Facility management software (FMS) is a comprehensive digital solution designed to streamline complex facilities’ operation, maintenance, and management at manufacturers across various industries, from healthcare to manufacturing. These manufacturers increasingly rely on FMS to handle asset tracking, maintenance scheduling, and work order management tasks.
As industries grow more complex, FMS has become a higher priority. Leading platforms have set usability and operational efficiency benchmarks that help manufacturers visualize an FMS’s significant impact on day-to-day facility operations—and we’re sharing the features that power these benchmarks below.
What is Facility Management Software?
Facility management software is a specialized platform designed to assist organizations in managing their physical spaces and assets. Whether it’s real estate, machinery, or IT infrastructure, FMS helps businesses track what they own, where it’s located, and how well it’s performing. Tasks that facility management software can handle include:
- Asset tracking: Monitoring and managing the location, condition, and lifecycle of assets.
- Work order management: Assigning, tracking, and completing maintenance tasks across multiple sites.
- Preventive maintenance: Scheduling and managing maintenance tasks to prevent asset failure and downtime.
Some platforms are known for user-friendly interfaces that enable businesses to simplify operations, while others serve a broad range of industries, from commercial real estate to healthcare. Others offer a more bespoke solution that can accommodate specific needs.
Whether managing a corporate office or a manufacturing plant, an FMS can help ensure assets are optimized and facility operations run smoothly.
Key Features of Facility Management Software
Facility management software can have many features that streamline operations, enhance asset performance, and improve overall facility management. Below are some of the most crucial features that manufacturers will want an FMS to have:
Asset Management
One of the primary functions of FMS is asset management. Manufacturers rely on complex machinery, equipment, and tools that need tracking and maintaining. With FMS, businesses can monitor these assets’ condition, location, and lifecycle. This helps manufacturers avoid costly breakdowns and inefficiencies.
Whether it’s a hospital keeping track of critical medical devices or a factory managing heavy machinery, FMS ensures that assets are optimally maintained and readily available when needed.
Work Order Management
Another key feature of FMS is its ability to simplify work order management. Managing work orders manually is labor-intensive and often prone to delays or errors. FMS automates the process, allowing users to generate, track, and complete work orders with ease.
Tasks can be assigned to specific team members, and the progress of each order can be monitored in real time, improving coordination and task completion rates. Solutions excel in providing intuitive dashboards where facility managers can efficiently oversee work order assignments across multiple sites, ensuring timely execution of maintenance and repairs.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is essential for extending the longevity of assets and minimizing unplanned downtime. FMS solutions offer comprehensive preventive maintenance scheduling tools, allowing businesses to address maintenance needs before issues escalate. By scheduling maintenance based on time intervals or usage metrics, companies can prevent asset failures and reduce repair costs.
Energy Management
Energy management is increasingly becoming a vital concern for organizations focused on sustainability and cost efficiency. Some FMS platforms incorporate energy management features to help organizations monitor and reduce energy consumption. This cuts operational costs and aligns businesses with sustainability goals by reducing their carbon footprint.
Robust energy management tools can empower businesses to optimize their energy usage, making FMS an integral part of sustainability strategies for environmentally conscious companies.
Benefits of Implementing Facility Management Software
Implementing facility management software offers businesses several significant benefits, ranging from enhanced operational efficiency to improved compliance, more specifically:
Operational Efficiency
One of the most prominent benefits of FMS is its operational efficiency boost. By centralizing data and automating routine tasks such as work order creation and asset tracking, FMS eliminates manual errors and accelerates task completion. This centralization of information improves communication across departments and teams, ensuring that everyone has access to the same data in real time.
Industry leaders demonstrate how FMS platforms can drastically reduce the time needed for routine tasks, allowing teams to work more efficiently and productively. As a result, organizations experience fewer delays and improved operational outcomes.
Cost Reduction
By optimizing maintenance schedules, tracking asset performance, and improving energy efficiency, an FMS can lead to significant reductions in operational costs. Proactive asset management helps prevent costly breakdowns, while energy management features reduce utility bills.
Platforms help businesses monitor and lower their energy consumption, allowing organizations to save on costs while pursuing sustainable practices. The ability to maintain assets more effectively means less downtime, fewer emergency repairs, and overall better resource management—all of which contribute to substantial cost savings.
Compliance and Safety
FMS also plays a critical role in ensuring businesses meet regulatory compliance and safety standards. Industries such as healthcareand manufacturing often have stringent safety regulations that must be followed. FMS platforms help by providing comprehensive documentation, audit trails, and features that integrate safety protocols into daily operations.
This functionality makes it easier for organizations to pass inspections, keep accurate records, and quickly address compliance-related issues. With FMS, businesses can ensure that they meet regulatory requirements and maintain a safe working environment for their employees.
