What is CAFM?
- Space Management: Efficiently allocate and utilize space, ensuring maximum productivity.
- Maintenance Scheduling: Automate preventive maintenance, reducing downtimes and extending asset life.
- Asset Tracking: Monitor and manage assets, from acquisition to disposal.
- Real-time Monitoring: Get instant updates on facility operations, ensuring swift response to issues.
- Reporting & Analytics: Gain insights from data-driven reports, aiding in strategic decision-making.
- Benefits of Implementing CAFM:
- Cost Efficiency: Reduce operational costs through streamlined processes.
- Enhanced Productivity: Minimize disruptions with proactive facility management.
- Sustainability: Implement energy-saving measures and monitor utility consumption.
- Compliance & Safety: Ensure facilities meet regulatory standards and provide a safe environment.
- Why CAFM is Essential Today:
- Rapid Scalability: Manage a single facility or a global portfolio with equal ease.
- Remote Management: Oversee operations from anywhere, anytime.
- Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with other enterprise systems for holistic management.
- Future-Proofing: Stay ahead with continuous updates and adapt to evolving facility needs.
CAFM vs. CMMS vs. EAM
CMMS, EAM and CAFM are all software solutions that are used to manage assets and maintenance operations within organizations. However, there are some important differences between these systems.
A CMMS primarily focuses on maintenance operations, including work orders, preventive maintenance and inventory management. Maintenance teams typically use CMMS software to track and manage maintenance activities, schedule repairs, and optimize asset uptime.
An EAM system, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive solution that covers asset life cycle management, including acquisition, maintenance and disposal. Organizations that manage many assets, such as utilities companies, manufacturing plants and transportation companies, typically use EAM software.
Finally, a CAFM system is a software solution that helps organizations manage their physical spaces and assets. You can use CAFM software to track space usage, manage building systems and automate facility management processes. Facility managers typically use CAFM systems to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Basically, CAFM technology combines business administration, behavioral science, architecture and engineering concepts to optimize the functioning of your organization. It’s a comprehensive commercial facility or building maintenance tool with many different facets and functions.
Information Technology
Information is the core of CAFM. The main function that separates it from earlier versions of facilities management is that it utilizes CAD (computer-aided design) elements and visuals in combination with alphanumeric data processing.
As in many other branches of software, business intelligence tools and features that use data collection and analysis are becoming very popular in CAFM. This data-centric approach to business assists managers with data-driven decision-making to improve every element of your business.
CAFM uses CAD technology for a variety of capabilities. For example, interactive floor plans for real estate organizations allow potential buyers to walk through homes that aren’t even built yet.
Maintenance Management
Similar to CMMS, CAFM offers maintenance management abilities. Routine repairs keep assets operating at peak efficiency, and performing preventive maintenance keeps costs much lower than emergency repairs or even replacements. In addition to maintenance scheduling and support, CAFM systems provide asset monitoring modules to help users keep a close eye on asset conditions.
Your CAFM functions as an organizational database to store information on your facilities. This information includes everything from energy consumption, construction data, a list of floorplans, pertinent contact details, equipment located within a specific facility, fire and safety information, and more.
Instead of relying on paper files or Excel spreadsheets, you can store and organize this information neatly within the CAFM where you can use it later.
Other specific segments of CAFM tools use real-time data to aid in various types of maintenance. It can promote preventive maintenance, work orders and routine operational maintenance goals to optimize asset management.
This is where computer-aided facilities management gets used in conjunction with CMMS, as CMMS systems are generally built for evaluating various maintenance needs.
Physical Building Administration
One of the most popular and impressive core features of a computer-aided facility management system is its resource for handling the actual infrastructure inside the facility. For example, you can link many CAFM systems to HVAC equipment, lights and other infrastructure within the building.
Some of these features allow for remote management, where facility managers can set thermostats or turn window and door locks on and off remotely. Others offer automated meter reading and energy monitoring, so you know right away if something in your resource usage changes. This improves safety, saves money and helps the environment by reducing unnecessary energy usage.
