Today, multi-site technological capabilities are more important than ever for many businesses. We live in a mobile, remote world – particularly after COVID-19 – and the ability to access important information across devices and locations is vital to maintaining data consistency, clarity, efficiency and ROI.
Yet many companies remain bogged down by legacy systems and they do not have the bandwidth or the skill to modernize their operations. This is a particularly relevant concern with on-premise technologies, including legacy on-premise computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS).
Cloud-enables tools, on the other hand, have changed the game. A cloud-enabled CMMS technology can help your business increase engagement and revenue while improving performance, security and reliability. Additionally, a multi-site cloud system can save money and set a strong foundation from day one with straightforward implementation.
An Enterprise-Wide CMMS: The Basics
A robust enterprise CMMS will include components like:
- Detailed, real-time work order management
- Customizable asset management
- Integrated inventory system
- PO integration into other modules
- Ad hoc and customizable reporting abilities
- Cloud-hosted and SaaS options
- Labor and access management
Ultimately, such features will allow your business to increase efficiency, connect systems, reduce equipment downtime, make data-driven decisions, budget effectively, prioritize work orders, organize and more – all from one custom, synchronized solution.
But does your business need a multi-site CMMS? If your organization has multiple locations, there are distinct benefits to using a multi-site CMMS versus multiple single-site or on-premise CMMS applications.
The Benefits of Implementing a Multi-Site CMMS
1. Detailed and Customizable Reports
With a multi-site CMMS, you can pull real-time data and detailed asset or operations reports from any of your sites, at any time. This gives managers and decision-makers the ability to view comprehensive information from one centralized dashboard, which, in turn, could provide key insights into things like:
- The mean time to repair (MTTR)
- The mean time between failures (MTBF)
- Asset life
- Planned maintenance percentage
- Employee productivity
2. Standardized Technology
A pressing concern with on-premise or legacy systems is that they do not often fully integrate with one another. This leads to concerns like incomplete data, inaccurate information, and an unstandardized way of working across employees and sites.
With a multi-site CMMS, on the other hand, every user will have access to the same, comprehensive information – including lists, configurations, dropdowns and system defaults – across sites and devices. Your team will also have centrally controlled permissions so technicians can access the CMMS across sites. This streamlines work, reduces mistakes and eliminates the need to match permissions across multiple systems.
In the big picture, a multi-site CMMS allows employees and management to work effectively and plan for future maintenance needs.
3. Centralized IT Hub
On-premise systems can be difficult to set up. After you buy the system, you must set up the servers, install the software and configure your network so that it works. From there, you must train your team, troubleshoot and continuously improve. The whole process can take weeks to months – which is why on-premise adoption rate is only about 39%.
With a cloud solution, on the other hand, there is no complex server set up and configuration; you simply log in and start using your CMMS. Additionally, your vendor will likely provide a knowledge base with training tools – like video, documents and eBooks – that can help your team members familiarize themselves with the tool. This makes your IT team’s job much easier from the start.
Additionally, keep in mind that your IT team already has a lot on their plate when it comes to day-to-day work and operations. Admin licenses, connectivity concerns and incomplete data associated with single-site systems will simply make their jobs harder. A single, multi-site CMMS sidesteps this concern by allowing for streamlined system management using only one admin license and one master application.
4. Standardized Employee Processes
An enterprise CMMS can also standardize workflows, processes and practices across sites. This allows for changes, transitions and additions to be conducted with ease. For example, if an asset needs to be replaced or an employee transitions to a new position, all the information needed to perform the task or make the change is available with just a few clicks.
Ultimately, this will reduce asset downtime, increase employee efficiency, and decrease confusion and frustration among employees.
5. You Can Have a Common Parts Database
Inventory issues are quite a common concern for businesses in an asset-heavy industry. Your business has to order, use and keep track of countless MRO (maintenance, repair and operating supply) items, and technicians need to access these parts in order to effectively complete repairs. In many cases, MRO accounts can make up as much as 40% of a business’s annual procurement budget, and these costs are often increased by last-minute orders, obsolete parts and lack of transparency across the system.
A CMMS can make your MRO inventory management easier and less costly. By having all part data from all sites in one centralized database, the system can help you:
- Automate purchases so you have the correct parts in the right place at the right time
- Keep track of every spare part, including important details like purchase date, availability on certain sites, where the part is stored, and more
- Inform technicians what parts are needed for a particular prepare and where those parts can be found
- Track big-picture metrics like inventory costs, order histories and usage statistics
6. Streamlined Scaling
If your business is growing, you are are going expand and add additional sites, assets and employees. With a multi-site CMMS, any new equipment can be quickly inherited from the original set up, so you can have the same system configurations, user groups settings and user-defined lists across the board.
7. Improved Asset Life
An enterprise CMMS provides the visibility needed for efficient work order management and preventive maintenance, providing full trackability of parts inventory and work orders, complete visibility into work order history and accountability for maintenance technicians.
As a result:
- Managers and operators can build, review, prioritize, assign and track work orders from any device. They can also receive up-to-the-minute updates when a work order is complete
- Users can schedule preventive maintenance by setting up time, usage or condition-based maintenance triggers
- Technicians can be immediately alerted when there is a new work order and receive important details like repair histories, checklists, asset manuals and more
- Technicians can immediately input notes, mark a job as complete and let others know the status of a particular asset
This kind of insight and preventive capability ultimately allows for better, more informed decision making, thereby reducing the number of expensive emergency repairs, decreasing downtime and saving your business money.
8. Increased ROI
Increased return on investment (ROI) and cost savings can be measured and achieved with an enterprise CMMS. In a recent study, maintenance and facility professionals reported that 88% of facilities with substantial CMMS rollout have significant cost savings, from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. These professionals now have insights that prove CMMS provides an increased ROI, improved decision-making, energy-saving, and facility assets, processes and labor alignment.
Additionally, according to Reliable Plant, a company can save between 12% to 18% on their maintenance costs by implementing an effective CMMS. This can mean thousands of dollars being placed back into the budget for better use.
Final Thoughts
So how do you find the right enterprise maintenance management software solution for your business?
There are crucial questions to ask yourself when figuring out if you need a multi-site CMMS: do you have PM schedules, consistent work orders, inventory to manage and costs associated? Is there a need for your software to be hosted on-premise or can you feasibly move to the cloud? What is your budget and how many users will need access? All of these questions will aid in the selection process.
You can learn more about the benefits of a cloud-based CMMS and how to find the perfect one for your business here.
Want to learn more about how a cloud-based CMMS can save your business money? Find the real number using our CMMS Cost Savings Calculator.
