PC software buyer's guide.

Maintenance software won't do the dirty work, but it can help you organize maintenance tasks and even predict when machines will need repairs.

No software will replace the elbow grease needed to keep your machines in top shape. But a growing number of PC-based software packages can save you from another sort of maintenance drudgery - the endless documentation of maintenance schedules, spare-parts inventories, and repair costs.

The "computerized maintenance-management systems," or CMMS, listed below help users develop customized maintenance schedules and provide a database of equipment histories, such as information about the time, nature, and cost of repairs. CMMS packages typically use this information to generate work orders for maintenance staff.

These databases also give users the ability to track maintenance-related labor - everything from man-hours expended to the crafts and trades available at your facility. Most CMMS packages have modules that keep track of spare-parts inventories and supplier histories. Some go a step further and prepare requisitions and purchase orders. Finally, most of these packages offer some "predictive maintenance" analysis capabilities - either internally or through an interface to third-party software.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 

Unless otherwise noted, all the CMMS packages listed here run on IBM-compatible personal computers - either stand-alone PCs or a PC network. A few large-scale systems come only in a client/server version - consisting of a centralized database server and a network of PC "clients."

While some of the software packages will run on a 386-type machine with only 4 MB of RAM, every software vendor here recommends at least a more powerful 486 machine with 8 or more MB RAM. As with any industrial software, you can never have too much processing power.

RELATED ARTICLE: CMMS PACKAGES

AMERICAN COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS INC.

5105 Chase Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Prop Manager is a DOS-based package that helps users create work and repair requests, preventive-maintenance schedules, and parts inventory lists. An optional module generates and monitors purchase orders. Price: $1995 plus $395 for the purchase-order module.

BONNER & MOORE ASSOCIATES INC.

2727 Allen Pkwy., Houston, TX 77019 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Compass 7 is an integrated collection of CMMS modules, including work-order control, inventory control, and purchasing. The Equipment Module tracks the maintenance history of a piece of equipment both by job and time period. The software keeps track of components that may be used on different machines or machines that can be moved from one processing line to another.

A client/server application, Compass 7 runs on a Microsoft Windows NT server platform and Windows 3.11 or 95 PCs. Price: Starts at $15,000 for a five-user installation.

CHAMPS SOFTWARE INC.

255 North Vantage Point Dr., Crystal River, FL 34429-8370 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Maintenance Management Information System offers preventive and real-time maintenance scheduling, as well as work-order tracking and inventory monitoring. A client/server series is available for all leading operating systems and databases - including Windows NT, Windows 95, and Unix as well as Oracle, Sybase, and SQL Server ODBC environments. Price: Unavailable.

CK SYSTEMS INC.

772 Airport Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

MaintiMizer Windows or DOS-based software tracks maintenance histories, inventory, labor, and vendor performance. It also schedules preventive maintenance. Other abilities include barcode and CAD support, data export, inventory label printing, and search capabilities. Price: $3995 for single users; $7995 for network version with unlimited users.

DATASTREAM SYSTEMS INC.

1200 Woodruff Rd., Suite C-40 Greenville, SC 29607 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

MP-2 for Windows schedules preventive maintenance, generates work orders, tracks inventory and labor, creates purchase orders, and performs statistical predictive-maintenance (SPM) analyses.

Related products include an interface with the Grainger Electronic Catalog; a new interface for Wonderware controls-configuration software; and Personal Maintenance Assistant, which downloads work-order and service requests from MP-2 to personal digital-assistant devices running the Apple Newton operating system. Price: $2995 for single users; $5995 for a LAN version and up to 10 users; and $10,000 to upgrade to a client/server version.

MaintainIt is an entry-level maintenance-management package that has fewer data fields than MP-2 and lacks the SPM capabilities. Price: $189.99.

DESKTOP INNOVATIONS INC.

