Friendly Maintenance Guide (A–Z) A guide to the most important terms in the field of maintenance – for everyone who wants to understand how modern manufacturing plants work, even without a technical background.
Technical Audit
A technical audit is a comprehensive assessment of the technical condition, functionality, and compliance with standards and regulations of specific systems, equipment, or technical infrastructure. The aim is to identify irregularities, risks, and opportunities for optimization and improved technical efficiency.
According to ISO 19011:2018, a technical audit includes the planning, execution, and reporting of audit activities, focusing on the technical aspects of systems and processes. It is particularly important to verify compliance with applicable legal requirements, industry standards, and quality norms.
Breakdown (Failure)
In industrial production, a breakdown refers to a sudden or anticipated event that causes a machine to stop or malfunction, preventing the continuation of the production process.
The difference between a breakdown and a fault is that a breakdown indicates serious damage or destruction resulting in a machine stop, while a fault is a minor defect that may not immediately halt the equipment and can often be corrected during routine maintenance or repair.
Technical Database
A collection of information about machines, their components, repair history, failures, and inspections. It helps in planning and responding quickly to issues. The technical database is a core element of CMMS systems.
Machine Safety
Machine safety refers to the set of actions, measures, and solutions aimed at protecting people, the environment, and the machine itself from hazards related to its use. The goal is to minimize the risk of accidents, damage, and harm to the health and lives of workers.
Machine safety includes:
- Technical measures: guards, safety devices, emergency stop systems, sensors, interlocks.
- Organizational measures: operation procedures, employee training, safety instructions.
- Legal and normative measures: laws and standards (e.g., ISO 12100, ISO 13849) that define safety requirements.
- Risk analysis: assessing potential hazards and implementing preventive actions.
CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)
A CMMS is an integrated IT system that enables comprehensive planning, monitoring, and documentation of maintenance activities in an enterprise. It helps manage information on technical equipment, inspection schedules, failure records, repair history, spare parts orders, service work schedules, cost analysis, and performance reporting.
Thanks to process automation and real-time data access, CMMS supports decision-making, optimizes maintenance actions, and improves operational efficiency. CMMS systems are often integrated with ERP systems, industrial automation, or SCADA systems, ensuring consistency and access to key information.
Technical Diagnostics
Technical diagnostics involves detecting and evaluating the technical condition of machines, devices, and technical systems to ensure reliability, safety, and work optimization.
The goal is to quickly detect faults or wear, enabling planned repairs and minimizing downtime. It includes:
- Diagnostic methods: techniques such as vibration measurements, thermography, resonance testing, oil analysis, and non-destructive testing (e.g., ultrasound, visual inspection).
- Diagnostic tools and devices: sensors, vibration analyzers, thermal cameras, oil spectrometers, insulation resistance meters.
- Diagnostic procedures and instructions: schemes and guidelines for performing measurements, interpreting results, and documenting the technical state.
- IT and support systems: data analysis software, databases, and maintenance management systems.
Technical Documentation
Technical documentation is a collection of detailed information and data about machines, equipment, and technical systems necessary for proper operation, maintenance, and repair. It includes operating instructions, schematics, spare parts lists, diagnostic procedures, and inspection schedules.
Its purpose is to ensure effective and safe maintenance by facilitating fast fault diagnosis, service planning, and minimizing downtime.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
ERP systems are integrated software solutions used to manage and coordinate key business processes, including those related to production.
They enable data collection, storage, and analysis across departments such as production, inventory management, planning, logistics, finance, and sales – all in one cohesive system.
This allows manufacturing companies to optimize production schedules, control costs, improve product quality, and enhance operational efficiency by ensuring better coordination and more accurate resource planning.
E-Mobile
A mobile application that provides access to the ZMT CMMS system from portable devices such as smartphones or tablets. It facilitates fieldwork by allowing users to manage work orders, task reports, technical object databases, and warehouse operations on the go.
E-Service
A solution that supports maintenance and service management by integrating various CMMS and EAM system functions.
It enables efficient planning and execution of service tasks and allows for monitoring their progress.
EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)
EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) systems are integrated IT solutions designed to manage and optimize an organization’s assets, such as machines, equipment, infrastructure, or real estate. Their main purpose is to support the planning, monitoring, maintenance, repair, and replacement of assets in order to increase their efficiency, minimize costs, and extend their lifespan.
EAM systems integrate data from various areas of the organization, enabling comprehensive management of the asset lifecycle—from acquisition to decommissioning. It can be said that an EAM system always includes a CMMS component, while a CMMS system does not always include EAM-class functionalities.