In modern business there is an increasing need to have the ability to operate on a 24/7 and 365 days-of-the-year basis, at least in a sense of nurturing the principle that business never stops, even if it is not literally a continuous operation. In order to establish that philosophy businesses need to build security into their systems to ensure that key services and equipment are always operational and can perform to their optimum capabilities. This is crucial in the industrial sector but increasingly important in the commercial world too, and the best way to achieve this is through a planned maintenance schedule.
Most insurers of big companies require measures to be put in place to cover loss prevention and business continuity, and a major part of that is having a planned maintenance schedule in place to provide total confidence in the plant or business’s capability to operate, function or produce as it was designed to do. Irrespective of an insurer’s wishes, it makes complete business sense to have key tools to the operation properly maintained and capable of performing to their maximum on an ongoing basis.
While most industrial organisations will have specific assets under a planned maintenance schedule, such as mechanical or pneumatic equipment, compressors, generators, water cooling units, and high voltage electrical equipment, most commercial operations will also have key installations that are integral to the business operating. This means that commercial boiler servicing, air conditioning maintenance and electrical installations also come under a planned maintenance schedule.
At some point, an organisation’s management needs to balance the cost of paying for one-off reactive repairs and maintenance and the implications of any subsequent downtime, against the costs of having qualified contractors looking after a planned maintenance schedule. The general consensus is that in the long term, planned maintenance is more cost-effective than reactive maintenance, but in addition to the obvious benefit of downtime being reduced by machines and equipment being properly maintained, there are several other practical benefits too:
A planned maintenance agreement with a qualified contractor will ensure a rapid response to breakdowns, in terms of having engineers on site quickly and also in getting the machine/equipment repaired and running swiftly, because the engineers are familiar with the item involved, and have drawings to hand.
You can save money through having a planned maintenance schedule as parts and services are generally discounted over the length of an agreement, rather than paying for individual call-outs on a reactive basis.
Machines and equipment will run more consistently and with a peak efficiency of performance through a planned maintenance schedule, because the periodical maintenance ensures parts and equipment are always operating under optimum conditions.
You will never forget to have key machines or equipment serviced with a planned maintenance schedule, because it is the responsibility of the contractor with the agreement to make arrangements to come to you on an approved frequency.
Having a planned maintenance schedule with a qualified and recognised contractor means parts will always be available and you will benefit from new technologies.
Your assets will last longer and be better cared for under a planned maintenance schedule.
Most contractors will prioritise your organisation with emergency call outs, if there is a prior maintenance agreement in place.
Planned maintenance schedules can benefit your business – find out more here.