Choosing the Right Facility Management Software
The right FMS can transform how facilities are managed, but not all solutions are equal. A large manufacturing company will have different needs than a small healthcare provider, and even within the same industry, businesses may require various features based on their specific processes and workflows. Here are the key factors to consider when choosing the right FMS for your organization:
Scalability
Scalability should be a top priority for any business selecting a facility management software solution. As your organization grows, your facility management needs will expand. What works for a single facility today may not be enough to handle multiple sites or more complex operations in the future. A scalable FMS can adapt to your organization’s changing demands, supporting the addition of new facilities, assets, and users without sacrificing performance.
For instance, large organizations like manufacturing companies with multiple locations often require an FMS that can track many assets and handle thousands of work orders simultaneously. Conversely, a smaller healthcare facility may have more modest needs but still want the option to scale up as it expands or opens new branches. Ensuring that the FMS can accommodate this growth—adding more users, integrating with other systems, or handling increased data loads—is essential for long-term success.
Industry-Specific Features
While FMS solutions typically offer core functionalities such as work order management and asset tracking, industry-specific features can significantly enhance the software’s usefulness. Different industries have unique challenges, so choosing an FMS that caters to the specific needs of your sector is vital.
- A medical manufacturing company might prioritize compliance tracking and equipment calibration to meet regulatory standards.
- Education sector facilities might need robust space management features to handle room scheduling and resource allocation.
- Healthcare facilities may require specialized tracking for medical devices, critical equipment, and safety features that comply with strict health regulations.
Choosing a solution that aligns with the specific requirements of your industry will help streamline your operations and ensure compliance with regulations.
Integration Capabilities
In today’s interconnected world, no software solution operates in isolation. Integration capabilities are a must-have feature when selecting FMS, particularly for businesses that rely on multiple software systems to manage their operations. A robust FMS should seamlessly integrate with other critical systems such as Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems, and even enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms.
For example, integrating an FMS with a CMMS ensures that all maintenance tasks are managed efficiently, from preventive maintenance scheduling to real-time asset tracking. Integration with an EAM allows businesses to view their assets’ full lifecycle, helping them make more informed decisions about repairs, replacements, and resource allocation.
This seamless flow of information between platforms eliminates data silos, reduces manual input, and ensures that all departments within the organization are operating with the same set of accurate, up-to-date information.
When evaluating FMS options, businesses should assess whether the software offers pre-built integrations with their existing systems or if custom integrations are needed. Look for solutions that support APIs or offer flexibility in connecting to other tools and systems, as this will ensure smoother operations and greater efficiency in managing your facility.
Budget Considerations
Cost is a factor for most business investing in new software. The right FMS solution should balance cost and functionality, ensuring that the software delivers value for the money without straining your budget. Businesses should consider the initial investment and ongoing costs, such as subscription fees, maintenance, and upgrades.
Evaluating the potential cost savings an FMS can offer in the long run is also important. While more advanced platforms may have higher upfront costs, the savings they generate through improved maintenance schedules, reduced downtime, and better resource allocation could far outweigh their initial expense.
Additionally, some FMS providers offer tiered pricing models, which allow smaller businesses to start with essential features and scale up as their needs grow.
User-Friendliness and Support
Another crucial factor is the usability of the FMS platform. An intuitive, user-friendly interface is essential for quick adoption across your organization. Even the most feature-rich system will fail to deliver results if it is too complex for users to operate effectively.
When evaluating FMS platforms, businesses should look for solutions that offer easy navigation, customizable dashboards, and robust training or support resources to help teams get up to speed quickly.
Additionally, consider the level of customer support provided by the FMS vendor. Does the vendor offer 24/7 support? Is there an extensive library of resources, tutorials, or user communities to help troubleshoot issues? Responsive and knowledgeable support teams are essential, especially during onboarding, to ensure that your FMS solution is fully implemented and customized to meet your needs.
Cloud Access
Look for FMS solutions that offer cloud-based platforms, allowing facility managers and technicians to access data, manage work orders, and track assets in real-time from anywhere.
Cloud-based FMS systems, in particular, offer the advantage of automatic updates, remote accessibility, and minimal on-site IT requirements, making them a cost-effective and flexible option for businesses of all sizes.
Facility Management Software Solutions in 2024
Choosing the best facility management software can be challenging, with a wide variety of platforms available. Some FMS solutions for 2024 include CERDAAC for its asset management, work order tracking, preventative maintenance, compliance tracking. It’s easy to use, customizable, and purpose-built for regulated manufacturers.
If you need a less comprehensive option, there’s also GoFMX offering asset management, work order tracking, SafetyCulture with its inspection and audit tools, or FMSystems that focus on real estate and space management, with a focus on preventive maintenance.
CERDAAC positions itself as a competitive alternative by offering advanced technical integrations and industry-specific solutions for manufacturers, healthcare providers, and others.
Ready to explore how CERDAAC’s facility management software can address your operational challenges? Request a demo or consultation today to see how we can help streamline your facility management processes, reduce costs, and improve asset performance today!
