Frequently asked questions about preventive maintenance (PM) |
The following are common questions about PM. Scan this list before you call Technical Support—you might save yourself a phone call!
Common Questions
When and how is the PM due date on the Fleet Equipment screen updated?
Why would I assign an equipment unit to a PM class different from the maintenance class?
Which screen do I use to identify shops that perform PM work?
What is a preventive maintenance program?
In a preventive maintenance (PM) program, you define the parameters at which a specific PM service should be performed on equipment.
The PM parameters can include a period of elapsed time, the equipment meter usage, and/or the amount of fuel consumed by the equipment. You can define the PM program for an individual equipment unit or for a class of similar equipment.
There are two types of PM programs:
When and how is the PM due date on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen updated?
The following screens update the PM due date:
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order - Short Form
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Completion
When you close a work order on any of these screens, if the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Setup -> Tasks -> Primary Information screen assigns any of the task IDs on the Tasks tab of the Work Order Center screen to the INSPECTION task type, the application updates the Last scheduled (date) and Last performed (date) fields on the Inspections tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Data -> Equipment Management -> Equipment Due for PM/Inspection - by Equipment
The Open PM orders for all units listed field opens PM schedules for all units listed on the screen. To perform this process, you must be assigned to a user group that has a check in the Automatically open PM orders field on the Special Rights tab of the System Mgmt -> Setup -> Access Rights -> User Groups screen.
Data -> Call Center -> Call Center
You must place a check in the Update PM schedule field on the Tasks tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen to update the PM schedules when you close the work order from this screen.
PM Soon DueHow does the feature work?
When you use the Functions tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen to define functions for a class, the PM soon due range field enables you to define a range of time within which the system checks for a preventive maintenance (PM) service that is due. If the service due date falls within this range, the service is considered to be soon due.
The advantage of this feature is that when you open a repair work order for an equipment unit with a due date for a PM service that falls within this range, a message displays on the Messages tab of the Work Order Center screen to remind you to open a work order for the PM service. This eliminates the need for you to recall the equipment unit for a PM service shortly after it has been in the shop for a repair.
Example #1
An equipment class with the ID of TELEPHONE has a PM service interval of three months (every three months this equipment unit is due for a PM). You define a PM Soon Due range of 15 days. The equipment unit has not had a PM service for two months and 16 days when it arrives at the shop for repair of a speaker. When you open a work order for the equipment, a message displays on the Messages tab of the Work Order Center screen to inform you that the equipment unit is due for a PM service in 14 days.
Example #2
An equipment class with the ID of PAGER has a PM interval of 300 miles (every 300 miles this equipment unit is due for a PM). You define a PM Soon Due range of 300 miles. The equipment unit has logged 275 days without a PM service and arrives at the shop for repair of the display screen. When you open a work order for the equipment unit, a message displays on the Messages tab of the Work Order Center screen that the equipment unit is due for a PM service in 25 days.
PM Soon DueDoes the feature include inspections?
When you open a repair work order for an equipment unit with a due date for a PM inspection that falls within the value listed on the PM soon due range (days) field on the Meter Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen, a message displays on the Messages tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen to remind you to open a work order for the PM inspection. This feature is similar to how messages for PM services that fall within the PM Soon Due range are displayed.
Why does equipment soon due for PM service not display?
An equipment unit that is 5 days away from being due for its next PM service does not appear on the Data -> Equipment Management -> Equipment Due for Service/Inspection-by Equipment or Equipment Due for Service/Inspection-by Location screen. The PM soon due range (days) field on the Functions tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen is set to 50 days. Why does this equipment unit not show up on the screen?
The PM soon due range (days) field on the Meter Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen displays the number of days into the future to use to determine whether an equipment unit (or linear asset) will soon become due for a PM service. When an equipment unit (or linear asset) is identified as soon due for PM, a message displays on the Messages tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen to remind you to open a work order for the PM inspection.
The PM soon due range (days) field has no effect on the Equipment Due for Service/Inspection screens.
To determine which units are due for PM within a projected date, you can filter on Number of days from today to project on the Equipment Due for Service/Inspection screens. All services or inspections due on or before the current date display, as well as the number of days to the project.
If an equipment unit’s current meter plus the value in the PM soon due range field (in the screen group on the Meter Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen) is greater than or equal to the meter reading at which the next PM is due, the unit is listed on either the Equipment Due for Service/Inspection-by Equipment screen or the Equipment Due for Service/Inspection-by Location screen.
The meter reading at which the next PM is due displays in the Next PM due at meter reading field on the Class PM tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen or the Meter 1 next due field on the Individual PM tab of that same screen.
Why would I assign an equipment unit to a PM class different from the maintenance class?
There ere may be auxiliary equipment on a vehicle that would place it in an equipment class for PM different from other vehicles in its equipment class for PM. For example, an equipment class for diesel buses may contain buses with and without wheelchair lifts. The buses with the lifts may need a different PM schedule or/and different tasks performed during the PM, even though all the buses may need the same general maintenance and may have the same task standards.
Many maintenance classes can share the same PM service pattern and schedule. If all of these equipment units below to one PM class, less administration and setup is required.
Equipment units are assigned to PM classes on the Classes tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen. Equipment class PM services and intervals are defined on the Class PM Service Pattern tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class screen.
Which screen do I use to identify shops that perform PM work?
Refer to the Functions tab on the Locations Primary Information screen.
Which screen displays extensions to PM schedules?
The PM Schedule Out of Service Extension screen displays PM schedule extensions.
