If you are not vigilant about maintaining your company’s capital equipment, then you are not alone. Many business owners and operators are so consumed by reacting to the immediate needs of their customers that they fail to proactively maintain their equipment. But most of those same business owners and operators would agree that preventative maintenance is important for your equipment. Fortunately, a sound maintenance management platform can help you keep your equipment properly serviced and take your business to the next level of success. Below is a look at five key benefits of maintenance management software.
1) Reduce Long-Term Equipment Expenses
“That slim margin of error increases the importance of planning and scheduling regular maintenance for small establishments. Fixing equipment following a breakdown proves to be much more expensive than the time and money spent servicing it consistently — and the machinery will ultimately provide a longer life cycle.” – Patricia Dameron, Executive Director for the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association
Many business operators avoid equipment maintenance because they cannot mentally justify spending money on equipment that seems to be functioning fine at the time. Others ignore the need for maintenance because they are too busy reacting to immediate business matters that generate profit. Unfortunately, this results in a vicious cycle of using equipment until it breaks down – often prematurely – followed by the expenditure of an excessive amount of money to pay for repairs. Ironically, the cost of equipment repairs usually far outweighs any preventive maintenance costs.
Maintenance management software reduces expenses in the long-term for companies by alerting business operators that it is time for a piece of equipment to be serviced. And once a warehouse manager or operations leader understands the cost savings offered by preventative maintenance, they are likely to become key proponents of the software.
2) Reduce Equipment Downtime
When equipment breaks down due to a problem, it can take days for replacement components to arrive and be installed. And when specialized components are temporarily unavailable or on back order, these delays can worsen. Preventative maintenance, on the other hand, can sometimes be completed in less than an hour depending on the piece of equipment being serviced. In many cases, the maintenance can be performed onsite at your facility, further reducing the amount of time your equipment will not be in operation.
Efficient maintenance management software can help you limit equipment downtime by reminding you to move forward with recommended scheduled maintenance, thereby reducing the amount of time that the equipment is out of use. In this way, a robust software platform can be a lifesaver for a business that hinges on sustained supply chain activity.
3) Increase the Life of Equipment
Maintenance management software can help you extend the life of your vehicles and other warehouse equipment by providing you with service reminders. For example, consider a forklift – a staple piece of equipment in nearly every warehouse. The average forklift has a lifespan of about 10,000 hours. But with the proper care and preventative maintenance, a high quality forklift can last over 20,000 hours. The professionals with Toyota Lift of Minnesota describe the importance of preventative maintenance with equipment:
“If you do not have it serviced regularly, you can end up causing the forklift to age quickly. Business owners must be aware of the maintenance requirements to keep their forklift working safely and effectively. If the machine is always in need of repair, it can increase your costs as profits suffer while your staff has to wait for the machine to be repaired.”
– Toyota Lift of Minnesota
4) Meet Safety and Compliance Standards
Equipment maintenance procedures have become a key area of focus for quality-minded regulatory organizations such as OSHA, ISO, and the FDA. By introducing maintenance management software and using it to ensure that you proactively care for your equipment, you will help put your organization on the path to compliance with regulatory standards. Failure to comply with regulatory standards, on the other hand, can leave your business at risk for harsh financial penalties and safety violations.
Matthew Baretich, PE, PhD, describes the key role that sound computerized maintenance management software can play in achieving compliance, noting that it is “Essential for cost-effective HTM…The basic functions—equipment inventory, preventive maintenance scheduling, and maintenance history—are required for basic operation and standards compliance”.
5) Help With Future Planning
Maintenance management software enables users to generate customized reports that offer valuable insight on your equipment and its reliability. You can use the maintenance reports you generate to make future equipment buying decisions that can save your organization time and money. For instance, if you notice that the last spray gun your company purchased failed on three occasions despite receiving preventative maintenance four times per year as scheduled, then you can justify returning to an alternative brand which exhibited fewer failures and required less preventative maintenance.
Selecting the Best Preventative Maintenance Platform
As outlined above, Maintenance Management Software offers a host of attractive benefits ranging from increased productivity to a longer lifespan for your equipment. However, not all preventative maintenance platforms are created equal. Choosing a reputable platform is essential to enjoying the benefits outlined above.
As a leader in the equipment maintenance industry, Whip Around offers a host of solutions to companies seeking ways to control costs and increase the lifespan of their equipment. Whip Around’s preventative maintenance feature makes life easy for busy equipment managers by offering the following:
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Scheduled maintenance reminders to ensure that you do not forget to maintain your equipment
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A single convenient location for all of your maintenance records for every piece of equipment your company owns
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The ability to send alerts to key staff to ensure that all relevant team members are kept informed of equipment maintenance plans
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Outstanding support from knowledgeable staff who are committed to ensuring that you are fully satisfied
Learn More About the Benefits of Maintenance Management Software
To discover exactly how maintenance management software can benefit your organization, we invite you to contact us at Whip Around. We look forward to helping your business thrive with the help of our preventative maintenance management platform.
