How a Localized, Multi-Language CMMS Can Streamline Global Operations

Any sizeable global corporation that maintains sites worldwide knows how language barriers can negatively impact communication and team productivity. 

Let’s break this down: If person-to-person communication is difficult, adding a complex tool such as a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) will only exasperate the situation. Many modern CMMS tools are English only, which further hinders an international business’s efficiency. 

Today’s Covid-19 reality adds another layer to this, with most of the workforce working remotely. Due to these challenges, many global corporations have begun rolling out localized or multi-language tools, including CMMS. 

Key Asset Management Issues Businesses That Lower Efficiency 

• Not focusing on high-priority maintenance jobs 
• A lack of proactive maintenance leads to safety issues and unplanned downtime 
• Communication breakdown between teams that causes delays 
• Spare parts inventory shortage due to incomplete stock tracking tools 

If you add language barriers to the mix for multi-site CMMS users, this adds increased challenges: 

• Incomplete international data due to English only tools 
• Training issues lead to a lowered understanding of the CMMS capabilities 
• On–site technicians having issues completing work because they can’t easily access critical information 
• Smaller tool user base due to language barriers 

All these issues can have a substantial negative impact on efficiency and team communication. The accuracy of mission–critical asset data can drop, which leads to increased unplanned downtime. 

How A Localized CMMS Application Can Help Your Global Business 

A CMMS tool with the ability to localize to your region will provide the ability to translate specific language, cultural and numerical requirements to a more familiar format. These can affect the following: 

• Language 
• Dialect (i.e., Quebec vs. France) 
• Legal requirements 
• Numeric, date, and time formats 
• Currency 

A Localized CMMS will remove layer of communication issues that will increase data completeness and clarity and ease access. 

4 Benefits of a Localized, Multi-site CMMS Tool 

1. Modern User Interface 

A complicated legacy CMMS interface can be tough to navigate and cause frustration due to: 

• Unclear levels of user rights and privileges 
• Unintuitive navigation of workflows 
• Ineffective user training sessions 

These factors can lead to lower user adoption of the tool and will negatively impact the business. 

An easy-to-use modern CMMS will alleviate these issues as training sessions become more effective and increase user adoption. 

2. Native Multi-Language Support 

Current CMMS platforms are typically only available in English or provide a reduced set of localization capabilities. 

A powerful multi-site CMMS like Accruent’s Maintenance Connection provides multi-language and does it with a single database.  Users can enter data efficiently using their local language into a single source of truth.  Everyone using the platform is accessing the same data, leading to increased accuracy of data with no need to sync to different environments.  

3. Mobile and Remote Access for Today’s Reality 

This year will highlight the need for all of your tools to offer Remote and Mobile access. This is further confirmed by a 2017 ARC Advisory Group global report indicated that 50% of technicians use a mobile device for work orders, and this number is only growing. 

On–site Technicians that have to rely on wi-fi and laptops will lead to delays in communication and reduced quality of data. 

This is why an international business needs a CMMS tool with full mobile access. 

A fully localized mobile application will allow on-site technicians to improve their efficiency and quality of work by helping them: 

• Find mission–critical asset documentation quickly 
• Process work orders remotely and in real-time 
• Order parts in the field to reduce delays and confirm parts availability 
• See the entire Asset maintenance history 
• Provide immediate changes to work order status 

They can accomplish all this in their local language, enabling a smoother maintenance experience with increased effectiveness. In a recent US-based survey conducted by Maintenance Connection, one customer estimated they had saved $1 million due to this kind of mobile CMMS implementation. 

4. A CMMS Tool That Spans Multiple Sites and Regions 

CMMS suites that only allow for a single site with limited integrations lead to unstandardized data silos that can cause discrepancies and slow down team interactions. 

If your CMMS tool can handle multiple sites, the user base pulls data from a single source of truth quickly and accurately. Access to these documents can be controlled effortlessly via centralized permissions for improved security. 

A modern multi-site and multi-national CMMS will provide these benefits: 

• Centralized data  
• Global reporting tools 
• Standardization of data by removing the need for information silos 
• Increased data security and safety 
• Real–time status of work orders across the globe 

• Full integration for engineering document management tools such as Accruent’s Meridian 

Features like this can reduce data input errors, standardize workflows, and make for easy user privilege administration in a centralized environment. 

To learn more about Meridian solutions and how they can help your team, please contact the SolidCAD Meridian team.