311 Markham St., Toronto, ON M6G 2K8 Phone: [phone] (800-563-0894) Fax: [phone]

MainBoss for Windows performs preventive-maintenance scheduling based on elapsed time or meter readings. MainBoss also generates a variety of reports and manages inventory lists and equipment histories. Users can link MainBoss with documents and drawings from other software, including CAD systems. Price: $1995.

DFM SYSTEMS INC.

1119 High St., Des Moines, IA 50309 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Mapcon 95, available in interoperable DOS and Windows versions, features time-interval, 52-week-calendar, and gauge/meter preventive-maintenance scheduling as well as a variety of inventory, purchasing, cost-accounting, and human-resources management functions. Over 200 standard reports are supplied and Mapcon's Report Generator allows the user to create additional reports as desired. The scheduling system is integrated with a Project Management system that provides Pert charts, Gantt charts, and critical-path calculation. Work orders can be written against equipment, locations, or cost centers. Price: $4900 for a single user up to $20,000 for a network with unlimited users.

DP SOLUTIONS, INC.

4249 Piedmont Pkwy., Suite 105, Greensboro, NC 27410 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

PMC for Windows offers preventive-maintenance scheduling, multi-company cost tracking, work-order generation, inventory control, purchasing (stocked and non-stocked), labor tracking, and custom reporting. Optional capabilities include interfaces to barcoding and predictive-maintenance systems. PMC for Windows comes in single-user and network versions. A new client/server version that supports Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Sybase databases is scheduled for release this year. System requirements: Pentium 66-MHz CPU, Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 3.1, or Windows for Workgroups. Price: Unavailable.

Uptime for Windows is a work-order and parts-inventory system that helps prioritize and schedule jobs as well as keep detailed maintenance histories. Single-user and network versions are available. Price: Unavailable.

EAGLE TECHNOLOGY INC.

10500 North Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 153092 Phone: [phone] (800-388-3268) Fax: [phone]

Expert Maintenance Management Modular for Windows 3.1 or 95 creates preventive and demand maintenance work orders, documents repair histories, and tracks tools, parts, and purchasing. AutoCAD, barcoding, and custom report modules are available. Price: $2000-$10,000 depending on number of users and options.

EQUIPAC SYSTEM, DIV. OF SIDNEY MICROSYSTEMS

1089 Fairington Dr., Sidney, OH 45365 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Equipac for Windows includes equipment maintenance tracking, work-order processing, inventory control, requisition/purchase-order generation, equipment history, and custom reports. CAD and graphics modules are available. Software runs on Windows 95 and comes in single-user or networkable versions. Price: $1995.

FBO SYSTEMS

2296 Henderson Mill Rd., Suite 303, Atlanta, GA 30345 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Maintenance Logic System runs on a variety of client/server platforms and includes work orders, employee scheduling, equipment repair histories, inventory control, and maintenance scheduling. It can also support JIT purchasing and interfaces with MRP, accounting, barcoding, and real-time data-collection systems. Price: $25,000 for five-user base system.

JB SYSTEMS INC.

21800 Oxnard St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Mainsaver is a maintenance-management information system that provides repair histories, preventive-maintenance scheduling, work-order management, inventory control, purchasing management, labor tracking, and barcoding. It interfaces with predictive-maintenance packages from CSI and Entek Scientific. Price: $3000 for DOS version and $5000 for single-user Windows version. A client/server version is also available.

MAINTENANCE AUTOMATION CORP.

3107 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale, FL 33009-5104 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Chief 2000 for DOS and Windows addresses corrective and preventive maintenance with detailed histories and cost tracking. It includes resource management of labor and materials, integrated inventory and procurement systems, and work requests. It is compatible with several barcode and CAD systems. Price: Unavailable.

MICROWEST SOFTWARE SYSTEMS INC.

