CMMS software
What is CMMS software and what is it for?
CMMS software (computerised maintenance management system) brings together, in one place, the list of your equipment, their upcoming servicing, reported faults, the technicians' schedule and the history of each machine. It replaces Excel spreadsheets, paper logbooks and text messages. For a construction equipment fleet, it must also track hour meters and VGP inspections, and work in the field even without a network.
"CMMS" is one of the most searched terms in maintenance. Behind the acronym sit very different tools: some are built for factories, others for buildings, others for mobile equipment. Here is how to tell them apart, without jargon.
What CMMS software actually does
CMMS stands for computerised maintenance management system (GMAO in French). The idea is simple: every machine has a record, and everything about it lives there. Its specifications, its hour meter, its planned servicing, its faults, its repairs, its regulatory inspections and the documents that go with them.
Day to day, the software answers three questions every maintenance manager asks: what needs doing soon? What is overdue? What has been done, by whom and when? Without a tool, the answers depend on a few people's memory. With a CMMS, they are visible to the whole team.
CMMS software does not repair anything on its own. It organises the work: it reminds you of deadlines, it brings issues from the field to the office, it helps schedule technicians and it keeps a record of what has been done.
Who is it for? When a CMMS becomes useful
A CMMS is not reserved for large companies. The need appears as soon as tracking no longer fits in one person's head or one spreadsheet. A few telltale signs:
- several people work on the same machines (operators, mechanics, fleet manager, site manager);
- the machines are spread across several sites, depots or workshops;
- regulatory inspections, such as VGP, have to be tracked without missing one;
- a fault or a deadline is discovered too late, because the information stayed in a notebook or a phone;
- the Excel file exists, but no one is sure it is up to date.
The features to expect from CMMS software
Vendors often stack feature upon feature. For real-world use, here is the core set to check first, and what each one is for.
| Feature | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Per-equipment record | Find a machine's identity, hour meter, documents and history in one click |
| Preventive maintenance plan | Schedule servicing by hours or by calendar and get notified before the deadline |
| Regulatory inspections | Track VGP dates and other inspections, with reports stored in the right place |
| Fault reporting | Let the field report a fault, with a photo and a severity level |
| Job scheduling | Assign a technician to a job, on a time slot, and track progress |
| Job report | Record what was done, the observations, and close the job properly |
| History / maintenance logbook | Keep proof of what was done, machine by machine |
| Mobile app | View and enter data from the site or the workshop, not just from the office |
Generalist CMMS or CMMS for mobile equipment: the real difference
Most CMMS products on the market were designed for fixed machinery: production lines, buildings, technical equipment. They are very complete, but a construction equipment fleet has different constraints. The machines move, they work far from the office, their wear is measured in hours and many of them are subject to periodic inspections.
The right choice therefore starts with what you maintain. The table below summarises the most common differences. It describes trends, not rules: always check with the vendor.
| Point | Generalist CMMS (factory, building) | CMMS for construction equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Where the machines are | On a fixed site, with network coverage | On sites that change, often without network coverage |
| Servicing rhythm | Often by calendar or machine cycle | Mainly by engine hours, plus the calendar |
| Regulatory inspections | Present depending on the tool | Core requirement: VGP, safety checks, road-rail |
| Who enters data | Maintenance technicians | Operators, travelling mechanics, fleet manager |
| Feature depth | Very broad (stock, purchasing, KPIs) | More focused, easier to pick up |
Where Trackary fits in
Trackary is a fleet management and CMMS software built for construction equipment, MEWPs, forklifts and road-rail vehicles. It runs on the web for the office and on mobile for the field.
In Trackary, every machine has a record with its hour meter, its inspection deadlines and its maintenance logbook. Inspections tracked can include VGP, safety equipment and, for road-rail vehicles, the equipotential bonding test and RFN approval. Faults are reported from the field with their severity, the part concerned, a description and photos. The office schedules the job and assigns a technician, who finds it in their app. They close it with a report (checkpoints, observations, signature) that joins the machine's logbook, exportable as a PDF.
On mobile, data already loaded remains viewable without a network and entries sync once the connection returns. The web dashboard, on the other hand, requires a connection.
What Trackary does not do
Trackary does not carry out VGP inspections, issue any approval or replace the inspection body: it records information and deadlines. It does not do invoicing, parts stock management, GPS tracking or QR codes. If these features are essential for you, a generalist CMMS or an ERP (enterprise resource planning software) will be a better fit, and we would rather tell you so.
To find out how much a CMMS costs and how to compare offers, read our dedicated pages on CMMS pricing and how to choose a CMMS.
Managing an equipment fleet and looking for a simple CMMS that works in the field, even without a network? See Trackary on your own machines in 30 minutes. Request a demo →