Reduce facility operating expenses by controlling costs
To help keep costs in check, regular monitoring of the maintenance budget is one the most critical activities to perform. Getting quick and easy access to cost reports can be a major challenge for facility managers. In every organization, this data often resides in so many different tools or systems that generating the reports becomes a very time consuming and difficult task for the facility manager.
Increasing the lifespan of movable and immovable assets in the workplace and properly tracking inventory are two ways to transform the FM team from a cost center to a business enhancer. Another, often overlooked way to control costs is through energy conservation. As ageing machines could become energy hogs if not properly cared for. These “electricity guzzlers” can quickly increase the monthly energy costs by a whopping 20%.
Fortunately, software solutions exist to help manage the monitoring and reporting processes. Choosing one that is part of an enterprise-wide, end-to-end solution can help facility managers improve accuracy and efficiency, monitoring, and reporting, and subsequently, reduce cost.
Efficient energy management
For any organization, buildings are the greatest consumer of energy and subsequently have a greater impact on the global climate. In today’s world, efficient energy management of existing buildings is the single biggest action every organization wants to take in order to be more sustainable.
Understanding the organization’s energy, carbon and gas inventory is essential to reducing energy usage and cost. It is also vital for reducing a facility’s carbon footprint and preparing for compliance with future regulations. Without 100% automation throughout a building, all the planning in the world will not stop careless employees from ignoring environment friendly practices, like turning off the lights when leaving a room. Technology, including automating sustainable choices can help, but strong leadership goes a long way in getting employees to respond.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is changing the way we think about how facilities and communities are planned, constructed, operated, and maintained. LEED-certified buildings consume less water and energy, and as a result produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, such facilities save the owner money.
Increase the ROI of ageing equipment, assets and building systems
Another big challenge faced in workplace maintenance is dealing with ageing assets, equipment and infrastructure. Over time, assets and buildings age and in the process begin to affect facility operations. Of course, preventive maintenance goes a long way toward offsetting the deterioration associated with ageing infrastructure, but inevitably, assets from STPs in the basement to HVAC units on the roof will need to be repaired or replaced.
Proper inspections, warranty tracking, deficiency management, analyzing replacement costs of the equipment, budgeting, and planning for these inevitabilities helps to soften the blow, maintain safe working conditions, and ultimately keep them from draining corporate revenue. Maintaining the assets such that they serve beyond their shelf life indirectly helps to better the ROI.
Compliance standards management
Safety and quality issues exist that could potentially violate statutory laws and regulations, putting buildings and occupants at serious risk. Compliances are related to the building occupied as well as the labour force maintaining it. Facility managers need to proactively coordinate, manage, and monitor internal and external risks associated with facility regulatory compliance. Such a compliance program is needed to stay one step ahead of the ever-changing, stringent regulatory codes and regulations, and to protect an organization from calamities, fines, and penalties.
Depending upon your niche in the reliability industry, staying on top of regulatory and compliance standards can be another tough challenge. The key to accomplishing this is, devoting time to read leading industry blogs and ensuring that the maintenance staff set aside time for self-learning. This can include attending workshops and seminars or even working toward online certifications. Stay informed and one will not have to worry about this particular challenge.
[box type=”shadow” ]Effective housekeeping can eliminate some workplace hazards and help get a job done safely and properly[/box]
