The verdict in three sentences
For an aggregates producer running 4 quarries in southern Ontario with 70 machines, a packaged CMMS costs about 90 CAD per user per month, while a custom CMMS ranges from 55,000 to 100,000 CAD in 2026, with a delivery time of 4 months. The profit lever is preventive maintenance triggered by engine hours, which lifts fleet availability from about 85 % to the 92 % target. Custom is justified if you need engine hours pulled automatically from manufacturer telematics and site-specific rules that the package cannot model.
What the CMMS must do for 70 machines on 4 sites
The maintenance manager looks after haul trucks, wheel loaders, excavators, mobile crushers and screens. Oil changes and services are due every 250, 500 or 1,000 engine hours, but meters are read by hand once a week, when they are read at all.
| Function | What it delivers | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Asset register | History, documents, inspections, linked parts | Essential |
| Engine hour capture | Automatic import from telematics (CAT, Volvo, Komatsu) | Essential |
| Preventive maintenance plans | Triggered by engine hours or calendar | Essential |
| Mobile work orders | Mechanic entry on tablet, photos, labor time | High |
| Parts inventory | Reorder points, critical parts per machine | High |
| KPIs | Availability, MTBF, MTTR, cost per machine hour | High |
| Regulatory inspections | Ontario mining and quarry inspections, due date alerts | Essential |
Automatic engine hour capture is often the real tipping point between packaged and custom: many CMMS products accept it by file upload, few by multi-brand manufacturer API.
Packaged or custom: a costed comparison
With 12 users (mechanics, shop leads, site managers, purchasing), here is the five-year comparison.
| Criterion | Packaged CMMS | Custom CMMS |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 7,500 to 18,000 CAD deployment | 55,000 to 100,000 CAD |
| Recurring cost | 90 CAD × 12 users, or 1,080 CAD per month | Hosting and maintenance, 750 to 1,350 CAD per month |
| Multi-brand telematics | File import, sometimes API for one brand | API for every brand in the fleet |
| Site-specific rules | Limited configuration | Full |
| Time to go live | 6 to 8 weeks | 4 months |
| 5-year cost (order of magnitude) | 72,000 to 83,000 CAD | 100,000 to 181,000 CAD |
| Ownership of code and data | Data exportable | Code and data |
If your fleet is homogeneous (one or two brands) and your sites are standard, a packaged CMMS is the rational choice. If you mix four brands and quarry-specific maintenance rules, custom avoids hours of re-entry every week.
Mini case study
Take Nick, maintenance manager for a quarry operator near Toronto (fictional persona). His 70 machines run 1,600 hours a year on average, or 112,000 potential productive hours.
- Current availability: 85 %. Target: 92 %, a 7-point gain.
- Hours recovered: 7 % of 112,000, or 7,840 machine hours.
- Value of one machine hour (rental equivalent, production): 120 CAD as an order of magnitude.
- Annual gain: about 940,000 CAD of capacity, of which a prudent 20 % is actually captured, or 188,000 CAD.
- Custom investment: 85,000 CAD plus 12,600 CAD of maintenance a year.
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Estimated payback: about 6 months, even with the prudent assumption.
FAQ
How much does a CMMS for a heavy equipment fleet cost in 2026?
A packaged CMMS costs around 90 CAD per user per month, plus 7,500 to 18,000 CAD for deployment. A custom CMMS ranges from 55,000 to 100,000 CAD depending on integrations.
Can engine hours be captured automatically?
Yes, through manufacturer telematics APIs (ISO 15143-3, known as AEMP 2.0). Integrating one brand takes 3 to 5 development days.
What availability rate should we aim for?
92 % is ambitious but realistic with a real preventive plan. Fleets tracked on spreadsheets often plateau between 82 and 87 %.
Will mechanics actually use it in the field?
Yes, if work orders fit in three tablet screens, work offline and accept photos. A 2-hour training session is usually enough.
How long does it take?
Allow 4 months for custom: 3 weeks of scoping, 11 weeks of development and 2 weeks of asset and plan migration. A pilot site is recommended before the other three.
Let's scope your project. We compare packaged and custom against your actual fleet, with an indicative budget and a 4-month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
