Asset maintenance the key to reducing your companys carbon footprint

If your motor vehicle undergoes regular servicing, it’s proven to run more safely, efficiently, sustainably, and drive the road less travelled for much longer.

The same goes for your own body for that matter – scheduling regular exercise, a nourishing diet, and preventative health measures all contribute to a long and happy life.

So why should it be any different for facilities?

CEO and founder of Australia’s leading computerised maintenance management software (CMMS) provider MEX, Steve Ninnes, said achieving sustainable outcomes in the facilities arena could be a lot more instantaneous than we sometimes thought.

“The best way to decrease your carbon footprint and to be greener while waiting for new green solutions to evolve, is to look after the equipment you have now, and make it work as efficiently and productively as it possibly can – that includes building facilities and premises,” Mr Ninnes said.

“Disposing of old technology to make way for shiny new eco gadgets is not necessarily the only way down the green path for building sustainability, nor is it the fastest.

“A more sustainable approach is to look at what already exists within a building’s infrastructure and ramp up its green capabilities.

“We have all heard the claims about new products that allege to be better for the environment, make things last longer, and cost less.

“The inconvenient truth is, if we redirected our money back into existing infrastructure, we could save money and the environment straight away.”

That’s where the latest in computerised maintenance management software (CMMS) comes in.

“Few businesses operate without an accounting system to manage financial data,” Mr Ninnes said.

“CMMS technology is just as essential for managing maintenance of facilities and production equipment.”

CMMS is more than just a mechanism to capture data, asset details, and maintenance strategies.

It provides the ability to record what assets a company owns and manages, any maintenance work that needs to be performed or has been completed on an asset, and all the information on manpower usage, spare parts, costs and asset failures.

“Given a large investment has been required to establish your facilities, it is just as important to manage the maintenance of these assets.

“Preventative maintenance is designed to stop breakdowns, defects and faults from occurring at the outset, which can cost a company much more in downtime and damaged reputation.

“Proper maintenance not only minimises energy consumption and its associated emissions, but also upholds efficiencies in time, output and of course, money.

“Being green is spending time and resources on maintaining the infrastructure facilities you have right now, not only by looking for replacements that require huge capital to buy, install, train staff to use and maintain, and most of which take years to reap the benefits of their touted green capabilities.”

To make management of asset maintenance even more immediate, accessible, and sustainable, complete asset registers need to be made centrally available and viewable via smart phone devices, eliminating the need for multiple systems and the increased emissions that come with their operation.

Demonstrating businesses’ growing integration of iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices into their operations, MEX has released its first CMMS using Microsoft’s Silverlight.

Silverlight is a free web browser add-on, similar to Flash or Java, which is powered by the Microsoft .NET framework and is more compatible and interactive than competitors.

With MEX’s software solution offering users a “dashboard” to visually track a company or building’s assets, parts, labour and maintenance needs, Silverlight offers greater graphic capability and compatibility with mobile devices.

Mr Ninnes said the Silverlight version of its software was the result of months of research and development to ensure it took advantage of Silverlight’s advanced features.

“In the key industries we service, including facilities, mobile devices have proliferated.   In fact, worldwide mobile device sales grew 13.8% in the second quarter of 2010.  But in these environments, Flash and Java have limitations – particularly on Apple devices which don’t recognise these platforms at all,” Mr Ninnes said.

“What we’ve seen is that the time is right for our computerised maintenance management software to embrace Silverlight as more and more clients are looking for enhanced visual representations of their assets and maintenance while on the move.   Essentially, Silverlight enables users to enjoy the solutions they’ve had on their desktop computer, on their mobile device.”

The move comes as more companies, both large and small, are embracing electronic asset records to reduce their carbon footprint and enhance sustainability outcomes.

“With sustainable technologies constantly evolving, I continue to urge businesses to pursue more sustainable and carbon-footprint-friendly avenues, but always remain vigilant about preventative maintenance first and foremost for immediate and tangible benefits.”

MEX is Australia’s leading computerised maintenance management software (CMMS) provider that exports its innovative solutions worldwide from its growing headquarters in Brisbane. It is the largest 100% Australian owned and operated maintenance software provider.

MEX’s software solutions help users increase their efficiency in maintaining assets.  The software helps users record preventative maintenance, maintain work order data and scheduling, monitor labor productivity and reduce equipment downtime.

ENDS.  For more information, an interview or images, please contact:

Matthew Hart / Kahli Lynam, BBS, 07 3221 6711