10992 San Diego Mission Rd., San Diego, CA 92108-2445 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Advanced Maintenance Management System (AMMs) is a modular preventive-maintenance system with an integrated equipment database and inventory, purchasing, labor-tracking, scheduling, and budgeting capabilities. Imaging abilities, barcoding support, and an external interface to predictive-maintenance packages and devices can be added as options. DOS and Windows versions with network options are available. Price: $2900 for single-user system with both equipment and inventory modules.

OUNCE OF PREVENTION SOFTWARE

1638 Pinehurst Ct., Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Oops is a DOS-based maintenance-management system that can automatically schedule maintenance tasks, forecast inventory levels and workloads, and keep maintenance histories. Price: $2995 for single-user version. Network licenses are available.

Oops also works with two related products: Dr. Oops ($1250) logs troubleshooting procedures, while PS Oops ($800) adds purchasing to Oops's inventory-control capabilities.

PEARL COMPUTER SYSTEMS

705 Birchfield Dr., Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

UltiMAINT for Windows handles job scheduling, repair costing, parts inventory, and labor tracking. It features more than 30 standard reports and contains a run-time version of FoxPro's "expression builder" for custom reporting. Price: $1995 for single users; $2995 for two to four users; and $5995 for unlimited network license.

Empire is a new "enterprise-wide" maintenance package that also incorporates purchasing and requisition management. It runs only on a PC network. Price: $17,000.

PMS/PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE, DIV. OF IVY COMPUTER INC.

P.O. Box 265, Waterbury, VT 05676 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

PMS consists of preventive-maintenance software modules for equipment, fleet, and facilities management, plus modules for inventory control and purchase-order generation. All run under DOS, but Windows versions are slated for introduction this year. Price: $395 for the first single-user module and $200 for each additional module.

PROJECT SOFTWARE & DEVELOPMENT INC.

20 University Rd., Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: [phone] Fax[phone]

Maximo helps users schedule preventive maintenance, generate work orders, and track labor and inventories - all from an icon-driven graphical interface. Maximo also interfaces with barcoding and CAD systems. This client/server software runs on a wide variety of server platforms; "clients" can be 486 or better PCs with Windows 3.1. Price: Starts at $40,000 for a five-user client/server version.

SOFTWARE RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL LTD.

P.O. Box 170, Jericho, NY 11753 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Tool-Track Windows-based software manages tool and machine preventive maintenance with features such as equipment/tool histories, work-order generation, cost tracking and inventory control. The system can interface with real-time manufacturing systems, enabling Tool-Track to generate work orders based on cycles or hours run. It is also compatible with ISO and QS 9000 document-control standards. Price: $5000.

SPIREX CORP.

8469 Southern Blvd., P.O. Box 9130 Youngstown, OH 44512 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

The Maintenance Professional for Injection Molders and The Maintenance Professional for Extrusion help users create a maintenance database for primary and auxiliary machinery that includes complete lists of all components (categorized as electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical) with technical specifications and diagrams. Spare-parts inventories, reorder quantities, and qualified vendors are also listed. Spirex supplies a list of standard maintenance checks, which users can change or supplement. These packages for Windows 3.1 or 95 include a reports generator and a "Smart Scheduler" to plan maintenance schedules and generate work orders. Price: $2999.

TECWORKS INC.

1050 Walnut St., Suite 330, Boulder, CO 80302 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

IMPAKT! for Windows schedules preventive maintenance, generates work orders, and also handles labor tracking, inventory control, purchasing, and receiving. Its database stores equipment histories. Price: $1945 for stand-alone version. Network pricing starts at $2995.

WINTERCRESS DEVELOPMENT INC.

451 S.W. 10th St., Suite 102, Renton, WA 98055 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Maintenance Director schedules and tracks corrective repairs as well as preventive and predictive maintenance activities. It tracks labor, materials, inventory, and work orders - all by user-defined cost centers. Maintenance Director runs as a stand-alone package under Windows 3.1 and 95; network version runs under Windows NT. Price: $10,000-25,000.