Enterprise asset management (EAM)
The management of physical assets across their whole life, from acquisition to disposal, and the software that supports it.
How it works
EAM covers the whole life of an asset: planning and buying it, installing and commissioning it, operating and maintaining it, and finally replacing or disposing of it. EAM software usually includes everything a CMMS does, plus links to finance, procurement, inventory, and often several sites.
The international standard for the management discipline is the ISO 55000 series on asset management.
Why it matters
Some decisions only make sense across the full life of an asset. Should we keep repairing this compressor or replace it? Which sites spend the most to keep similar machines running? Answering those needs maintenance history and financial data in the same place.
In practice
The line between CMMS and EAM is blurry, and vendors use the terms loosely. As a rough guide, a CMMS is run by the maintenance team for maintenance work, while an EAM system is run across the company and is often part of, or tightly linked to, an ERP such as SAP.
Large companies often run an EAM centrally and still have technicians use simpler tools at the machine, because the EAM screens are built for planners and controllers, not for someone holding a wrench.