Automated Information Systems for Production Management: CMMS

Abstract

For my WESIP I interned with Ford Motor Company. I was employed as a scheduler, and in this position I was able to examine the new production information system recently introduced by Ford. Although the Common Manufacturing Management System (CMMS) has been developed for use throughout all Ford manufacturing plants, Ford Rawsonville (where I was working) is the pilot plant and therefore is currently suffering most acutely from the problems which commonly plague most implementation efforts. However, it is also the first to benefit from the use of such a new and sophisticated system. Most of the information herein is the result of interviews with many Ford employees and personal insights gained through working as a Ford employee and CMMS user. Perhaps the most valuable source of information was the offhand comments and spontaneous observations provided by Ford employees who had worked with other systems, and had been involved with CMMS from day one. It is my objective in this paper to present the reader with an outline of the capabilities and objectives of CMMS. Also, I shall include the problems that are currently being faced and dealt with at Rawsonville. This paper is not intended to provide the reader with an in-depth study or critique of CMMS. However, it does represent the feelings of Ford employees currently working with CMMS, and insights gained by myself through my experiences as a CMMS user.