Equipment and Spare Parts Coding Guide
Preparation Steps for Implementing CMMS Software
1. Why Code Equipment and Spare Parts and General Principles
A code is considered a short name for an object, unique, and less prone to errors, used to replace the full name of the object in management software.
- For example, suppose we have two identical air compressors purchased on the same day. However, we need to manage them as two separate objects because they have different usage and maintenance histories. Thus, we cannot call them both “air compressor.”
- We need to distinguish them as Air Compressor No. 1 and Air Compressor No. 2. However, using these names in management software leads to several drawbacks: They are too long, slowing down searches.
- Spaces within the character string can easily cause errors (you can hardly see to distinguish between one space and two spaces, while the computer treats these as different strings).
To facilitate data queries, equipment and materials are coded (the objects to be managed by CMMS – Computerized Maintenance Management System), similar to issuing ID numbers to citizens.
Equipment and material coding must meet the following requirements:
- (1) Two different objects must have two different codes (non-duplicate).
- (2) As short as possible (for faster computer queries).
- (3) Mnemonic, e.g., Air Compressor could be coded as AC001 and AC002, where AC stands for Air Compressor.
- (4) Similar objects should have the same representative characters (for easy sorting). Higher-level classification characters come first, lower-level characters come later, followed by a numeric string with enough digits to avoid data overflow. For instance, we have screw air compressors and piston air compressors. We can code them as AC-SC-001 and AC-PS-001, where SC stands for Screw and PS stands for Piston.
2. Points to Note When Coding Equipment and Spare Parts
Requirements (3) and (4) above necessitate the classification of objects (here, equipment or spare parts).
There are many ways to classify objects, for example:
- Classification by object type (as presented above for air compressors).
- Classification by installation location (e.g., equipment installed in Workshop A, Workshop B).
- Classification by the object of use (e.g., spare parts for air compressors).
- Choosing a classification method for coding is crucial as it has many implications for code usage.
- The general principle when coding equipment and spare parts is that the classification used in coding should be based on immutable characteristics.
For example, an air compressor is always an air compressor; it never changes. Machine type, group type, material type, and spare parts are often used for classification in coding.
Location attributes can also be used for classification if they are immutable. For example, a cement kiln line is unlikely to be moved from one place to another. You can use this classification for coding.
Alternatively, some spare parts are only used for a specific type of machine (the object of use), and you can use this attribute for coding.
Finally, you should always have running characters, such as 001 at the end, to anticipate the appearance of similar objects in the future, even if you currently have only one. The number of running characters corresponds to the maximum number of objects that may appear, e.g., 01 corresponds to a maximum of 99; 001 corresponds to a maximum of 999.
By paying attention to these points, you will have a beautiful, stable coding system with sustainable coding rules. You might find this content quite simple, but many factories have encountered issues in coding due to overlooking these simple matters.
3. Coding Spare Parts
The number of spare parts in production units is often very large, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. Thus, coding spare parts can be quite complex.
You also start with classification as presented above. The number of classification levels will depend on the number of spare parts you need to code. For example, for fewer than 3,000 spare parts, you may only need two levels, but for over 3,000 spare parts, you may need three levels.
If you are interested in coding spare parts, you can email us at sale@vietsoft.com.vn, and we will provide you with a spare parts classification map. It can be very useful for your work.
If you use the CMMS – Vietsoft Ecomaint software, you will receive thorough and detailed consultation.
Wish you success!