Why EAM is not the same as CMMS

MANY SYSTEMS, BUT ONLY ONE ANSWER

The market for CMMS and EAMS applications is growing, and when you start your research on the best options, you can quickly get overwhelmed. The first thing to consider is the difference between CMMS and EAMS.

CMMS is a Computerized Maintenance Management System. You’ll find many good applications of this type, from simple client-server applications to subscription only services. However, CMMS is limited in scope.

This is your typical work order management system.

An Enterprise Asset Management System, or EAMS, contains all the components you need for a work orders system, plus the power to track the life of your equipment.

The typical equipment life cycle starts with a build-buy decision, and ends with a decommissioning or disposal phase. EAMS gives you a comprehensive equipment history that includes all completed work orders – and equipment moves, changes, updates, and even user defined historic events.

An EAMS will also bring to you a more comprehensive system, including more options for tracking labor costs and training, as well as:

Equipment and part warranties
Predictive maintenance and reliability measures
Full suite of functions to help track equipment, labor and parts – without having to buy additional modules
Simpler integration options to ERP, HCM, and other enterprise applications
The typical EAMS will also include a greater level of configuration without customization, which in turn lowers your cost of software ownership and administration.

A CMMS may get the job done, but Enterrpise Asset Management helps you build for the future.

AN ENTERPRISE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, OR EAMS, CONTAINS ALL THE COMPONENTS YOU NEED FOR A WORK ORDERS SYSTEM, PLUS THE POWER TO TRACK THE LIFE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT.

Through a CMMS, you are tracking the life cycle of unscheduled and scheduled maintenance orders. Equipment and Labor are typically reference lists (or look-up tables) in these systems. Equipment history is just the list of closed work orders.

Although these kinds of systems get the job done, you may get the feeling you’re missing out on some key details.

At worst a CMMS will simply become an electronic file cabinet, a place for you to enter work orders. Process, history, and analysis is lost in a sea of data entry.

THE MP2 DILEMMA

MP2 was a great system in the day, and it still can be used to help companies issue and track work orders, as well as keep up with equipment and spare parts inventories. Many companies do not want to move from MP2 because – quite simply – it gets the job done. With every passing year, MP2 gets that much more antiquated and incompatible with modern systems, and just “getting the job done” isn’t good enough any more.

Companies still using MP2 should consider moving to a more modern system, like HxGN EAM, and let their staff work in a system that meets business needs, is simpler to use, and conforms to modern accounting, safety, and manufacturing standards. MP2 has not moved forward, but a good maintenance organization can.