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5 Top Tips for a Successful Commercial Building Maintenance Handover
1. Identify Your Assets: The first step in a successful handover is understanding what assets you need to maintain. This includes everything from the building's physical structure to its internal systems such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing, as well as any equipment or machinery. Having an accurate and up-to-date register of all your assets is crucial. This register should include details such as the asset's age, condition, maintenance history, and any warranties or service agreements in place. Once you know what assets you have and their current condition, you can decide how best to maintain each one. This could involve scheduling regular inspections, carrying out preventative maintenance, or planning for eventual replacement.
2. Understand Legal Requirements and Plan Maintenance Accordingly: Are you confident of what maintenance tasks are required by law? This is a critical question that every facility manager should be able to answer. Mismanagement of assets can lead to heavy fines and even imprisonment. For example, failing to properly maintain fire safety systems or not complying with health and safety regulations can have serious consequences. Using tools such as SFG20’s Maintenance Management Software can help you identify and maintain all of your assets, ensuring you stay compliant while also cutting unnecessary costs. This software provides you with the optimum benchmark for keeping your assets in the best condition and helps you avoid both over and under maintenance.
3. Implement Preventative Maintenance: It is recognised good practice to allocate planned preventative maintenance and reactive maintenance budgets in the region of a 70:30 ratio. Preventative maintenance entails regularly checking vital components within equipment and replacing parts when necessary. This includes tasks such as cleaning and lubricating components, testing operations of machinery, inspecting safety devices, calibrating instruments, and more. Scheduling these checks at regular intervals also helps keep track of when components need replacing or repairing to keep equipment running smoothly without interruption. Preventative maintenance reduces the risk of unplanned downtime due to failure of equipment by catching any potential issues before they arise. Downtime can be both costly and disruptive, so it's in your best interest to prevent it wherever possible.
4. Invest in Employee Training: Upskilling your employees in effective and efficient methods for maintaining equipment and facilities can help you reduce the need to rely on external contractors at short notice, saving you money in the long run. This involves providing training on the operation and maintenance of various systems and equipment, as well as training on safety procedures and emergency protocols. Investing in your employees' skills not only improves the efficiency and effectiveness of your maintenance activities, but it also increases employee engagement and job satisfaction.
5. Regularly Review Maintenance Expenditure: Regular reviews can help you identify areas where costs can be reduced or managed more efficiently. This involves analysing your maintenance expenditure and looking for patterns or trends. For example, if you're spending a lot on repairing a particular piece of equipment, it might be more cost-effective to replace it. Similarly, if you're frequently calling out contractors for emergency repairs, it might be worth investing more in preventative maintenance. Regular reviews will allow you to optimise your budget while still ensuring that all necessary maintenance is completed correctly.
In conclusion, a successful commercial building handover and subsequent maintenance regime require a comprehensive understanding of your assets, a clear plan for maintenance that complies with all legal requirements, a focus on preventative maintenance, investment in employee training, and regular reviews of maintenance expenditure. By following these tips, you can ensure a smooth handover and efficient ongoing maintenance, which will ultimately save you time, money, and stress.
For a more detailed understanding of these concepts and to gain insights into how to optimise your maintenance regime, download the full guide.
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