COMPUTERIZED VEHICLE MAINTENANCE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1. PREAMBLE

The modern technological trends across the globe have undoubtedly called for the computerization of nearly all human endeavors. This will of course make the problem solving easier within the shortest period of time.

Prior to the computer age, paper record were maintained the track, the work, report were simply but costly to prepare. With the advent of the computer age, it was recognized that the computer software could be used to record work requirement, track the status of the work and analyze the recorded data for managing the work, report and help to control cost. [www.encyclopeadia.com, data accessed]

Computers are powerful, relatively inexpensive and easy to use and tools to support improved maintenance practice. Tools are available for facility professionals that can manage the planning and a day to day operation and maintenance activities required for a simple facility or a large complex, providing all of the information required to manage the work, the work force and the costs necessary to generate report and hysterical data.

The goal of a maintenance manager is to employ a management system that optimizes the use of scarce resources [man power, equipment, material and fund] to maintain the facility and equipment that are the responsibility of the maintenance organization. The system should provide for integrated process giving the manager control over the maintenance of all facilities and maintenance equipment from acquisition to disposal.

The following identifies what the system is expected to do,

1. Address all the resources involved
2. Maintain vehicle maintenance inventory
3. Record and maintain work history
4. Include work task and frequencies
5. Accommodate all method of work accomplishment
6. Effectively interfere and communicate with related supporting system ranging from work generation through work performance and evaluation.
7. Support each customer’s mission.
8. Ensure communication with each customer.
9. Provide feedback information for analysis.
10. Reduce cost through effective maintenance planning.

Work shop manager may employ this system for proper documentation of the work done in the work shop, because a situation may arise where customers try to use the maintenance record of the organization for unnecessary claims and demand for compensation. With this system, the workshop manager can depend on the organization by providing the work details offered to the customers.

Therefore, this project ”computerized vehicle maintenance information management system” is aimed at designing a computerized system for keeping track of the vast work load of vehicle maintenance operation carried out at different maintenance workshops

1. SCOPE OF THE CVMIMS.

The scope of the project is mainly on the activities of the maintenance management of vehicle in the workshop. The package software will be able to create a data base for all vehicle involved, schedule the routine maintenance required by the vehicle, send alert and notification to the owners of the vehicle reminding them on the current events on works to be carried out on their vehicle enable the owner of the vehicle to access the software from anywhere in the world because it is internet based.

Data security will also be provided unlike the existing manual system which is not reliable and dependable, experience shows that enemy of progress manipulate data to suit their selfish interest.

1.3     NEEDS FOR CVMIMS

The need for the project is to phase out the old system of maintenance documentation and management by making the advanced technology. This old system is so characterized by all sorts of errors and managements.

This project when completed will correct all the errors of the old methods which have been used.

Therefore the computerize vehicle maintenance information management system, will bring change in automobile workshop and service station all around the county, by enabling easy management of their day- to- day  activities.

1. OBJECTIVES OF CVMIMS.
2. It is not in doubt that any organization, society, country or institution that is not in the computer race will soon force itself out of the lane. This project is developed to meet up with the present technological trend across the globe.
3. An automobile or maintenance workshop may have up to two hundred [200] vehicle under its management this will inevitably make the maintenance management activities on enormous task CVMIMS will help to reduce the work load especially in information section for quick decision making .
4. A lot of time, is often used to document and manage the maintenance activities using the manual method. This system will be designed in such a way that the proper management will be done via the computer, thereby saving time in accuracy of result and record keeping will also be addressed by the new system, having designed a correct system, the problem of wrong documentation will surely be solved. This is because computer is what is represented as garbage in and garbage-out [GIGO].
5. Furthermore, our main objective is to monitor the odometer of a vehicle through installation of tracker in vehicle that will enable us keep track of the vehicle mileage which will help us trigger maintenance actions that are kilometer based as well as time based.