Computerized Maintenance and Management Systems (CMMS) are widely used to streamline business operations, but their power does not end in this arena. CMMS technology is also capable of assisting companies in improving their manufacturing processes and to fundamentally change how these processes impact the environment around them.
By using a CMMS solution businesses can lower their environmental footprints and decrease their production costs while still tracking maintenance activities, equipment costs and workflow. CMMs’ environmental benefits make this type of software invaluable for manufacturing businesses who want to move towards ‘going green’.
The climate crisis is currently front and centre of virtually every business-related industry in the world. Every company, business, entity and organization has a responsibility to play its part in reversing climate change.
Aside from addressing this threat, adopting greener policies can also give companies a competitive edge over their rivals while helping them to stay compliant with modern protocols and requirements. Here are just a few of the ways that CMMS can help businesses to switch to a greener way of operation.
1. Lowering Energy and Resource Consumption
Mechanical manufacturing systems are much more reliable and far less resource-intensive if they are kept running efficiently. The global manufacturing industry currently demands over 35% of the world’s energy usage, and higher demands in the future could lead to devastating energy shortages elsewhere in the world.
The amount of water and energy consumed by production-centric businesses is a serious environmental and economical concern. Companies are always searching for new ways to lower their consumption of resources, from using energy-efficient lighting options and equipment to introducing water conservation policies and less resource-intensive technologies.
CMMS systems ensure that energy consumption is streamlined in production lines by recommending maintenance schedules and alterations. This in turn ensures that equipment operates as efficiently as it can, limiting energy needs and reducing the impacts of equipment and assets on the environment.
CMMS can also effectively trace the amount of energy and water that a company is using over a predefined time period, which enables comparisons of past and current usage. These insights can then be used to identify which machines or processes are not as efficient as they should be, and to assist in correcting high usages.
2. Reducing the Need for Spares
At present, it is estimated that well over $1 trillion worth of spare parts and now-obsolete equipment is gathering dust in warehouses across the USA. These unnecessary parts will eventually be scrapped and recycled, with both options negatively impacting the planet.
Companies who are using inefficient management techniques may also be purchasing more spares than they realistically need, or spending thousands on equipment and spares that they cannot make use of.
Surplus assets and spare parts require energy and raw materials to produce, and their disposal will require even more energy and produce significant amounts of waste. If businesses use the right software solutions, they can reduce the number of redundant spare parts they require, their environmental impacts would be noticeably lowered.
3. Improving Equipment Lifespan
When a business retires its assets, the disposal produces a notable stream of waste that can impact the environment. Replacement assets also require energy and raw materials during production and delivery, adding to these impacts.
It stands to reason that by improving the lifespan of their equipment, companies can mitigate their environmental footprints while saving themselves capital in the long run. CMMS’s condition-based maintenance systems make it easier to regularly maintain equipment, which keeps it working efficiently and correctly for longer.
4. Limiting Manufacturing Scrap
Scrap and rework is a symptom of company production system breakdowns. If a product is left without attention for a period of time while technicians fix the problem, it might need to be removed from the production line, then scrapped or reworked through the system.
This uses additional effort and energy on a business’s part, whether the items are reworked (as is the case of defective metal, glass and plastic products that can be melted and remade) or scrapped (in the case of food products, perishables or the likes).
Equipment that is not correctly maintained can ultimately produce more breakdowns and increase the frequency of reworking and scrap procedures. CMMS allows businesses to mitigate breakdowns through proactive maintenance and inspections. This means that issues can be identified and rectified before they become a hindrance or a major financial burden.
CMMS’s inventory tracking abilities can also prevent repeat purchases and expenditure on items that cannot be used. This reduces the energy required for production and shipping of unnecessary parts and tools.
Additionally, digital tracking of inventory can greatly reduce a business’s need to spend valuable money on resources like office supplies, printers and paper. A paperless office is the new gold standard in environmentally friendly operations, and prevents tons of shredded paper and used office supplies from reaching landfills every year.
Promoting Greener Business Operations
Essentially, Computerized Maintenance Management System software is a valuable and accurate tool for companies looking to reduce greenhouse emissions and mitigate their environmental impacts. The software can assist organizations to ensure that their equipment functions efficiently, that their resources are being preserved as much as possible, and that emergency downtime leading to scrap and reworks is minimized.
Using a CMMS can also help companies to preserve the lifespan of their equipment, thereby saving them money while lowering their resource requirements. Tracking asset repair costs using a CMMS can be used to invest in informed repairs so that equipment is only repaired or replaced when absolutely necessary. Experts also note that inventory levels can be reduced by between 10% and 30% with a properly implemented CMMS system.
Properly tracked and maintained equipment can lower your company’s risk of suffering from emergency downtime while improving its general performance and lowering its energy consumption. CMMS is a proven tool that can be used to ensure that your assets are correctly maintained, which is an essential tenet of becoming a greener business.
