Five Reasons to Choose a Facility Maintenance Program Over a Project
Ensuring the ongoing production and safety of an industrial facility requires regular inspections, adjustments, repairs, replacements, and improvements. Generally speaking, a business can approach this maintenance in two ways: by investing in an overarching program or tackling individual projects when the time comes. A program in this sense refers to a holistic operational strategy that’s meant to streamline all of a facility’s processes and needs; a project, on the other hand, refers to a single task performed by an outsourced contractor. Here are five reasons to choose a facility maintenance program over a project.
Why Facility Maintenance Programs Are Better Than Projects
1. Rediscover Key Maintenance Protocols
For a facility to operate and comply with all relevant regulations (i.e. OSHA, FDA, and GMP regulations), it must undergo certain types of routine maintenance. However, some maintenance tasks may get neglected or mishandled without the aid of an expert. By investing in a facility maintenance program, businesses can discover or rediscover particular methods and strategies that improve their facility and operations overall. Conversely, by going with a project every time an issue arises, a facility might continue to miss key details, eventually resulting in further complications and costs.
2. Keep It in the System
Anyone who operates a facility knows what a pain contractor onboarding can be. After all, every facility has its unique characteristics and challenges — introducing brand new eyes to said idiosyncrasies is time-consuming and laden with risk. A facility maintenance program is all about establishing and growing relationships. When a contractor and client work together for a long time, a foundation of trust can be built so the contractor becomes an integral part of the client’s system. Over time, then, a trusted facility maintenance program provider might have security clearances, previously-cleared background checks, etc. that streamline every process. Compare this efficiency with the slow process of clearing an unproven contractor and the advantage of a program over a project becomes crystal clear.
3. Minimize Downtime
This benefit stems directly from the previous two — when a maintenance provider spends enough time in a particular facility, they begin to understand the nuances of said facility’s production processes and scheduling needs. By being a part of the system in this way, said contractor will know best how to operate during a shutdown, how to address particular setbacks, how to boost safety measures, and so on, all without the client needing to spend time seeking particular services or compare prices. All of this translates to less downtime (and therefore cost savings) for your facility.
4. Maximize Productivity
Having a reliable facility maintenance program in your system also means that you can focus more on your bottom line and spend less time worrying about the state of your facility. These matters are inextricably linked, of course, but the facility maintenance program will take care of the important details so nothing gets in the way of your production schedule. Indeed, the best programs enhance a facility’s productivity.
5. Receive Customized Care
A facility maintenance program is designed to grow with you to work toward improving your operations, while a single project is simply meant to address a particular concern when it comes up. In this way, the best programs are constantly responding and adapting to customer needs over time as opposed to merely reacting to a sudden development. Put another way, a facility maintenance program is customized for a facility’s unique needs and challenges — there is no one-size-fits-all procedure, but rather a system that is constantly evolving for the betterment of the client.
Program Over Project: The Kaloutas Way
On a granular level, having a facility maintenance program allows facility managers to structure their pricing, communication, and workflow details, establish schedules, prioritize tasks, document standards, expectations, and safety measures, set review agendas, and more. Broadly speaking, then, a program maximizes efficiency and cuts costs in virtually every way. This is why at Kaloutas, we focus on developing programs, not projects, for our clients across various industries. To learn more about us and all that we do, contact us online or give us a call at 978−532−1414.