All About Materials Data

Materials can be thought of as spare parts used for larger pieces of equipment. In everyday life, examples could include an oil filter in a car, or a pump in a laundry machine. With repeated use, these materials experience wear and tear and need to be replaced.

For large, asset-intensive companies that use machinery often, their EAM system is where information about these materials can easily be found. This information may include where in a warehouse these materials are located, how many there are available for use, as well as for which piece of machinery they are used. That way, when a material within a piece of equipment becomes worn down and needs to be replaced, retrieving that replacement can be as simple as looking up the right material in an EAM system and finding all the correct materials data.

Common Challenges of Materials Data

Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. Like any set of data, materials data can become difficult to manage. When a company is managing thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of materials, keeping all that data accurate and up to date becomes challenging. This could be for various reasons. For example, if your EAM system is not very user-friendly this may cause workers to take shortcuts with what kind of data they enter and where.

Impacts of Inaccurate Materials Data

If maintenance workers cannot easily enter or locate accurate information about materials, this may lead to inaccurate materials data, duplicate materials data, or materials data that is limited to older naming conventions which present employees may not be used to. As a result, looking up a material that is needed for performing a work order on a piece of equipment becomes a much bigger task. An employee may have to sift through tons of information before they can find the spare part for which they are looking. When they do find what they’re looking for, they may question whether they can trust the accuracy of the information they have found.

Importance of Clean Materials Data

The goal for any company is to ensure their EAM system contains clean, high-quality materials data. Clean materials data powers efficient and effective maintenance operations, allows for accurate data analysis, and optimizes spare parts management. While the cost of cleansing your data may seem daunting, the rewards of clean materials data in the long run make the money and effort required to complete a data cleansing project worth it.

Consider Cleansing Your Materials Data

A materials cleanse could be the right step towards improving the quality of your materials data. A cleanse is a chance to review the materials in your EAM system and ensure that all the information in your system is both useful and accurate. A cleansing solution makes it possible to easily add or delete materials, search up spare parts quickly, and modernize the naming conventions of your system that otherwise might hold you back.

To learn more about how our services can help you complete a materials cleanse, please reach out and our team would be happy to help you!