Running A Smooth Maintenance Operation

by Brandon Vincent I.T. Consultant

Regardless of whether you are in charge of the maintenance staff or if you are one of the maintenance personnel, it's important for you to consider what can be done to keep everything up and running smoothly. Of course, the necessary steps that must be taken are going to differ from one business to another but in most cases, there are going to be things that can be done on a consistent basis which will improve productivity. Here are a few tips that can help your maintenance staff to be more productive and can keep the planning and scheduling running smoothly.

One of the most important things that need to be considered when talking about a maintenance staff is communication. There needs to be communication between the individuals on the maintenance staff itself as well as effective communication with those that are in the office. A breakdown in communications is going to cause considerable problems in almost every instance. It may make it more difficult for the tickets to be run, causing a breakdown in some of the equipment. It may also cause problems for the morale of the maintenance staff, which will make them less productive in their daily tasks. Make sure that you hold regular meetings with the maintenance staff and ensure that they have the means of communicating with each other effectively.

You might also be surprised with how important corrective maintenance is for the life of your facility. Any preventative service is going to take time so you must ensure that it is scheduled properly. A software program which allows for preventative maintenance tasks to be scheduled will be to the benefit of everyone involved. When you are able to maintain the facility in advance of any problems occurring, it is going to end up saving time and money for everyone involved. Do not overlook this important part of your maintenance needs.

Depending upon your facility, it may be necessary for you to do a walk-through on a daily or perhaps weekly basis. You should have the entire maintenance staff involved in this walk-through, as they will be able to point out any problems that may be occurring within the facility. This is also an excellent time for you to boost the communication up the line. Do not be afraid to offer incentives to your maintenance personnel so that they will be more likely to give suggestions as to changes that can be made or as to maintenance that needs to be done.

One other suggestion that I would have for you is to have a variety of personnel on the maintenance staff who can handle almost any problem that arises. There are going to be basic tickets that are run on almost a daily basis and these can be handled by almost anyone on the staff. There may also be times when more specific problems occur, such as a breakdown in the machinery on the property or perhaps having to deal with somebody that does not speak the native language. Make sure that you prepare for these issues in advance.

Author Bio:
The author of this article lived in Spain for some of his professional career managing a maintenance crew. The Spanish terms that he became very familiar with were mantenimiento corrective and mantenimiento de equipos