In the UK, about 60% of small businesses don’t survive past the 3-year mark. Businesses with commercial or industrial equipment must practice preventive maintenance to help their chances.
Without regular maintenance, businesses can get stuck with costly repairs. Unfortunately, new upstarts might not have the budget to take on those expenses.
The following guide will explore all the benefits of properly maintaining commercial equipment.
Avoid Expenses
Some companies practice reactive maintenance instead of preventive maintenance. That means they wait until a problem occurs before performing maintenance. Typically, it leads to several avoidable expenses for businesses each year.
When equipment isn’t running, it can lead to employees not working as well. This can cause issues for things like production lines and important deadlines.
For example, a compressed air dryer repair might set you back quite a lot and take a while to schedule. That’s why many savvy companies use software to plan preventive maintenance tasks.
Staying ahead of issues can save businesses money and prevent emergencies. It’s also cheaper to buy software and regularly maintain equipment compared to making huge repairs.
The software is very customizable and straightforward to use. If your business currently practices reactionary maintenance, it’s easy to make the switch.
Improved Safety
Faulty equipment often creates several hazards, dangerous working environments, and even employee injuries. Preventive maintenance makes equipment safer and reduces employee injuries.
Employee injuries might lead to expensive lawsuits or other forms of compensation. In that case, expect your brand’s reputation to also take a hit.
A safer work environment also means better employee satisfaction. Improved satisfaction means that your employees’ productivity and efficiency also improve.
More Efficient Equipment
Businesses must do things like inspections and oil changes frequently. They also need to replace equipment parts as they wear down. These simple tasks can make equipment function much better and for longer.
When a business’s equipment runs at peak levels, they end up saving fuel and energy. It’s important to note that any equipment downtime can have costly effects.
Performing the maintenance itself also requires some equipment downtime. However, a preventive maintenance plan can lower and improve that downtime.
For instance, reactive maintenance creates far more downtime than preventive maintenance does. It’s also important to choose the best time to schedule maintenance. You want it to interfere with operations as little as possible.
Enhanced Dependability
Businesses that practice preventive maintenance come off as more reliable business partners. They always provide products, materials, or services without delay and on time.
For example, a resort in a hot location can’t afford to go long without air conditioning. A broken AC unit might lead to scathing customer reviews and the loss of future business.
Today, most people use their phones to look up reviews before choosing a business. If they see customers complaining about downtime, they’ll likely move on to a competitor.
Longer Equipment Lifespan
Buying commercial equipment costs a lot of money but many businesses can’t go without it. So, it’s critical to take care of those investments and get the most out of them.
Preventive maintenance helps extend the lifespan of equipment so a business can get more use out of it. Doing so helps generate stronger profits and cuts back on buying replacement equipment.
Better Compliance
Many companies must follow specific maintenance and safety guidelines in order to keep their doors open. A maintenance schedule can help companies stay in compliance.
If your equipment doesn’t meet certain requirements, it often leads to fines and penalties. Some new upstarts might not have the funds to handle unexpected fines.
Creating a Plan
First, decide which pieces of equipment are most important to your business. You’ll want to do inspections on these pieces of equipment more often than others.
Next, select employees for different maintenance tasks that match their skills. If you don’t match skill sets to maintenance tasks, equipment might get damaged instead.
You might even consider investing in a maintenance training program for your employees. Although it comes with an upfront cost, it can improve efficiency and save money later on.
Schedule your maintenance times when you know the equipment isn’t as needed. For example, your production line might stop in the evening at a certain time. That’s a great time to perform inspections and maintenance.
Common Maintenance Mistakes
Make sure to clearly explain maintenance procedures to employees. Some maintenance might get complex and giving step-by-step instructions can help employees.
You also don’t want to maintain your equipment more than necessary. It won’t help prevent equipment failures, but it will cost you time and money that could go toward other areas.
Some parts of equipment tend to break down more often than others. Make sure to have common repair parts in your inventory in case of emergencies. Ordering parts might lead to disastrous down times and frustrated clients.
Some companies don’t have enough employees to handle all of their maintenance needs. Don’t be afraid to hire additional workers to help take care of your most important equipment.
Practicing Preventative Maintenance
Now you know the many advantages of preventive maintenance and how it saves time and money. You also know the disadvantages of waiting for problems to occur.
Remember this guide and create a detailed maintenance plan and schedule. Train your employees and don’t over-maintain equipment. Also, don’t forget to keep common parts on hand.
Take a look around the rest of our site for more ideas and information to help your company thrive.
