6 Ways to Save on Maintenance Costs for Your Business
Though you may feel like you have no extra room in your budget, there are almost always ways to save business costs without cutting corners and compromising on quality or safety. One of the often overlooked areas is maintenance. Here are six tips for saving on maintenance costs for your business.
Buy wholesale maintenance products
Certain maintenance products are non-negotiable. Though they may not seem like a huge expense, if you’re buying them in small quantities as you need them, you’re almost certainly spending more than you need to.
Look for cleaning equipment suppliers that offer wholesale cleaning products. While it may seem like you’re buying more than you need, many cleaning products don’t expire, or if they do, have extremely long expiry dates.
Act preventatively rather than responsively
While it may be tempting to avoid making repairs on things before they’re needed, giving your facilities and technology attention only when a problem arises significantly increases the costs. By developing a solid understanding of your maintenance needs, and knowing when you should be conducting servicing, you’ll be able to save extensively on materials, supplies, and labor.
Conduct assessment on the current schedule
To accurately determine the areas you may be able to make changes in, you need to develop a thorough understanding of your current maintenance schedule and procedures. If you don’t currently have the right reporting in place to obtain this information, arrange a meeting with the relevant stakeholders and put this infrastructure into place.
Proper reporting produces the right data, and data are essential for determining where you’re wasting resources, as well as the areas that require more attention.
Invest in the proper equipment and technology
If your equipment and technology are outdated, chances are you’re not running as efficiently as you could be. You’re also likely to be spending more on maintenance than you would be with newer technology. Replacing your old infrastructure might seem like a hefty upfront cost, but by calculating the costs of maintenance over time, you may find that replacement is the more affordable route in the long run.
Improve efficiency through training
While having efficient technology is important, it’s only part of the equation. To save on maintenance, you need highly trained staff that know exactly what they’re doing, and how to get the job done efficiently. If you haven’t already, make sure you set up regular training sessions for staff. In addition to formal training, ensuring communication is effective is also important.
Improve written communication through email and memos between maintenance staff and managers, and hold regular meetings to discuss areas that need improvement to create actionable strategies to meet those goals.
Make warranty claims
Most equipment comes with a warranty option for a small additional fee, or at no additional cost. However, consumers and corporations rarely take the steps to make a warranty claim when something goes wrong.
While the amount recuperated by a warranty claim may seem insignificant, multiple warranty claims over time add up to a substantial sum. When purchasing a new product or equipment, make sure you inquire about warranty terms and keep this information on file so that it is readily accessible in the case you need to use it.
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