Are you investing in preventing breaks for your equipment or fixing it as you go?
Today’s post is from our SafeSourcing Archives
One of the toughest questions that face companies is where to put their Repair & Maintenance budget dollars. One train of thought is to try and reduce the costs for hourly repair rates and parts as much as possible and then deal with the issue when it arises, while the other train of thought is to invest heavily in a preventative maintenance program and try and extend the life of the equipment and head off major damages before they occur. Over the next week we will be taking a look at a recent SafeSourcing study on Refrigeration repair and maintenance decisions our customers have made and apply it to repairs and maintenance of all equipment.
Repair and Maintenance spend is one of the largest non-payroll expenses that companies have. Whether it is to service HVAC, refrigeration, computer, security, roof, or other equipment, companies are spending hundreds millions of dollars to keep their machines and businesses running. SafeSourcing customers generally fall into one of three categories when we begin to discuss the repair and maintenance categories with them and out of that proper move forward strategies can be developed.
Exploring – These customers are unsure of which model will work best for their organization. Historically they may have “tinkered” preventative maintenance plans but by and large they have been primarily break fix companies. Most of these customers are seeing R&M costs rise and equipment life expectancy decline and are at the point where they need to determine which model will work best for them. These customers typically will follow all three phases of exploration which will be covered over the next three days.
New management – As seems to be happening every day, companies are being acquired, companies are merging, old regimes are retiring and new ones are coming up to speed. During these times companies tend to review every aspect of their business and where money is being spent regardless of whether it is an area that seems to be working well. Repair and maintenance expenses are typically an early category that is reviewed because of its size. While companies in this group tend to follow the three phases, they tend to use it validate they are doing the right thing just as much as to explore a different way of doing things.
Established – Customers that fall into this category have already invested the time to determine the best fit for their company and have usually conducted extension studies and data reviews to land themselves where they are today. Even with all of that, these companies will still look at running phase 2 and 3 so that they validate any new companies or programs that have been introduced since the last contract and then use those details to develop Statements of Work that are the most beneficial for their company.
Please continue to follow this series this week as we break down the most widely used approaches for determining R&M needs, concluding with some of the average results we are seeing with our customers from these three phases. For more information on this tool or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.
We look forward to your comments.
