Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES JULY/AUGUST 2021 35 FEATURE INSTALLERS VIEW will be performed, and detailing what materials, tools, tasks, and services are necessary to resolve a problem, building and asset life can be increased substantially. Regularly maintaining essential building fabric – be that roofing, decoration, windows or doors ¬– and keeping them in proper working order, will limit any reduction in asset value and impact positively on the user experience for visitors and staff alike. What’s more, by creating greater synergies between planned maintenance and reactive work strategies, efficiencies can be created in the same location or across multiple locations. For project managers, the benefits of transitioning away from a reactive building maintenance model to a planned approach extend beyond simply limiting costs for replacing fabric assets. With all building fabric preserved in optimum condition, and preventing minor building defects that can lead to more serious damage, organisations can create greater cost certainty and budgetary control by future planning, while also ensuring compliance with health and safety and insurance policies. Undertaking buildingmaintenance to keep facilities and key assets in good condition and operationally fit for purpose, can significantly decrease downtime. Left unattended, any asset will eventually fail. Regular building fabric maintenance can ensure your building is operating at its peak efficiency at all times, preventing any interruptions to entire working processes. At the same time, it will alsomitigate the health and safety risks that can result from improper buildingmaintenance, such as trip or fall hazards. How to improve planned maintenance strategies A well-executed planned maintenance strategy ensures better procedures can be put in place, to enable more efficient planning. Once this is established, organisations can better identify and source required materials, ensure they have the necessary skillsets in-house to performmaintenance, and make sure work is carried out in a more premeditated manner. Although planned maintenance clearly brings with it significant benefits – from reduced maintenance costs to extended asset life, increased workplace safety, decreased downtime and even an improved workplace culture – any strategy is only as effective as the data that drives it. The process of gathering data and prioritising maintenance tasks requires the unification of a vast array of information, including up-to- date incident reporting, work order completion times, maintenance, repair and operation supplies (MRO) inventory turnover, frequency of given tasks, certifications, and othermetrics. By encouraging personnel across all departments to report technical faults promptly, such data can be kept up- to-date, making plannedmaintenance workmore effectual. If maintenance teams are able to showcase the practical benefits of planned maintenance to senior management, there is likely to be greater support for the cultural shift that may be required to move away from existing reactive practices. Once personnel are on board and reporting procedures are enhanced, finding a convenient and simple way to track maintenance data should be the next key step. Ensuring all data is consistent and formulated through a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) can create greater efficiencies and enhance planning. By using a CMMS system, organisations can automatically generate recurring preventive maintenance (PM) tasks to reduce maintenance planner workloads, while also supporting reliability in facilities. Through the data-driven optimisation of PM tasks, greater focus can be placed on maintenance activities that will provide real benefits to a facility’s equipment and operations. On average, that could mean cutting out about 30% of PMs, which can help planners use their time more effectively. Creating collaboration So, how do organisations ensure that their businesses stay ahead of the ever-changing maintenance curve? For many, the ideal option is to lessen the burden of managing their own maintenance strategies by turning to experienced outside solutions providers that specialise in planned maintenance services. Working in collaboration with a knowledgeable single provider of end-to-end services, including a well-informedMechanical & Electrical (M&E) team, can help to cope with the wider scope and demands of strategies. Not only that, but planned maintenance can be undertaken to be in line with the highest standards of Health and Safety, and quality assurance, with all work NIC/EIC, ISO 18001, and Safe Contractor approved. Indeed, a trusted partner can provide ongoing technical support, inspection, testing and maintenance services for all portable and fixed appliances, both on a contractual, or ad-hoc basis. More information can be found at www.sigmagrp.co.uk