What Is the Best Approach to Complex Facilities Maintenance?
When you're in charge of a large commercial facility, you may also be responsible for profitability and reputation. You'll want to make sure that activities can take place without delay during normal hours of operation, avoid shut down where at all possible and keep all your customers happy. Yet, you need to be on your toes due to the many potential hiccups along the way, and you may need to be an exceptional manager to deal with individual maintenance companies waiting in the wings. Why is this a recipe for disaster, and what should you be doing instead?
Outsource Versus In-House
It is usually more cost-effective to outsource maintenance in all but the very largest commercial or industrial operations. After all, it's hard to have a "generalist" on staff who can deal with so many different types of maintenance. And, if you have too many of these individuals just in case, they may spend quite a lot of their time idle, and your overhead costs will go through the roof. So, you may already have a couple of dozen companies on speed dial who can help you with maintenance issues as and when they arise.
So Much to Think about
For example, you may have a contractor who deals with glass repair or replacement and another one who handles HVAC problems. A third may come in when you have pest control issues, while a fourth will help with any plumbing blockages. The list can go on and on, and while each of these companies may be very adept at what they do, the sheer complexity makes your job very difficult.
Proactive Versus Reactive
You also need to ensure that you conduct proactive maintenance as and when needed. Again, this can get very complex, and you will need to keep proper records with necessary triggers in place to do this properly. If you don't and a piece of equipment or other facility breaks down, this could affect your entire operation leading to losses and reputational damage.
Focusing Attention
The better approach is to bring in one facilities maintenance specialist who can take control of all the individual areas. A company that specialises in this area can help you avoid the problem of dealing with multiple vendors, estimating, invoicing and etc. This company will take responsibility for all your maintenance issues from HVAC to electrical to plumbing, and by taking this off your plate, will make you a better manager as well.
For more information on facility maintenance, contact a company near you.
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