Defining the Key Differences Between EAM and CMMS

Maintenance management involves a complex system that oversees the condition, location, and upkeep of hundreds of assets vital to your operation's livelihood. How you choose to operate your maintenance procedures could greatly improve or harm your facility’s performance. 

So, which is better to use, CMMS or EAM?

In this article, we will discuss the differences between EAM and CMMS and their similarities, benefits, and importance. 

What Is the Difference Between EAM and CMMS?

CMMS and EAM software are both designed to monitor maintenance processes and operations within a facility. However, understanding the scope of their capabilities is key to discerning their differences.

Consider this metaphor.

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) was initially designed to be like heartbeat monitoring equipment. 

It currently monitors the “pulse” of the factory’s assets, alerting employees when action is needed and helping facilities keep up with routine maintenance duties. 

In comparison, traditional enterprise asset management (EAM) software would be more like a computer system that tracks every patient's vital signs, medication, and body fluctuation from their entry into the hospital to the moment they leave. 

So, while a CMMS gives you a good idea of how your assets are doing right now and helps you plan for the future, an EAM tracks the entire lifecycle of every piece of equipment you own, from the second it’s purchased to the moment it becomes scrap.

Today, EAM and CMMS solutions share many of the same features and sometimes overlap in terms of capabilities. However, it’s essential to understand the differences, their advantages and disadvantages, and which solution is best for your company.

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

Enterprise asset management (EAM) is a system that combines software, tracking technology, and monitoring networks to help companies manage their physical assets. But it’s more than just a way to keep track of your equipment; it is a strategic plan to help optimize equipment use and lifecycle. 

Importance 

EAM is a proactive approach to maintenance. It helps facilities track and predict problems before they occur. It also helps more extensive facilities consolidate maintenance operations and complex systems that oversee hundreds of pieces of equipment, vehicles, and technologies. 

By closely monitoring and managing your assets, you can potentially:

• Extend their lifecycle
• Save money on downtime and unexpected repairs
• Improve quality and efficiency
• Safeguard your facility's health, safety, and compliance
• Control security settings to ensure only authorized personnel have access

When investing in EAM, you are investing in a standardized system that saves money, increases asset reliability, and ensures responsible practices. 

Experts at UpKeep estimate that employing an EAM to reinforce your asset management operations could save you up to $1.4 million and help calibrate your maintenance schedule to provide 50% more downtime-limiting preventive maintenance.

Key Features

When an EAM system is used effectively, it acts like a well-oiled machine packed with features to help you streamline operations and maximize the potential of your assets. 

Essential features of an EAM system may include:

• Asset lifecycle management: EAM allows you to track your assets from acquisition to disposal. By maximizing availability, performance, and value throughout their lifespan, facilities can coordinate machine use, repairs, and maintenance without missing a beat in production. 
• Work order management: EAM gives maintenance managers and technicians access to all information relevant to work orders and repairs, enabling them to conduct maintenance duties and repairs like well-informed maestros. 
• Predictive maintenance: EAM allows you to possibly predict equipment failures before they happen through data and information gathered from KPI sensors. For example, if your IoT sensors detect that a machine's parameters are outside the normal range, an EAM like UpKeep’s can trigger an automatic work order for inspection and repairs. 
• Inventory and spare parts management: Gone are the days when you will accidentally order too many machine parts. UpKeep’s EAM capabilities allow you to monitor your inventory levels while submitting parts orders from one convenient place. 
• Reporting and analytics: By accessing data regarding average repair time, breakdown rates, previous repair solutions, performance, and more, you’ll gain valuable insights into your assets' condition and history. This will allow you to make data-driven decisions to optimize maintenance and maximize ROI.

How It Works

Enterprise asset management may appear to be a black box when discussed generally, but it’s a coordinated system that combines the cloud, IoT sensors, tracking methods, and more. 

Here’s how you implement the best practices to track your assets through UpKeep’s EAM software:

• Measure asset tracking metrics: Begin by identifying and labeling all assets within your organization. This includes equipment, machinery, vehicles, tools, and other physical items that require maintenance. Log information vital to each asset, including make, model, serial number, purchase date, and any other relevant asset data.
• Create unique tags to track your assets: Asset tags are key to monitoring your equipment. After tagging your assets with barcodes, QR tags, or RFID tags, you’ll need to upload them into your EAM software. 
• Collect and organize data: Use the tags to allow employees to check items in and out, submit work orders, track KPIs and other asset health indicators, and more.
• Create a plan and think ahead: Using these tags and your EAM system, you can now create preventive and predictive maintenance schedules around asset use and downtime, schedule audit checks based on safety standards, monitor parameters, set predictive maintenance protocols, and more.

EAM eliminates the guesswork in maintenance management. It drives informed decision-making while enforcing organized, dependent maintenance operations on asset health and cost-cutting measures.

UpKeep’s EAM capabilities go beyond normal maintenance software. Independent research firms like Verdantix and Gartner Peer Insights have recognized our software as a top-rated EAM solution, breaking through the pattern of complexity within the maintenance software industry. 

We created our solution to be people-first, intuitive, and mobile-friendly. Even the least tech-savvy technician, manager, or administrator on your team will be able to navigate our user-friendly interface. 

We also allow customizable dashboards that will enable you to use color-coordinating to track data, assets, and work orders. UpKeep is EAM simplified so you can keep up with operations anywhere, anyway, and anytime. 

Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) 

Like EAM, CMMS is software that helps streamline maintenance operations while gathering valuable data on assets and optimizing maintenance operations. While the main focus of EAM is assets, the main focus of CMMS is maintenance-related tasks. 

Where EAM is tracking, CMMS is coordination and communication. It also automates part of the work order process to ensure your facility keeps up with its routine maintenance. 

Importance

Preventive and routine maintenance is necessary to keep your facility operating smoothly. It helps maintenance managers and manufacturing departments meet the standards needed for healthy, efficient operations. 

By practicing excellent maintenance practices, your facility can:

• Avoid unnecessary downtime
• Decrease repair costs
• Prevent catastrophic equipment failure
• Increase safety practices
• Remain compliant with manufacturing regulations

Key Features

While CMMS may not have the same extensive functions as EAM, it’s still useful for a variety of maintenance management functions, including:

• Preventive maintenance: CMMS allows for the scheduling and automation of preventive maintenance tasks. Preventive maintenance helps prevent unexpected breakdowns, which can lead to downtime and increased operation costs. 
• Work order management: By streamlining work order processes from creation to completion and improving communication, tracking, and efficiency in maintenance tasks, CMMS simplifies and standardizes maintenance operations. It’s exactly like traditional work order management systems, but it’s more intuitive, capable, and efficient.
• Reporting and analysis: CMMS provides data on maintenance activities, costs, equipment performance, and more. This data can be extremely valuable when making decisions based on budget and creating maintenance plans that prioritize proactivity.
• Compliance and documentation: UpKeep’s CMMS aids in maintaining compliance with regulations by organizing and storing maintenance records, documenting work performed, and ensuring that necessary standards are met. Our software can trigger inspections before routine safety and compliance audits. 

How It Works

UpKeep’s CMMS works by using data from work orders and creating reports and analytics that may be then used to support future decision-making. Within each work order, technicians can include notes regarding:

• Part usage
• Wrench time
• Assets repaired
• Time to complete
• Repair solutions
• And more

Our CMMS stores all this information for future reference, and maintenance managers can also use it to spot trends in performance, downtime, and breakdowns. 

Because UpKeep is a cloud-based platform, you can access our CMMS software anywhere, allowing guests, such as technicians, to view equipment history and documentation. Other integrations also allow you to directly submit work orders and communicate with technicians even if they aren’t affiliated with your facility.

No more paperwork orders, no more sorting through your email, and no more keeping your warranty information in a filing cabinet. UpKeep is your CMMS and EAM maintenance management solution bundled into one.  

EAM vs. CMMS: A Simple Summary

To sum it up, the difference between EAM vs. CMMS and their respective applications and uses can be summed up with a simple graph:

EAM vs. CMMS: Which One Is Right for Your Organization?

Despite the fact that many EAM systems offer CMMS capabilities and vice versa, analysts and vendors still refer to these systems separately. 

The truth is that there is a wide spectrum, ranging from very basic shareware-type CMMS solutions to complex, large-scale EAM systems designed for larger corporations. Many of today’s popular solutions fall somewhere in the middle, with varying capabilities and price points.

Today’s CMMS and EAM solutions have a great deal in common. Both systems are focused on improving the maintenance process, and both are available as cloud-based subscriptions. Additionally, both CMMS and EAM software have similar features, such as purchasing modules, inventory management tools, and asset tracking abilities. Both systems can be web-based, available through mobile apps, and include multi-site support.

UpKeep combines the power of EAM and CMMS, an intuitive data hub, and our Edge IIoT  bundle to provide superior maintenance and asset management. Your assets are the heart of your operation. By employing both methods, you can ensure that your assets are well cared for and looked after. 

Picking the System That Best Suits Your Needs (If You Have To Pick)

You already know you don’t have to pick between EAM and CMMS if you opt for UpKeep. However, if you have budget restraints (even though UpKeep is very affordable), each maintenance management software shines in different operational scenarios.

When Your Maintenance Goals Require a CMMS

A CMMS may be preferable for your maintenance needs if your operations mostly target:

• Enhancing maintenance performance through KPIs
• Minimizing unplanned downtime of key machinery and equipment
• Lowering repair and emergency breakdown expenses
• Decreasing reliance on reactive maintenance
• Improving workplace and employee health and safety
• Extending asset lifespan and reducing frequent asset replacements

When Your Maintenance Goals Require an EAM

An EAM may better suit your needs if your maintenance goals mainly involve:

• Boosting asset performance and maximizing uptime
• Controlling operational and procurement costs
• Assessing asset value and guiding purchasing strategies
• Accessing detailed technical and informational data for each asset
• Monitoring and overseeing the complete lifecycle of physical assets and infrastructure

CMMS vs. EAM: Why Choose Either When You Can Choose Both With UpKeep’s Comprehensive Maintenance Management Software?

As technologies improve how we oversee maintenance operations throughout multiple industries, it is best to understand what you invest in.

Combined, the CMMS and EAM capabilities could save your facility millions in repair costs and downtime due to catastrophic equipment failure. UpKeep is more than just maintaining your assets; it is creating an environment where safety, efficiency, and productivity are prioritized and valued. 

Utilizing our digital ecosystem can positively impact your facility operations and ensure success in your endeavors. 

Learn more about UpKeep’s powerful EAM and CMMS software, or request a demo today.