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Introduction

This article provides a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create recurring preventative maintenance (PM) service schedules for different types of equipment in EMDECS, initialize units, and find out when maintenance services are due.

Video Walkthough

Click on the square at the bottom right-hand corner to view the video in full screen mode.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

PM Inspection Manager Screen

1. Open the Fleet menu and select PM Inspection Manager .
   
   
2. PM schedules are created and managed from the PM Schedule Setup tab.
   
   
3. The PM Schedule Setup screen has the following panes:
   
   (1) Customers :  Each customer, or unit owner, in EMDECS is tied to different maintenance groups and PM schedules.  This allows you to maintain different schedules for different fleets
   (2) Maintenance Groups :  User defined maintenance groups are defined in this pane for different types, brands, or categories of equipment.
   (3) Maintenance Schedules :  Each preventative maintenance service is added in this pane and listed by VMRS code.
   (4) Reading Schedules :  Reading schedules (i.e. odometer or engine hour readings) can be viewed and added in this pane.
   (5) Included Services :  Any services listed in this pane are considered completed as part of the maintenance schedule above (i.e. an annual PM DOT service may include completing a PM A service; both are marked as completed if PM A is an included service under PM DOT).
   
   

Click on the image to zoom in / view original size.

Add a New Customer

1.       If you are new to EMDECS, or creating PM schedules for the first time, start by clicking Add in the Customers pane.

2.     Enter the customer name in the “Belongs to:" field and then select a maintenance group to continue.

PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard

1. After selecting a maintenance schedule group, the PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard will pop-up to step through adding the first maintenance service for the selected maintenance group. 
   
   
   
   Enter a SYS (system) and ASM (assembly) VMRS code for the maintenance service.
   
   
   
   The Next Service SYS and ASM codes are required in order for services to repeat.  If a service self-repeats (i.e. every 3 months the same PM A service is done again), enter the same SYS and ASM codes in the Next Service fields.  If the service is followed by a different service (i.e. the PM A is followed by a PM B) enter the appropriate SYS and ASM codes under Next Service .
   
   
   
   Click Next to continue.
   
   
   
   
   
2. If you are adding your first maintenance schedule, and the next service that follows is also a new service, it will not exist yet and an error will pop-up on the screen indicating "Next Service maintenance schedule does not exist for this maintenance group."  To proceed, leave Next Service blank for now, complete the wizard, then add the second service (i.e. PM B).  Once both services are added then you can edit your first maintenance schedule and fill in the Next Service fields. 
   
   
   
   Refer to the Add Additional Maintenance Schedules and Edit Reading Schedules sections for details on how to add an additional maintenance service and edit an existing service.
   
   
3. Each maintenance can include time and/or reading components.  The maintenance service will be due based on whichever occurs first.  For example, you can create a maintenance service that happens once every three months, or every 20,000 miles, or every 500 engine hours, whichever comes first.
   
   
   
   Note:  You can skip this step and click Next if the maintenance service is based on readings only, regardless of how much time passes by.
   
   
   
   On the Time Interval screen, the following intervals may be entered:
   
   
   
   First Service :  Enter a value in months or days for when the maintenance is first performed on new units.
   
   
   
   Interval :  Enter a value in months or days for how often the maintenance service is repeated.
   
   
   
   Tolerance :  Enter a value if you want EMDECS to trigger the maintenance due when a unit is checked in close to the maintenance due date.  For example, set a tolerance of 7 days if you want EMDECS to show the PM service as work required if the unit is checked in for repair within 7 days of the service being due.
   
   
   
   The "Dates based on:" value should be set to completed if you want to base maintenance due dates on when the repair order with the PM service was completed and invoiced.  Select "WO" if you prefer to base PM due dates on when repair orders are created, instead of when they are completed/invoiced.
   
   
   
   
   
4. To add a reading interval, select a reading type from the drop-down list, a UOM (i.e. MI or KM), then enter the reading interval and tolerance.  The first service interval and notes are optional.  Then click Add .
   
   
   
5. The reading interval will be added to the list at the bottom of the screen.  In the example pictured below, an interval of every 20,000 KM has been added, with a tolerance of 1,000 KM.
   
   
   
   It is possible to add multiple reading intervals (i.e. Odometer, Engine Hours, Reefer Hours, etc.).  If multiple reading intervals are added, the PM will be due when any one of them are overdue or within tolerance (i.e. every 20,000 miles or every 500 engine hours, whichever occurs first).
   
   
   
   When you are done adding reading intervals, click Finish to save the new maintenance schedule.
   
   
   

Add Additional Maintenance Schedules

1. To add an additional maintenance schedule to a maintenance group, ensure the appropriate maintenance group is selected, then click Add in the Maintenance Schedules pane.
   
   
2. After clicking Add , the PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard will pop-up on the screen.  Complete the wizard as explained above in the PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard section to add another maintenance service.
   
   

Edit a Maintenance Schedule

When editing a PM schedule please make sure to "Build Group" so that your modifications take effect.

