What CMMS (software) does your shop use?

[guest]

Attention all sim shops!!!
I would like to know what CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) you use for your sim shop. How do you electronically keep track of all your DRs, WOs, preventive maintenance records, logistics stuff, etc.

Also, tell us what you think of it and tell us of one you reccomend and why.

Thanks! :att:

[guest]

Here at Continental, thru the brilliance of our management, we have taken it upon ourselves to create our own. Code name ?Infinity? because that?s when it will be completed. Conservative estimates are we now have plowed $200,000.00 (one technicians salary plus benefits for 3 years plus) into it and it bombs daily and frankly is junk. Management picked an individual to design and implement this program whose prior software experience was nil. Our management is just geniuses. He has been designing and implementing this program for over 3 years and counting. This precludes his work that he should be doing of maintaining the simulators. He now has created himself a non-maintenance position but is filling a maintenance slot. Management contends that he works on the simulators but I defy you to find anybody working the floor that has witnessed this. Management justification is that the company would be paying this persons salary anyway and therefore there wouldn?t be any impact to their budget. So in their convoluted logic we are getting it for free. Does anybody wonder why this department is so screwed up? Needless to say we have one less functioning technician working on the floor. Frankly I do not understand why he hasn?t been promoted into our ?software department?. He could join the other second rate hacks whose only education in software is a basic c++ course at a local junior college. Then I question if the few that were motivated enough take the course ever passed.

[markovol]

Here at NWA they have an in-house program called SIMS. Can't remember what it stands for. We have had it for years with updates done to it periodically. Tracks the DR's, Prints out log sheets, Prints out the order form to order parts. Since all of the layoffs I don't expect any more updates anytime soon.

[guest]

Here we use a form of STORM bought from Data Stream. It was supposed to work, but as anything, FIFO, GIGO. So far it has been field fixed to generate PM's, WO, and P.O."s. For some unknown reason, we have a seperate system that we use for DR's, but it is in no way user friendly. Future field fixes are to include automatic ordering when stock falls low, etc., but the only time it gets fixed is for job security of the manager that owns it. Also, even though we use the electronic system, we have a parallel paper system running at the same time!!(?)

[kean]

I have worked on several military programs that used AMMS - Advanced Maintenance Management System built my Microwest. This was a fairly decient program that did Logistics and Maintenance. Were I presently work we use a home built system that is done in Access and it works about as well at any comercial system out there.

[guest]

Here at Continental, thru the brilliance of our management, we have taken it upon ourselves to create our own. Code name ?Infinity? because that?s when it will be completed. Conservative estimates are we now have plowed $200,000.00 (one technicians salary plus benefits for 3 years plus) into it and it bombs daily and frankly is junk. Management picked an individual to design and implement this program whose prior software experience was nil. Our management is just geniuses. He has been designing and implementing this program for over 3 years and counting. This precludes his work that he should be doing of maintaining the simulators. He now has created himself a non-maintenance position but is filling a maintenance slot. Management contends that he works on the simulators but I defy you to find anybody working the floor that has witnessed this. Management justification is that the company would be paying this persons salary anyway and therefore there wouldn?t be any impact to their budget. So in their convoluted logic we are getting it for free. Does anybody wonder why this department is so screwed up? Needless to say we have one less functioning technician working on the floor. Frankly I do not understand why he hasn?t been promoted into our ?software department?. He could join the other second rate hacks whose only education in software is a basic c++ course at a local junior college. Then I question if the few that were motivated enough take the course ever passed.



Would you like some cheese to go with your whine?

[guest]

Magic

[guest]

System? System? We don't need no stinking system!!

[simpatrol]

There is a company out there that has a complete web based designed access controll/inventory/maintinace history system already developed. Send me a private message for the details.

[little jake]

Here at our shop we use STORM. All I can say about it is STORM SUCKS!!!!

[CALPE]

Here at Continental, thru the brilliance of our management, we have taken it upon ourselves to create our own. Code name ?Infinity? because that?s when it will be completed. Conservative estimates are we now have plowed $200,000.00 (one technicians salary plus benefits for 3 years plus) into it and it bombs daily and frankly is junk. Management picked an individual to design and implement this program whose prior software experience was nil. Our management is just geniuses. He has been designing and implementing this program for over 3 years and counting. This precludes his work that he should be doing of maintaining the simulators. He now has created himself a non-maintenance position but is filling a maintenance slot. Management contends that he works on the simulators but I defy you to find anybody working the floor that has witnessed this. Management justification is that the company would be paying this persons salary anyway and therefore there wouldn?t be any impact to their budget. So in their convoluted logic we are getting it for free. Does anybody wonder why this department is so screwed up? Needless to say we have one less functioning technician working on the floor. Frankly I do not understand why he hasn?t been promoted into our ?software department?. He could join the other second rate hacks whose only education in software is a basic c++ course at a local junior college. Then I question if the few that were motivated enough take the course ever passed.


This is a load of bull. The s/w being referred to here is called DRM. (Discrepancy Report Manager) The s/w works very well. It tracks DR?s (On and Off equipment), parts usage/availability/location, preflights, down time, and it will soon be incorporated with our QMS program. By having this programmed in house, we have been able to fine tune it as we go. Good luck getting that type of support from an outside vendor. The engineer who designed and maintains this program has spent time on this program while covering his shifts like everyone else. He obviously could not work on the sims as much as the other techs who don?t have the skills to do what he is doing. As for you genius, I take offense to you trashing our department in a public forum. :hothead:

[Jeff]

We use AMMS and it seems to have good flexibility. This is a MS Windows database likely created with Visual BASIC. On screen windows are what you might expect of any database (job number fields, part number fields, nomenclature field, comments field, etc). Screens are simple and are easily used. Reports it produces are not pretty printed but then we can live with the dot-matrix style text only output it produces. We keep a record of all jobs and all parts used and on hand.