CMMS FAQ for EPAC

What areas of maintenance does ePAC manage?
ePAC is a well-rounded maintenance program with the following modules: Work Orders, Preventive Maintenance, Schedule Management, Materials Management: Parts Inventory, Requisitioning/Purchasing, and ERP Interface. These modules record and store data on the expected versus actual maintenance of equipment.

How do you create Work Orders in ePAC?
Creating work orders in ePAC is very simple. ePAC contains a separate form for Work Orders. You can create new records directly on this form. One useful feature of ePAC is that you do not have to complete the data entry of your Asset and Materials items before you create Work Orders. You can create records for Asset and Material tables while you create Work Orders. Therefore, getting started with ePAC does not require extensive data entry.

1 - Creating Work Orders directly in Work Orders form is one of two ways to create
Work Orders in ePAC.

2 - The other way you can create Work Orders is to define and schedule repetitive jobs
(PMs). Then release Work Orders that are due.

We have many jobs that recur from time to time. Do we have to create a new Work order each time?
One of the advantages of using ePAC for maintenance management is that ePAC minimizes duplicate entry of the same information. ePAC has a Task Code table in which you can define and schedule your recurring maintenance jobs, such as a monthly safety inspection for each department. Since you schedule the task (by date and/or by meter), ePAC keeps track of when the job should be done and automatically creates a Work Order for it. The parts needed for the job are also listed (if you defined them for the task), and the labor required to complete the task.

Will ePAC build my parts lists for equipment so that I don’t have to create them?
ePAC’s Equipment module is where you create individual records for each piece of equipment. On an equipment record, you may list all of the spare parts for that piece of equipment. Or you can ask ePAC to create the spare parts list for you based on the items that have historically been used for that equipment. Then when you create a Work Order for that piece of equipment, you can choose to use the spare parts list for that piece of equipment.

In ePAC, can I restrict who sees part or all of the data?
Yes. ePAC has a comprehensive security system that allows you to assign rights to individual users. You decide what each user can view, edit, delete, or create. You can hide menu items, make forms read-only, and allow users to save table layout views according to what works best for their individual needs.

Who handles the entering of basic data (equipment, partmaster, technicians, etc.) into ePAC?
Entering your basic equipment, partmaster, and task code information into ePAC is not difficult if you approach it with careful planning. One of the challenges to this data entry is setting up a numbering and description system for equipment and inventory items. People from the maintenance side of industry designed ePAC. ePAC offers expert guided training by professionals with extensive maintenance experience as needed.

Can I use my existing data and coding schemes, or will I have to redo everything?
If your data and coding schemes are understandable and consistent, then you can use them. Small changes may be necessary that allow you to manage the data easier.

Is ePAC training is available? If so, who do I contact?
EPAC holds training classes in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, ePAC instructors are available to train your maintenance personnel at your site. The following training classes are regularly available for ePAC:

ePAC for Beginners
Advanced ePAC
ePAC Implementation
Crystal Reports for Beginners
Advanced Crystal Reports

In addition to these training classes, you can also schedule a custom training class specifically tailored for your maintenance staff. For more information regarding Training, please visit the Training Page.

Can we operate ePAC without implementation and training?
Yes. Although ePAC recommends implementation and training in order to get your maintenance management system working quickly and efficiently, you do not have to have these services in order to operate ePAC. You should determine your need for these services based on your experience with computers, networks, and maintenance management applications.

Will we need to hire a full-time ePAC operator?
Whether you need to hire a full-time operator for ePAC depends on the size of your maintenance operations, the workload of your staff, and how well the maintenance staff can work with the software. If your maintenance staff can hardly keep up with the actual maintenance workload, then you may need to hire an ePAC operator to handle the day-to-day entry of data. This person could be part-time or full-time based on your needs.

Once the initial data entry is complete, the daily time necessary to maintain ePAC is limited to what functions you use. If you use ePAC only for work management, then you must dedicate time for scheduling, generating, and printing Work Orders; for entering Parts and Labor information when Work Orders are completed; and for running periodic reports. If you use ePAC for work management and purchasing, you will need to dedicate time for the purchasing functions as well.

Can ePAC operate over a LAN or a WAN?
ePAC is highly effective when used either over a Local Area Network, or a Wide Area Network. Performance over a WAN, of course, will depend on WAN speed and the quality of communication wiring.

