CMMS will play a growing role in all energy-related issues, which is one of the crucial challenges of the 21st century. Whether it is the maintenance of energy infrastructures, the maintenance of new energy production methods or the energy efficiency of all sectors of activity, optimizing maintenance and improving the performance of energy-producing or energy-consuming equipment thanks to CMMS is a practice that is becoming increasingly essential.
This is especially true since the emergence of new CMMS solutions, which are more practical, more efficient and more versatile, such as Mobility Work, makes the spread of computer-aided maintenance management much more accessible and efficient. These solutions, using new technologies such as IoT, allow the use of predictive maintenance, which will revolutionize the energy and energy services sector in the coming years.
The importance of maintenance in the energy sector
Maintenance is an essential activity in all sectors of activity consuming, producing or distributing energy and therefore, first and foremost, for energy service companies. This is why these companies are among the most advanced in this field and often use an efficient CMMS, like Engie-Axima or Engie Solutions.
The production of renewable energies is particularly concerned by the requirement of maintenance performance because it is subject to strong profitability constraints. Companies producing wind, photovoltaic or geothermal energy have a particular interest in using CMMS to optimize the maintenance of their production tools.
Maintenance and energy efficiency: 5 ways to use a CMMS to reduce energy consumption
Energy efficiency is a growing issue in most economic activities. It is indeed one of the main means available to respond to the increasing number of measures deployed by governments to address climate change.
In all sectors, improving the maintenance of machines, equipment and installations is a major lever that companies can activate to improve their energy efficiency. CMMS is an essential tool for achieving energy consumption objectives. It allows to reduce energy consumption in 5 different ways
Implement a preventive maintenance strategy
The implementation of preventive maintenance plans allows to maintain equipment and machines in the best operating conditions, which limits their energy consumption and associated costs. By using a powerful and ergonomic CMMS, maintenance teams can more easily develop a preventive maintenance strategy by determining the best maintenance methods. The ability to automate scheduling, work orders and notifications, for example, are very useful.
Create efficient maintenance plans with CMMS
Create digital and automated work orders
The use of a good CMMS allows the automation of work orders to remind maintenance technicians of the tasks to be performed, for example to put a piece of equipment in energy saving mode or to adjust an air conditioning system as closely as possible, which helps reduce energy bills. The use of checklists to ensure that maintenance procedures are completed in full is also helpful in this regard.
Improve spare parts inventory management
Optimized inventory management helps to avoid wasted energy and reduce costs. To do this, it is necessary to collect and analyze maintenance data efficiently, to allow maintenance teams to better control spare parts needs, thus allowing them to always have the parts necessary for the proper maintenance of the machines while avoiding excess stock, which is costly in terms of energy.
Use analytics to make maintenance plans more effective
Thanks to the advanced features of the new CMMS, it is possible to perform advanced analysis of maintenance tasks to identify those that consume the most energy. These can then be scheduled at off-peak times to save on energy costs.
Collect accurate and useful data
By collecting accurate and relevant data on the operation of machines and equipment, maintenance managers can identify problematic trends on certain assets, especially in terms of energy consumption, and correct them before they get worse. The most advanced solution for collecting the best possible data is to install IoT sensors on machines to measure, for example, their vibrations or energy consumption.
Towards the generalization of predictive maintenance thanks to CMMS and IoT
Predictive maintenance is set to become widespread, in particular thanks to the association of a new generation of CMMS solutions with the IoT, the Internet of Things.
The principles of predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance is based on the methodical monitoring of equipment, machines or components, and a precise analysis of their evolution. Its objective is to carry out maintenance operations at the right time: not too early to avoid unnecessary costs, nor too late to avoid breakdowns and production stoppages.
The benefits of predictive maintenance are considerable:
- control of downtime on a production line;
- increase the life span of equipment;
- optimizing spare parts inventory management.
The collection and analysis of data from different sources allow the determination of the probability factors of a defect or wear. Data analysis is made possible by the use of a next-gen CMMS. The data is collected using connected objects, generally IoT sensors.
Internet of Things
The IoT (Internet of Things) refers to connecting physical objects to the Internet and using the data collected to create value for the users of these objects. According to a study by Mc Kinsey, IoT is expected to become the largest source of value of all so-called “disruptive” technologies within a few years, ahead of mobile internet, advanced robotics and cloud computing.
IoT processes are based on 5 main components:
- the objects, connected to the Internet by sensors;
- the network;
- the data;
- the information;
- operating applications (i.e. CMMS for maintenance).
The impact of IoT in the energy sector
Several large companies, including oil and gas companies, have introduced IoT systems into their operations and supply chains and are beginning to see the benefits. These will become increasingly important in the coming years, especially with advances in data collection, which will improve their use. According to a 2015 article, most of the data collected by IoT sensors was not being used at the time: only 1% of data examined on an oil rig with 30,000 sensors. Too often, the information provided by sensors is used to detect and control anomalies and little or no use for optimization and prediction, for which the use of a next-generation CMMS is essential.
The entire industrial sector is concerned by the benefits of IoT in terms of energy. It is estimated that a modernized and optimized industrial process can reduce energy consumption by 5 to 15% through the implementation of predictive maintenance technologies in a connected factory.
Over the years, energy issues have become more and more crucial for all sectors of activity. Economic and environmental imperatives are becoming more pressing, requiring companies to control and reduce their energy consumption. The use of an advanced CMMS allows companies to better manage their maintenance and respond to these constraints by improving the energy performance of machines, equipment and buildings.
