Strings of lights hanging from a ceiling

Interfacing CMMS and Predictive Maintenance

by Business

Implementing a Predictive Maintenance / CMMS interface allows organisations to transition from reactive maintenance practices to proactive and predictive maintenance, improving equipment reliability, reducing downtime, and optimising maintenance costs. Our managing director, Tom Scott, explains what can go wrong with interfacing CMMS and predictive maintenance – and how to do it right. 

It’s been well-established that predictive maintenance (PdM) can and will provide savings for a business’s maintenance and production budgets. However, using PdM technology does have a cost to the business before the savings are realised, so it’s important to take a strategic approach from the start. Here’s a quick run through some key points to bear in mind.

What does a PdM / CMMS interface look like?

Simply explained, a PdM / CMMS interface comprises a link that allows the PdM system to create a work request (WR) within the CMMS that is ‘tagged’ as PdM-originated; the CMMS reference appears within the PdM system. The interface means that you can:

  • Send the CMMS a WR that includes some guidance on what to look for
  • Include the expected savings or benefits in actual £/$/€ associated with the triggered PdM
  • Allow the CMMS to feedback that the work was done and suggest any improvements in the WR detail for the future

So, what are the pitfalls of adopting PdM?

While there are lots of things to think about, there are a couple of common mistakes we tend to see.

Failing to measure

Just doing it without tracking the savings and benefits is a surefire recipe to ensure PdM gets cut at the next budget review! Without benchmarking, measurement and evaluation, it can be difficult to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) with any accuracy. If PdM is entirely new to your organisation, the key is to start by carrying out a cost-benefit analysis; you can also consider phased implementation to spread costs over time. Exploring options for cloud-based solutions can also reduce infrastructure expenses.

Forgetting to get team buy-in

It’s vital to think about change management, too – remember that resistance from maintenance personnel or inadequate training can hinder the successful adoption of the new system. If you fail to change the site culture to explain the whats, whys and hows of PdM, you can expect people problems to get in the way. Without a change-management plan, internal communications and training to explain the PdM strategy and system and its benefits, staff are unlikely to feel any loyalty or buy-in to the inclusion of PdM technologies.

What are the benefits of a PdM/CMMS interface?

The benefits of a PdM /CMMS interface can be captured In a word: accountability. The interface means that you can track how many work requests or work orders have been raised that represent:

  • PdM triggered savings
  • PdM triggered Plant Life Extension
  • Annual ROI associated with the site’s use of PdM

Preparing to interface your CMMS with PdM

The smart approach is to plan for thorough integration during the implementation phase and use standardised data formats and communication protocols. Working with vendors who can help you achieve seamless integration capabilities will make the process much easier.

Think about any potential difficulties in integrating the PdM / CMMS interface with existing systems (eg. ERP, SCADA), as this can result in data silos and reduced overall system efficiency.

By addressing potential pitfalls with careful planning, ongoing monitoring and a commitment to continuous improvement, you can maximise the benefits of implementing a PdM / MMS interface while minimising risks. If you’re ready to start talking about interfacing your CMMS / PdM, please get in touch for a no-obligation chat to put you on the right track! Just fill out the contact form below. You can find out more about working with us by reading our blog post Onboarding with Diagsol.

A hand holding a lightbulb to illustrate onboarding with Diagsol

Onboarding with Diagsol

by Business
Once you’ve done all of your research and you’re ready to turn your predictive maintenance (PdM) initiative into reality, what happens next? Here’s how onboarding with Diagsol works…

We find out about exactly what you need

Getting under the skin of what you do is all part of onboarding with Diagsol. A site visit and Reliability discussion are free of charge, and we pride ourselves on only providing and presenting maintenance practices that will improve Reliability and reduce failures within your facility.

The site visit

When we arrive at your site, we first facilitate a guided discussion focusing on your reliability, breakdown and repeat maintenance pain points.

We then do a site walkaround to survey the assets already identified as bad actors. Where possible, we take ad hoc vibration readings as a technical demonstration and assist you with asset condition assessment.

At the end of the site visit, we have a wash-up discussion on what elements of Reliability enhancement will be appropriate for your site and we get your thoughts on what elements will best serve you quickly. We’ll endeavour to give you ideas for some low- or no-cost quick wins, regardless of whether or not you decide to work with us, which means that our initial site visit is always productive from your perspective.

A comprehensive proposal

Once we’ve carried out the site visit, we capture our recommendations. The proposal Diagsol creates will contain suggestions for improvement and details on the most appropriate specific reliability plug-ins for your facility, keeping in mind your current needs.

Implementing the PdM programme

Once you’re ready for us to get started, Diagsol provides all the resources, training and technical elements required to implement your chosen solution. Our flexible customer-centred approach may include suggesting and working with sub-contract providers, either to bring in additional specialist expertise outside of our core services or to implement a variety of software and hardware platforms.

Ongoing support

We work with you using site visits and Team support calls, combined with ad hoc online and on-site training, to ensure that your staff are included in the process of change. We believe that it’s important to present the reasons for improving reliability, as well as the methods and processes, to everyone involved.

Remote analysis

Every organisation is different, and we act as an extension of your in-house team. Depending on your internal capacity and capability, we are happy to support remote analysis of 100% customer-collected data. We can train customers on reliability and vibration data analysis, or even support you with expert Diagsol resource to collect data where required.

Point of contact

If you’re wondering who you might be dealing with day to day, for ad hoc hardware queries and site assessments, the usual point of contact is Tom or Peter. For ongoing contracts, you’ll be assigned a dedicated contract manager from our team.

Reporting

Following onboarding with Diagsol, clients on an ongoing contract receive a monthly maintenance summary report, regardless of whether or not there have been any issues. Our service level agreement means that we’ll respond to any specific non-critical queries you have within three days.

Reviews

Quarterly review meetings for contract clients take place on site and give us the opportunity to check your objectives, find out more about any asset issues and keep everything on track. If your facility is experiencing growing pains, the quarterly review meeting is the ideal time for us to find out more and make strategic recommendations.

Contract length

Sometimes our customers engage us on an ‘as required’ arrangement, but what happens if you decide to work with us on an ongoing basis? You’ll be in good company, as most of our customers are on an annual contract and many of them have been with us since Diagsol was founded 25 years ago.

Measurement frequency

Our offering is based on very complex data but, in the simplest terms, we break your assets into expected mean time between failure categories and factor in the more frequent measurement of recent assets in alarm. In developing the right service level, we aim to respond to your needs and balance them with the likely failure modes. As a minimum, we recommend taking readings every couple of months; ideally, readings should be taken monthly for fast-moving machinery.

Now that you know a little more about how onboarding with Diagsol works, why not get in touch to discuss how we can help? Just scroll down to complete the contact form below. And if you’re ready to test-drive a PdM solution, why not check out our limited offer for new customers?