We don’t have a network administrator. Do we need one for ePAC?
For a client server setup, you will most likely need a network administrator to maintain your client server network. If you run a file server setup, you may not need a network administrator, assuming you have someone available who understands networks. Generally, however, a network administrator can quickly solve system problems that may affect the operation of ePAC.

Can I import maintenance data into ePAC from another software application?
EPAC offers two options for importing data into ePAC:

A) The ePAC Data Conversion group can import and convert
     data from most software, including other maintenance
     management applications.
B) ePAC has an importing feature to allow basic importing
     of equipment and inventory tables from the following formats:

ASCII comma delimited (*.csv)
ASCII tab delimited (*.txt)
Dbase II, III+, IV (*.dbf)
Excel (*.xls)
Lotus 1-2-3 (*.wk1, *.wk3, *.wk4)
Symphony (*.wrk)

Can I attach special documents and drawings to Work orders?
Yes. In ePAC version 5.0 and higher, you can attach any type of file to ePAC Work Orders, Equipment Records, Partmaster, or Technician Records.

Can I copy and paste information into ePAC?
Yes. You can copy and paste any body of text from another application into ePAC. This function works well when entering information into the Notes and Task Instructions fields.

Does ePAC have a spell checker?
No. ePAC does not have a spell-check function. The reason is that each record consists of several user-defined codes that would show up incorrectly as errors during a spell-check.

Does ePAC have an on-line help system?
Yes. To search the on-line help document: Click on Help at the top of the page. Search by Contents/Index/Find. For help on the current form, press the F1key. All fields on the currently displayed form will be defined.

Can I link ePAC to my Accounts Payable/Receivable software or other department software packages?
Yes. ePAC is an open system, which means that in most cases you can link ePAC with other software applications so that they can share information.

The ePAC Development Group can modify our standard interface module to match your business software. Contact Us for more information.

Does ePAC support a barcode scanner and other inventory checkout procedures?
ePAC supports bar code scanner and printer functionality. The ePAC Development team can customize your application to support Janus or Person handheld scanners, and Intermec or Zebra printers.

In addition, within the standard ePAC package is a complete PartMaster inventory module. You can use this feature to maintain quantities and costs of all inventory items used in maintenance. You can checkout, return, receive move, adjust, and count inventory items. ePAC will automatically adjust quantities and costs. Contact Us for more information on bar code reading and printing.

What are ePAC’s reporting capabilities?
ePAC is delivered with 78 standard reports. ePAC utilizes Crystal Report drivers. Therefore, all of these reports are easily customizable. Examples of the reports are: Equipment Information, Downtime Analysis, Dedicated Parts List, Maintenance Cost by Area, Part Usage by Equipment, PM Completion Efficiency, Contractor Listing, Equipment Downtime Summary, Overdue PM Listing, Detailed Parts Listing, Part Usage by Equipment, Supplier Performance, and Open Work Orders.

If a standard ePAC report does not exist for your needs, you can create your own reports using Crystal Reports. Once these reports are created, you can add them to the reports menu and run them from within ePAC.

What is the schedule and cost of future upgrades? EPAC releases two type of software upgrades:

Maintenance Release: These are small updates and changes to the existing versions.
New Product Version: These are large product upgrades with new features or modules.

If you have a current Technical Support and Maintenance Agreement with EPAC, both maintenance releases and new product versions are available at no additional cost.

How do I access Technical Support?
When you purchase ePAC, your sales representative will give you the option to purchase Technical Support. If you choose not to purchase Technical Support at time of purchase, and later discover you need assistance with the product, you can do one of two things:

A) Purchase a Technical Support and Maintenance Agreement by calling 1.888.336.3722 ext. 4. Or Contact Us by Email.

B) Call Technical Support at 1.888.336.3722 extension 4, with your question. EPAC will charge you for each phone call.

To access a Technical Support Analyst, call the number above. A Technical Support analyst will ask you
for your customer ID to verify that you have a current Technical Support subscription. For more info, email support@epacst.com.

Are there optional products that work with ePAC?
You may purchase one or more of the following add-ons to work with ePAC. ContactUs for more info.

PDA Units: Hand Held Personal Digital Assistant units for field data gathering opportunities such as PM Checklists, Work Orders, and Physical Inventory.
Hand Held Scanners: For scanning bar code labels.
Bar Code Label Printers: For labels to identify parts, machinery, technicians, and areas.
Crystal Reports: To create custom reports or modifying standard ePAC Reports.