Uses at the heart of CMMS for small businesses

Wednesday 23 march 2022

Although concerned, very small businesses have long been reluctant to use CMMS. Discover how CMMS for small businesses innovates to boost usage. Maintenance technicians are primarily multi-skilled field personnel. What about CMMS for small businesses in this context? These structures have long been reluctant to use management software. Now, the user experience (UX) is at the heart of the new generation of assisted maintenance solutions. These new tools are boosting the use of CMMS in small companies.

The VSE that uses CMMS will directly enable its team to save considerable time on both the operational aspects of the maintenance activity and on the administrative aspect such as the establishment of estimates, invoices, time sheets, etc.

Maintenance management, a key issue for VSEs

Optimizing maintenance management is an imperative to ensure the profitability of VSEs in the industry.

Controlling the cost of maintenance interventions to improve profitability

Maintenance costs can represent up to 50% of total production costs. In a company with less than ten employees, controlling this budget item is essential. It requires good inventory management, negotiation of spare parts purchase prices, and control of fixed costs related to interventions (via outsourcing of maintenance for example).

Moving away from curative maintenance to avoid production stoppages

VSEs in the industry are often appreciated for their reactivity. An equipment breakdown creates a bad image with customers. Production stoppages due to equipment breakdowns have a considerable impact on the business. These maintenance problems involve direct losses of turnover. They generate significant costs (cost of maintenance, delay penalties, fixed charges, etc.). Moving from corrective maintenance to preventive maintenance is essential to limit these situations.

What maintenance management solutions do very small companies use?

Stuck between a traditional maintenance management system and overly complex management software, small companies sometimes have difficulty choosing an assisted maintenance tool adapted to their needs.

The Excel version of maintenance management

Companies with less than ten employees often use rudimentary management tools, such as Excel spreadsheets. This type of maintenance management generates information loss and a lack of responsiveness and reliability. They do not allow for the optimization of the operation of industrial equipment, nor do they allow for the transition from a curative to a predictive logic.

ERP, a management tool not well adapted to small companies

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can cover several departments in a company. These information systems are used to manage purchases, inventories, personnel schedules, or equipment maintenance. However, this software is not very accessible to very small businesses. If we compare it with a CMMS software, the cost of an ERP remains very high. The software offer for VSEs is also dominated by solutions that are not hosted in the cloud, which requires an adapted local network. Mobile interventions are not sufficiently supported by ERPs, according to the opinions of ERP users.

How easy is it for maintenance teams to use CMMS for MSEs?

Conventional CMMS software often requires lengthy training to get the hang of the tool. The deployment of conventional software requires resources dedicated to the deployment of the information system or the support of an internal IT department. This is a major obstacle for very small companies. They have to deal with a small staff. These non-cloud hosted CMMS solutions require a connection to the company network. Access to the software is via the computer, which is not suitable for external interventions. Companies must also equip their employees, which requires investment in computer equipment.

New generation of assisted maintenance: finally a CMMS for small businesses

The successful deployment of a maintenance management solution depends on the user experience (UX). 57% of companies want simplified digital tools. A CMMS solution for small businesses must be ergonomic and integrate the new uses of management software. Good news: new CMMS software is increasingly accessible and adapted to small structures.

Saas solutions adapted to small companies

CMMS hosted on the cloud bring many advantages for small companies in Industry 4.0. These SaaS solutions are quick to deploy and require a limited initial investment. Tracking data is easily accessible via the web. Technicians can therefore easily use the tool during their interventions in the field.

Mobile CMMS: features that boost usage among VSE technicians

New generation CMMS solutions provide features that are increasingly adapted to the organization of small units. Among them:

The web interface, via a mobile application, allows technicians to access the necessary information during an intervention
An integrated web portal, which allows exchanges with customers and suppliers
A simple start-up, which does not require the establishment of a dedicated technical team
A mobile solution, which avoids investing in IT equipment

As you can see, CMMS for small businesses has a bright future.

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