facilities managers and maintenance teams lower costs in several important ways. Real-time IoT data from sensors attached to complex manufacturing systems constantly monitors asset conditions, reducing the likelihood of costly and unexpected breakdowns. CMMS tools also help extend asset lifecycles so they perform at peak levels for longer and don’t need to be replaced as often.

In addition to improving asset performance and overall health, CMMS platforms help maintenance teams reduce costs by making processes and workflows more efficient. By automating tasks that previously required manual input (for example, record keeping, work order assignment and inventory management), CMMS tools enable maintenance teams to use resources more efficiently.  

Another aspect of maintenance operations that modern CMMS tools improve is the rigorous and often costly practice of regulatory compliance. Manufacturing organizations that operate in multiple territories face significant hurdles in complying with the laws of more than one country or region. 

CMMS platforms automate this task, often through the integration of a compliance management system (CMS). The CMS keeps detailed records of asset maintenance and ensures practices and procedures comply with relevant laws and requirements.

The manufacturing industry shows strong demand for CMMS platforms that integrate compliance capabilities. This demand is due to the many regulations that it faces around worker safety and quality assurance (QA). CMMS and CMS for manufacturing tools help teams maintain worker safety, ensure product quality and reduce the risk of costly fines incurred due to violations.

Industries that depend on CMMS technology are increasingly shifting away from expensive, inflexible, on-premises systems to highly scalable cloud-based solutions that are more efficient and cost-effective.

This trend is impacting the manufacturing industry as well. Many manufacturing organizations are retiring their on-premises infrastructure in favor of cloud-based CMMS platforms that can be delayed and updated as software as a service (SaaS) solutions.  

Cloud-based CMMS tools have many advantages for manufacturing organizations. Field technicians can access the same data on their mobile devices as facility managers who are on-premises; tracking, editing and issuing work requests, all from their phones.

Cloud-based CMMS solutions are also more accessible and scalable for smaller organizations, reducing the amount of upfront investment needed to deploy a CMMS solution.

From maintaining sprawling automobile factories with cutting-edge, autonomous AI systems, to enabling mechanics to perform repairs by following instructions on their phones, here are five case studies for CMMS platforms in manufacturing.

1. Predictive maintenance for auto parts factories: Car and car parts manufacturers often operate large manufacturing plants with complex, highly tuned machines that break down frequently. Downtime can be costly and manual work is both time-consuming and inefficient. CMMS solutions with predictive maintenance capabilities detect when machinery isn’t operating properly and automatically create a work order to fix it, increasing performance and extending the overall lifespan.

2. Preventive maintenance scheduling in pharmaceuticals manufacturing: Like the automotive industry, pharmaceutical companies depend on large production plants with complex machinery to function. In pharmaceuticals, the shift away from manual, error-prone repair to proactive maintenance that can be scheduled in advance is transformative. CMMS solutions help pharmaceutical companies’ maintenance teams schedule preventive maintenance proactively, so systems don’t suffer costly breakdowns during production.

3. Maintenance planning for complex maintenance operations: Maintenance management software platforms help manufacturing maintenance teams coordinate maintenance tasks, checklists and parts inventories across multiple locations. Cloud-based CMMS tools enable this practice by allowing access on a mobile device from anywhere. It improves coordination between maintenance teams, increases asset uptime and helps optimize complex parts supply chains.

4. Increased alignment between departments: CMMS solutions are easily integrated with other enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, making them a critical tool in aligning budgets across multiple departments. For example, with a fully integrated CMMS/ERP suite, the team responsible for financial reporting at a large manufacturing plant can track maintenance costs in real time. This approach increases data-driven decision-making and reduces dependencies on manual tasks. 

5. Increased worker safety in large manufacturing plants: A CMMS designed to meet the maintenance needs of a large, complex manufacturing plant can help improve worker safety in several important ways. By establishing organized, transparent and proactive systems that workers can follow to safely maintain equipment, a CMMS helps cut down on the number and severity of workplace accidents. Also, in high-risk environments where chemicals, electricity and machinery operate within the same area, a CMMS can automate otherwise dangerous manual tasks. It also schedules preventive maintenance to ensure that parts don’t wear down and break while in operation.

CMMS technology has closely followed the trajectories of AI, ML and IoT, with new capabilities emerging when those technologies experience a breakthrough.

For example, the introduction of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms in 2022 corresponded with a flurry of new developments in CMMS capabilities. These advancements included work order automation, root cause analysis and interactive maintenance guidance.

Here’s a closer look at three areas where AI, ML and IoT are continuing to grow and influence how CMMS platforms develop.

CMMS platforms with real-time data gathering and analysis capabilities are at the heart of what tech leaders have called smart manufacturing or Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 represents the idea that manufacturing processes are undergoing a monumental shift due to the introduction of new technologies.

CMMS platforms, with their real-time IoT gathering and maintenance data analysis capabilities, continue to serve as the foundation for Industry 4.0. They use thousands of IoT sensors connected to the internet that constantly share and analyze data to optimize processes, improve asset performance and increase operational efficiencies.

Augmented reality (AR), real-time integration of digital information into a user’s environment, is having a massive impact on how technicians repair the complex, expensive machines that manufacturing plants depend on.

Using AR technology, today’s manufacturing plant technicians can follow instructions about the maintenance requests they’re servicing in real-time using a mobile device. As the technology expands and the shift to cloud-based CMMS becomes wider, expect AR CMMS tools to increase in sophistication.

Traditionally, one of the most stubborn barriers of entry for CMMS solutions has been pricing. Smaller organizations simply can’t afford the investments in on-premises infrastructure necessary to launch their own CMMS solutions.

Cloud-based CMMS has changed all that, allowing small- to medium-sized organizations in the manufacturing industry to leverage the same advanced CMMS platforms as some of the world’s largest enterprises. With its low cost-of-entry, high scalability and high flexibility, cloud-based CMMS solutions are helping manufacturers of all sizes leverage CMMS capabilities for their most pressing business needs.