Selection of computerized maintenance management systems to meet organizations' needs using AHP

Abstract

Due to the complexity of modern industrial plants introduced by Industry 4.0, it has become increasingly difficult to manage physical assets maintenance without the support of a specialized information system, often referred to as Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). CMMS implementation brings several benefits such as cost reduction, increased productivity and better planning and scheduling. Nevertheless, selecting the most suitable one is not an easy task due to the large amount of CMMS available in the market. This paper presents a multicriteria decision-making method based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) applied for comparative evaluation of different CMMS alternatives. This method allows the evaluation of CMMS quality level based on a set of functional and non-functional features defined according to ISO/IEC 25010:2011 and distributed into a hierarchical structure of 5 criteria and 16 sub-criteria. This study shows the application of the proposed method in a synthetic foam production company, where it allowed a detailed comparison of three possible CMMS candidates and the selection of the most appropriate according to this organization' specific needs and requirements. It was observed that the differences in the global quality levels of the three CMMS alternatives were practically unnoticeable, requiring a cost-benefit analysis to complete the decision process. The method proposed has shown to be easily applied in an industrial context, leading to a reduction of the probability of failure often faced by organizations at the time of CMMS implementation.