| | APRIL 20228MAINTENANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE IMPORTANCE OF CMMS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW AGE OF WASTEWATER OPERATIONSCharles Heino, Director of Municipal Operations, EOM OperationsByThe key to managing any aspect of wastewater mechanical assets is no secret. It is the proper maintenance of assets that creates infrastructure longevity and operational efficiencies; however, the actual interpretation of asset maintenance is often widely inconsistent as a whole. The idea of maintenance is nothing new and has been around since mechanical pumps and components were first implemented in to wastewater systems. It has not been until the 21st century that software technology has been able to finally meet a long-needed demand of point of service tracking within plants and systems. For decades, ad hoc software packages were concocted though makeshift spreadsheet formats utilized within the wastewater operating systems however, they performed little in the way of tracking real-time maintenance. Today, our industry has available many web-based Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) platforms and the most robust cellular network in history all at our fingertips. At the operator level, CMMS provides the capabilities to monitor, track, record, and plan maintenance down to the hour, apparatus, technician, as well as the manufacturer's specification. While many city and county governments still rely on antiquated systems, progressive governments as well as private operation companies, like EOM Operations, are seeing the future of CMMS; finding that asset management and real-time maintenance tracking are not only essential to their operation but the cornerstone of their entire operational approach to creating efficiencies. Organizations utilizing CMMS programs are seeing realized savings when analyzing budget comparisons with the overall reduction of power consumption, extended component life, and greater pump efficiency. These cost savings can be attributed to the systematic approach of asset management when implementing the manufacturer's specifications in IN MY OPINION
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