Plant & Works Engineering April 2022

16 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk April 2022 Maintenance Matters Focus on: Preventative Maintenance F or smaller companies that don’t have the luxury of sophisticated EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) systems with built-in CMMS modules, integration with other systems may be complex, time- consuming, and expensive, and may not be easy to accomplish without skilled IT people. This is where an OpenAPI can be extremely beneficial. An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules that allows programs to talk to each other. An API Gateway is a secure and encrypted public-facing HTTPS API, based on the OpenAPI standard, that allows external systems to automatically interface with, and programmatically perform operations on a CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System). The OpenAPI Initiative (OAI) was created by a consortium of forward- looking industry experts who recognise the immense value of standardizing on how APIs are described. Stephen Davis, Marketing Director at PEMAC (an Irish and UK-based CMMS solutions provider) explains that his company, for example, uses a REST API, (also known as RESTful API) which conforms to the constraints of REST architectural style and allows for interaction with RESTful web services. REST stands for representational state transfer and provides a set of guidelines that can be implemented as needed, making REST APIs faster and more lightweight, with increased scalability—perfect for Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile app development Maintenance managers can use an API gateway to develop a CMMS interface to: Seamlessly integrate data between a CMMS and 3rd party software in real-time. Reduce the setup time associated with systems integration. Significantly reduce costs. Improve consistency and accuracy. Shape integrations according to their own specific business requirements. Davis highlights that PEMAC, recently launched an OpenAPI gateway to allow its clients to seamlessly integrate CMMS with other systems to perform business operations such as: Purchase Order lifecycle management e.g., the approval step being performed using a third-party financial system. Mirroring of Spare Part stock levels on external systems. Real-time import of Meter Readings and automatic Routine Generation. API Integration & Industry 4.0 The future of CMMS resides in the drive for IoT/Industry 4.0 and CMMS software integration will be a key differentiator for manufacturing and related industries. An API is essentially like ‘Software Lego’ making it easier to integrate CMMS and leverage data to create a holistic view of a production process. IoT and Industry 4.0 are also driving companies to Integrate the data they are collecting and leveraging this to create better decisions and outcomes. A single platform solution rarely meets all Business needs while disparate systems present a data sharing issue. A Best-of-Breed CMMS provides an alternative by meeting the core business requirements but then needs to integrate in with the other Business Applications, sharing data and allowing for overall business KPI reporting. Technopedia defines best-of-breed software as: “The best system in its referenced niche or category. Although it performs specialised functions better than an integrated system, this type of system is limited by its specialty area.” So, according to Davis, an OpenAPI allows companies to get the best of both worlds – a top class CMMS that also integrates with other business systems. By their very nature, best-of-breed solutions are focused on doing one thing very well. A best-of-breed CMMS is likely to have more frequent updates and greater product innovation. Best of Breed Solutions Integrating a CMMS or Maintenance Management System with inventory, accounting, purchasing systems and other enterprise management systems is essential for many organisations. PWE reports. OpenAPI: Enabling seamless systems integration with CMMS