Tue, 02/09/2016 - 00:00

CENTER HARBOR, N.H. (Feb. 9, 2016) – Smartware Group, Inc. and Technology Evaluation Centers, Inc. (TEC) has released the results of a comprehensive survey of U.S. manufacturers and their usage of computerized maintenance and management system (CMMS) and enterprise asset management (EAM) software. According to the survey, 34 percent of respondents stated they aren’t capturing operational asset data at all. Of the 60 percent that said they are capturing this data, two-thirds said they do so manually. The findings demonstrate a significant gap between common maintenance practices in the field and existing technological tools. Modern data-driven asset management systems enable manufacturers to cut downtime and improve efficiency through programmatic evaluation of each asset’s health before a major maintenance issue arises. Non-existent or manual asset tracking exposes these organizations to increased risk of operational disruption. “There’s a significant number of maintenance professionals who aren’t sure how to improve their current processes,” said Paul Lachance, CTO and president of Smartware Group, Inc. “This study shows that manufacturers can do more to save time, money and resources by equipping their maintenance staff with modern processes and tools. The technology is out there, but maintenance professionals have yet to fully embrace it.” More than 100 small- and mid-sized manufacturers participated in the December 2015 survey, which found that 40 percent of respondents use a homegrown application or manual processes to manage their maintenance operations. Almost 40 percent of all survey respondents indicated they are not aware of their system’s deployment mode. “Asset management is a fundamental practice that can be dramatically improved—for cost, time and trouble savings—through the smart functionality offered by current CMMS-EAM solutions,” said Aleksey Osintsev, senior ERP research analyst at TEC. “Increased functionality that allows maintenance professionals to more efficiently track and assess asset health will be crucial for manufacturers moving forward.” Advancements, such as native mobile apps and improved automation capabilities, offer significant productivity gains for organizations, many of which cite software usability as critical to their adoption. In a separate survey of Bigfoot CMMS users last October, 92 percent of respondents rated the program’s ease-of-use as average to excellent. Smartware Group, Inc. produces Bigfoot CMMS for manufacturing, distribution, data centers, hospitality, mining and energy and utilities industries. The Bigfoot solution earned a Bronze Stevie® Award during the 11th Annual International Business Awards in the Best Interface Design category. Experience the Bigfoot difference by accessing a free trial atwww.bigfootcmms.com/free-trial today. TEC is provides software selection resources, services and research materials, helping organizations evaluate and select the best enterprise software for their needs.