Key CMMS & Maintenance Trends for 2019: Insights & Data-Driven Strategies

Every strategic decision—whether it’s allocating capital, staffing the maintenance workforce, or choosing a new maintenance strategy—relies on accurate, timely data. Yet, in the maintenance arena, useful statistics are surprisingly scarce, and when they exist, they’re often unverified.

We’ve compiled the most recent, verified maintenance statistics to give you a clear snapshot of where the industry stands today and where it’s headed in 2019. Plus, we’ve added a set of compelling CMMS metrics that can help you evaluate the right solution for your plant.

All figures are drawn from studies published within the last three years, with 90% sourced from 2018 data.

Maintenance Statistics

While the full infographic covers a wide range of metrics, the highlights are worth noting:

• On average, facilities spend 19 hours per week on scheduled maintenance (Plant Engineering 2017 Maintenance Study).
• Among organizations that actively employ a maintenance strategy, 78% rely on preventive maintenance, while 61% still use reactive approaches.
• When it comes to software, 59% of those facilities use a CMMS, compared with 48% using predictive maintenance tools and 29% employing reliability‑centered maintenance systems.
• Regarding the business view of maintenance, 37% see it as a profit center, 22% view it purely as a cost center, and the remainder treat it as a mix of both.

Maintenance Trends

Despite the growing emphasis on digital tools, only 9% of facilities fully integrate handheld mobile devices into their CMMS and IIoT ecosystems. A third have no plans to adopt such technology, while 27% are considering it.

Training priorities for maintenance personnel mirror the skills most critical to modern plant operations:

1. Safety – 81%
2. Basic electrical – 70%
3. Basic mechanical – 66%
4. Motors, gearboxes, bearings – 58%
5. Lubrication – 56%
6. Predictive maintenance – 56%

Emerging Technologies

Opinions on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) remain split: a third of respondents believe IIoT will dramatically improve maintenance, 21% see no impact, and 25% are unsure.

In the 2017 Plant Services PDM Survey, companies indicated their technology priorities for the next three years:

1. 30% plan to invest in wireless connectivity for the field workforce.
2. 30% target smartphones.
3. 31% focus on tablets.
4. 32% prioritize analytics software.

Additionally, 37% of respondents intend to increase investment in CMMS/EAM platforms.

CMMS Statistics

From a review of 80 firms evaluating maintenance software, the most demanded features were:

1. Work order management
2. Inventory management
3. Maintenance scheduling
4. Maintenance history
5. Predictive/preventive maintenance

Other notable requests included reporting, repair tickets, and machine cost/downtime metrics.

Price sensitivity is high: 84% of firms are willing to pay between $50 and $200 per user per month, with 34% targeting the $50–$100 range.

Limble’s Starter package begins at just $35 per user per month. See our pricing page for details.

Final Thoughts

Even those who view maintenance strictly as a cost center recognize its essential role in sustaining plant reliability. The evidence is clear: investing in modern, mobile‑friendly CMMS solutions pays dividends in uptime, cost savings, and long‑term operational resilience.

For a deeper dive into CMMS capabilities, read our What Is a CMMS System and How Does It Work?

Case Study: How Red Hawk Cut Reactive Maintenance by 73.2%

Discover the results Red Hawk achieved with Limble