Focus on: CMMS Maintenance Matters Annual Buyers’ Guide 2025 www.pwemag.co.uk Plant & Works Engineering | 13 curve. As the demand for highly skilled technicians increases, so too does the need for facilities to offer attractive career development opportunities, comprehensive training programmes, and competitive benefits packages. In response to this, facilities managers in the UK must focus on creating training programmes that enable their existing workforce to upskill and keep pace with technological advancements. Apprenticeships, graduate schemes, and partnerships with technical schools and universities will be key to addressing the skills gap in the long term. In the shorter term, ongoing professional development through workshops, certifications, and industry conferences will help staff stay current with new technologies and best practices. Managing critical environments & compliance In some sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and data centres, downtime is not just costly but can have serious safety or regulatory implications. These industries rely heavily on CMMS systems to ensure continuous operations and strict adherence to compliance standards. As regulatory requirements continue to evolve, CMMS platforms must be capable of managing more than just routine maintenance tasks—they must also track and report on complex compliance measures. The challenge for facilities managers is ensuring that their CMMS systems are equipped to handle the specific needs of critical environments. For example, in a data centre, even a few minutes of downtime can result in significant financial loss and potential reputational damage. Therefore, a CMMS in these settings must be able to provide real-time monitoring, automated alerts for maintenance needs, and detailed compliance reporting to meet stringent industry regulations. As compliance standards become more complex, it is increasingly important that CMMS platforms can capture and report on various metrics such as energy consumption, equipment performance, and environmental conditions. With the growing emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, particularly within the UK’s industrial sector, facilities managers must ensure their CMMS platforms are capable of tracking sustainability efforts, reducing carbon footprints, and ensuring regulatory compliance across all operations. Strategic planning Given the rapid pace of change in the industrial sector, CMMS providers and facilities managers must plan strategically to overcome these challenges. Upgrading to a modern CMMS that integrates seamlessly with advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and business intelligence is crucial. This will allow facilities to optimise maintenance strategies, reduce downtime, and make more informed decisions based on real-time data. Moreover, investing in workforce development is essential for bridging the skills gap. Offering training opportunities, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and creating pathways for younger talent will help ensure that facilities have the skilled workforce they need to operate and manage advanced CMMS systems effectively. Finally, for facilities operating in critical environments, it is essential that CMMS platforms are configured to handle the complex demands of compliance and real-time monitoring. Customising CMMS to meet the specific needs of these environments and ensuring it can track key regulatory requirements will be critical for maintaining operations and avoiding costly downtime. By embracing new technologies, prioritising workforce development, and ensuring their CMMS platforms are adaptable and future-proof, facilities managers can position themselves for long-term success. The key lies in adopting a proactive, strategic approach to CMMS that focuses on integration, data management, and compliance while remaining agile in the face of an ever-changing landscape.
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