1. To edit an existing schedule, click on its VMRS code. In this example, I will edit the PM A schedule created earlier in this tutorial to set the PM B as its next service.
   
   
2. The PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard will pop-up on the screen again.  Complete the wizard to make changes to the existing configuration.
   In the example pictured below, the blank Next Service fields have been filled in with the PM B service that will follow the PM A.
   
   

Edit Reading Schedules

1. To edit an existing reading schedule, click on the reading type hyperlink (i.e. Odometer, Engine Hours, etc.)
   
   
2. An Edit Reading Schedule window will pop-up where you can edit the reading settings.  Click OK to save your changes.
   
   

Add a Maintenance Group

1. To add a new maintenance group, select the appropriate customer in the Customers pane, then click Add in the Maintenance Groups pane. 
   
   
2. From the pop-up window, use the Select buttons to choose the appropriate maintenance schedule group code.
   
   
3. Complete the wizard as explained above in the PM Maintenance Schedule Setup Wizard section to add the first maintenance service in the new maintenance group.
   
   

Add Reading Schedules

1. Additional reading schedules can be added when editing an existing schedule using the wizard, or by clicking Add at the top right-hand corner of the Reading Schedules pane.
   
   
2. All fields marked with an asterisk are required for adding a reading schedule.  Fill in the appropriate values and click OK.
   
   
3. In the example pictured below, a Machine Hours reading schedule has been added to the PM A.
   
   

Included Services

1. If a maintenance service also includes completing other services, adding included services will reset the due dates for both.  For example, you may perform an annual maintenance that includes an oil change, lube service, and new filters done as part of a PM A service.
   
   To add included services, select the appropriate maintenance schedule then click Add in the Included Services pane.
   
   
2. Select the service to include form the VMRS drop-down list and click OK.
   
   
3. The included service will be listed under Included Services .  Repeat these steps to add additional included services, as required.
   
   

Copy Schedules (bulk copy tool)

1. If you have multiple customers in EMDECS with the same types of equipment and maintenance schedules, the Copy Schedules button can be used to quickly copy your existing maintenance groups and schedules from one customer to one or many other customers.
   
   To copy maintenance groups and schedules, select the customer to copy from at the top then click Copy Schedules .
   
   
2. Put a check next to the maintenance groups to be copied on the left-hand side, then put a check next to the customers to copy to on the right-hand side.  You can also use the Select All / De-select All buttons to save time from selecting each one individually.
   
   Click the Copy button to copy over the schedules.
   
   
3. In the example below, the HEAVY maintenance group, and all of its schedules, have been copied over to another customer.
   
   

Assign Units to a PM Schedule

1. After creating maintenance groups and schedules, they need to be tied to units in EMDECS.  To assign units to PM services, open the Fleet menu and select Unit Master.
   
   
2. Search for and click on the appropriate unit number.
   
   
3. Check that the unit has been initialized with an In Service Date .  This is required in order for EMDECS to know when PM services based on a time interval will be first due.  Click Initialize if there is no in service date is set.
   
   
4. In the pop-up window, select the in service date by clicking on the calendar icon.  If the unit's maintenance is also tied to readings, click Add Reading and enter the current reading values under Initial Readings .
   
   
5. Once a unit is initialized, select the appropriate PM Group from the drop-down list.
   
   
6. After assigning a maintenance schedule, you can open the PM tab and view upcoming maintenance from the Maintenance Due tab.
   
   

Add External PM History

1. Maintenance history is displayed on the History tab.  If the unit has prior PM service history that was not entered in repair orders in EMDECS, or if a PM is done by a third party repair shop, click on Add External PM to enter the PM history.
   
   
   
2. Select the PM service from the drop-down list and click on the calendar icon to set the date/time that the maintenance was completed.  EMDECS will use this to re-calculate when the PM will be due again.  If the PM service is tied to readings (i.e. Odometer) fields will also be available to enter the reading at the time the service was completed.
   
   Override Due Date is optional.  A date can be selected to manually override when the service should be completed again.
   
   Click Add to save the override.
   
   

When setting up existing units in EMDECS for the first time, it is necessary to repeat these steps and add the most recent PM history for each unit to ensure PM services are not missed.  When a PM is completed on a repair order in EMDECS, the system will automatically recalculate the next due date based on the maintenance schedules configured in EMDECS.

Track PM Service Due

There are a couple of ways to see what PM services are coming due.  The PM Service Due screen can be accessed from the Fleet menu.

From this screen, use the sliders at the top to see what is due within a certain number of days or reading values.  The list can be filtered by the Unit Owner, Unit Number, Maintenance Group, Equipment Type, Billing Type, Reading Type, SYS, or ASM fields.  Click the Refresh button to refresh the search results.

To export the current list of units to an Excel spreadsheet, click the Export button.

Users can also run or schedule the PM Schedule By Customer report to see what PMs are coming due.  Click on the Reports menu and select Fleet →M Schedule By Customer to run the report or schedule it to be run automatically each day / week / month / etc.