Click on the advert above to visit the company web site

Product category: Maintenance management software
News Release from: SoftSols Group | Subject: CMMS system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 20 March 2006

What is Driving CMMS Purchasing
Decisions?

Request your FREE weekly copy of the Manufacturingtalk email newsletter. News about Maintenance management software and more every issue. Click here for details.

Maintec Survey Reveals Compliance and Cost-Cutting Are Driving CMMS Purchasing Decisions

SoftSols Group, a leading provider of maintenance management software solutions, announces the results of a survey which was completed during this year's Maintec exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham The survey looked to address the trends within the maintenance environment, particularly looking at the average annual expenditure on maintenance and maintenance strategy

Respondents were predominantly SME and larger organisations from the process and manufacturing industries.

Results demonstrate that maintenance spend, even in SME's is high, with 48% of respondents spending over GBP1 million per annum on maintenance.

However, 36% of attendees recognise that maintenance costs are too high, and stated cost-savings as their single biggest motivator for procurement of a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Compliance is also driving CMMS purchasing decisions for one sixth of those surveyed.

It would appear that health and safety laws, combined with large-scale costs are driving maintenance issues up the corporate agenda.

Our survey indicates that 20% of maintenance software procurement is driven by senior management, with engineers still responsible for the majority of purchasing decisions (38%).

Interestingly, almost a quarter of those surveyed still rely on Excel or home-grown systems for maintenance management.

It is not surprising therefore that 40% were either unhappy or indifferent to their system, claiming that systems were too time-consuming, not used enough and were inflexible.

Those with CMMS in place accounted for 42% of respondents, with the main complaints being that the systems were too complex to use.

One of the ways to try and optimise maintenance operations is to outsource it.

With outsourcing becoming increasingly widespread, we asked respondents how much of their maintenance process was outsourced.

Given that 54% of companies outsource less than 25% of the process, it would suggest that they prefer to perform maintenance themselves.

David Hipkin, Managing Director of the SoftSols Group comments: "The survey has confirmed our belief that maintenance software is not being used to best effect in the UK manufacturing industry".

"Engineers feel their systems are too complex and time consuming and are still looking for effective ways to drive down maintenance costs".

"The survey has provided us with a real insight into the problems faced by decision makers and who the decision makers are.".

SoftSols Group: contact details and other news
Email this article to a colleague
Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
Manufacturingtalk Home Page

Search the Pro-Talk network of sites