Increased availability of data is helping to streamline facilities and maintenance management processes. It supports workflow automation and provides leaders with new and deeper insights into how their functions are performing. Together, they enable improvement while keeping a tight rein on costs.
This data is captured, stored and analyzed by Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) and Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software. If you work in industrial facility management or industrial maintenance and want to take the next step in improving service delivery and cost-effectiveness, this blog is for you.
Starting with an explanation of these two software products, it discusses their key differences and offers advice on how to choose the right product for your business. On completion, the reader will know whether they need CAFM, a CMMS, or both.
What is a CAFM system?
Every medium and large business that owns or uses land and buildings has some form of facilities management function. This department, team or individual oversees how space is used in pursuit of business objectives, and ensures buildings and services are maintained in good, and safe, condition. In addition, many compliance matters come under the jurisdiction of facilities management.
In industrial facility management the emphasis is on supporting and maintaining the plant infrastructure. This can cover HVAC, compressed air systems, dust and fume extraction, water services and waste and emissions management.
In the past, facilities management activities were handled with spreadsheets, calendars, diaries and lots of paper records. Increasingly though, businesses are implementing CAFM instead. These facility management software solutions help manage the physical workspace, facility operations, real estate and asset utilization. Its key features are space management tools, asset tracking, room scheduling, real estate reporting and compliance management.
Many CAFM products incorporate a graphical capability (usually some form of CAD) for viewing and working on office and other space layouts. They also offer maintenance management tools that enable planning, scheduling and logging of facility repairs and upgrades.
CAFM software is used primarily by the facility manager and their team. Depending on the type of business, other users may include real estate teams and corporate functions.
CAFM sometimes forms part of a broader Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS). This will have stronger CAD capabilities and either links to or directly incorporates Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CMMS system tools.
What is a CMMS?
While some CMMS capabilities are used within CAFM, CMMS software is used primarily for managing maintenance operations and manufacturing assets in industrial environments. Its core functions are:
- Provide a database of plant assets
- Log all work performed on plant assets to create a history
- Capture work requests and issue work orders for maintenance technicians
- Support maintenance planning
- Manage the spare parts inventory
Principal users of the CMMS are the Maintenance Manager and their team, including Maintenance Planners and Schedulers. Engineering and accounting functions may also tap in from time to time to retrieve data on asset lifetimes, spare parts inventories and equipment reliability.
Primary benefits of a CMMS include:
- Reduced unplanned downtime: The ability to schedule and perform preventive maintenance should cut breakdown frequency.
- Lower incidence of product quality problems: Maintenance reduces variability in equipment operation.
- Improved scheduling and tracking of maintenance tasks: The work order system gives supervisors visibility over the work being done.
- Extended asset life: Regular maintenance reduces wear on key components, so equipment lasts longer. ends on the type of data being collected and whether it is needed in real-time, only for trend analysis at some later time, or some intermediate requirement.
Key differences between CAFM and CMMS
CAFM and CMMS software help managers care for business assets while managing costs and supporting compliance activities. There are overlaps between the two, particularly in how CAFM often incorporates some CMMS software capabilities for asset maintenance, but there are many more differences.
Specifically, while a CAFM system focuses on building and facility maintenance solutions, often including janitorial services, a CMMS is optimized towards care for specific industrial assets that need regular maintenance. As a result, work order management is a core part of a CMMS, whereas in a CAFM solution, it plays only a minor role, if included at all.
Conversely, CAFM products provide extensive tools for configuring office and other equipment floorplans. These don’t form part of CMMS products because engineering teams will almost always use dedicated CAD tools.
A major difference between the two products is seen in the benefits they provide to users. With its buildings and infrastructure orientation, CAFM maximizes space utilization while ensuring satisfactory working conditions, service provision and regulatory compliance. A CMMS on the other hand, is about managing productive asset lifecycles while supporting immediate operational goals and controlling costs. d battery life, these long-range technologies are generally used only for periodic transmission of small data packets.
Feature | CAFM | CMMS |
Primary use | Facility operations, space & asset tracking | Maintenance task management & scheduling |
Key users | Facility/space managers | Maintenance teams/technicians |
Data focus | Physical space, usage, layouts | Equipment status, maintenance logs |
Features | Floorplans, lease management, occupancy | PMs, work orders, asset lifecycle |
Typical industries | Real estate, higher education, healthcare | Manufacturing, utilities, logistics |
Do you need both CAFM and CMMS?
With the CAFM system handling space planning and the CMMS focusing on asset performance, there are arguments for industrial businesses to use both. However, with their overlap in terms of maintenance management, it’s also reasonable to ask if the functionality of one can satisfy both sets of needs.
In manufacturing, the CMMS performs a more mission-critical role and is therefore more important. Most CMMS products can be used for some facility operations matters like infrastructure maintenance and regulatory compliance, and layouts can be handled through CAD.
In larger industrial businesses though, and especially those operating across multiple sites or leasing property, CAFM’s focus on space utilization can be helpful in optimizing building and land utilization and meeting compliance obligations.
The alternative to using two separate software products, and allocating responsibilities while avoiding overlaps, is to adopt an IWMS solution. This can drive more holistic facility performance improvement, avoiding duplication and gaps between CAFM and CMMS coverage.
How to choose the right system for your facility
Choosing the right product comes down to evaluating immediate priorities and considering longer-term business needs. Once that’s done, the next step is to assess what functionality is essential and what is desirable. This will result in a list of requirements against which to compare solutions.
Priorities center around whether it’s more important to address maintenance challenges, such as low schedule compliance (a backlog of overdue work) and lower-than-desired OEE, or to improve space utilization. A facility condition assessment can provide an objective view of the urgency of any work needed, but for many industrial businesses, unless they are under pressure to find more space for production, maintenance is usually the more pressing concern.
Longer-term needs can include the possibility of expansion, to new or additional facilities, the possibility of introducing new production lines and the likelihood of existing production being outsourced.
Having decided whether to look for a CAFM package, a CMMS or an IWMS solution, additional considerations and functionality to seek as a priority will include:
- Scalability: The product should continue to support the business as it grows.
- Feasibility and ease of integration with ERP systems: Purchasing and inventory records, along with other asset information, should be available to other business functions.
- IoT sensor compatibility: As manufacturers make greater use of predictive maintenance analytics, so the need to connect with machine health sensors will grow. This should be supported by the maintenance management system.
- Mobile access: With CMMS solutions the ability to access records remotely can give a significant boost to productivity. While also useful with CAFM products, the benefits are smaller.
- Ease of use: While training is needed for any new system, workers adapt more easily to platforms that are user-friendly and that integrate with existing workflows. single piece of equipment. Choosing the right platform supports scalable asset management and enables the use of predictive maintenance programs.
Partnering with ATS for smart maintenance solutions
A modern CMMS is essential for manufacturers serious about upgrading their maintenance capabilities and performance. The guidance offered here is a starting point for system selection but given the ways in which production machinery and maintenance technologies are advancing, expert advice is essential. By consulting industrial maintenance specialists, a manufacturer can reduce the risk of being stuck with a system that fails to meet current or future needs.
For example, even if not used currently, condition monitoring, reliability services and predictive maintenance will likely all become essential in the near future. Evaluating systems for this kind of functionality is difficult without relevant experience in their use.
Formed by industrial maintenance specialists in 1985, for over 40 years ATS has helped businesses improve the effectiveness of their asset care capabilities. Services provided include CMMS implementation support, data integration, training and optimization.
Connect with ATS for guidance on CMMS selection and deployment.
