Ask most maintenance managers what their major concerns are and the feedback you will get will usually include managing costs and controlling their budget.
It’s easy to see why; the cost of equipment maintenance and building management can escalate quickly in most modern buildings today. The situation can become so bad that a building owner could find themself running at a loss year after year. That’s not OK and we’re here to help!
CMMS: A Better Way To Manage Maintenance and Repair Budgets
Although you cannot completely eliminate maintenance expenditure, with some foresight, tweaks, and planning, you should see significant improvements in your spending. Below, we’ve put together a few ways by which a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can help you to manage your repair and maintenance costs.
1. Start With Budget Forecasting
Achieving cost-efficiency in your maintenance department starts with carefully putting together a robust plan that estimates and schedules how much will be spent on what, and when each expense will happen. In other words, a working budget. This budget should ideally capture all planned activities (e.g routine equipment servicing) and unplanned work (corrective or emergency repairs).
At this point, it’s easier if you’ve already been using a CMMS because, from its records, you can easily generate reports based on historical data. For instance, CMMS reports will show exactly how much is typically spent on routine tasks.
Estimating for non-routine tasks can be a bit tricky since you can’t always foresee with 100% accuracy which equipment will fail when. However, the historical data in your CMMS provides estimates that you can work with.
2. Optimize Your Equipment
Just because your machines are functional doesn’t mean they are performing at their best. Conduct a condition assessment of your equipment to discover areas for improvement, especially for critical assets. You can get a clear overview of your current position through a CMMS.
During this exercise, you’ll want to ask: Are staff carrying out too much or too little maintenance? Are there any unnecessary tasks or operational redundancies happening that can be changed or replaced completely? Starting with this will help you to make quick corrections and decide how best to reallocate your maintenance funds for better productivity.
Also, answering these questions, and more, will help you to avoid frequent breakdowns, costly repairs, and help to ensure that each asset functions profitably and safely well beyond its expected lifespan.
3. Better Energy Management
Did you know that according to the US Department of Energy, in commercial buildings, lighting alone can account for approximately 33% of electricity consumed? That figure increases to more than 50% in retail and hospitality buildings!
While conducting your asset condition asset assessment, find out if some equipment can be replaced with more modern and energy-efficient models, especially HVAC and lighting systems.
Using CMMS-supported energy management is one of the fastest ways to see immediate savings in your maintenance bills especially in very large facilities.
4. Minimize Emergency Repairs
Certainly, things will often not go as expected even with the best-laid plans. But, it’s a proven fact that proactive maintenance programs such as preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, and condition-based maintenance will help to minimize emergency or rushed repairs, maximize workers’ safety, and definitely cut down the cost and time for repair and maintenance tasks.
The Right CMMS is Vital For Success
Using the right maintenance tools can significantly improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your maintenance processes. With it, you can easily track, manage, and control your costs and keep within your budget. CMMS software automates many activities that would otherwise be a drain on the maintenance budget and time
There are several CMMS brands out there, so taking the time to get the right one for your organization will often make the difference between successfully containing your maintenance and repair costs or incurring more expenses.
Axxerrion’s CMMS solution provides you with all the features you’ll need to manage your maintenance and repair needs. In addition to the software, we also provide other services that will help to guarantee your business’s success such as project management, implementation guidance and after-sales training, strategic planning, and so much more.
Would you like to see our software in action managing your maintenance costs? No problem. Contact us and get started with a free demo right away!
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