Author: MaintenX

The Importance of Creating a Preventive Maintenance Schedule

Establishing a preventative maintenance schedule for equipment and systems will save both time and money while improving safety. Preventative maintenance operates under the idea that regular inspections and fixes over time are more cost-effective and easier than a major repair at an inconvenient time. It is important for every facility manager to understand this, draw up a strategy, and follow it.

Well-maintained and monitored infrastructure rarely breaks down. Equipment failure is potentially dangerous and can lead to wasteful downtime in a facility. Aside from the tragedy of death or injury, businesses don’t want to deal with expensive and possibly protracted insurance claims. Besides, fixed, low maintenance costs are easier to cover than massive costs that might strike at any time. Unpredictability is the enemy of business.

Preventative maintenance also lowers replacement costs by extending the lifespan of the facility and its equipment. Well-cared-for infrastructure lasts longer. Longevity lets you decide when to install new equipment and upgrade on your schedule. When you can plan for a large capital expenditure, it’s easier to bear.

At MaintenX we excel at helping businesses establish and execute comprehensive preventive maintenance plans. Our team of self-performing and expertly-trained technicians are always at the ready, so feel free to contact us anytime.

Large businesses require large facilities, and managing them is a daunting task. Warehouse managers, in particular, have to deal with unique challenges. MaintenX recommends a few tips to make the job easier.

• Develop a strong organizational system. If your warehouse is not organized it will be much harder to sort and distribute inventory, and business efficiency will suffer. Warehouses run best when their managers are aware of all of their contents and can find them quickly. An organizational system means storage doesn’t depend on the contents of one person’s mind, so the information is accessible to any operator. Moreover, being disorganized will make it more difficult to maintain the warehouse and any equipment associated with it.
• Keep safety top of mind. An unsafe working environment increases the risk to employees and may lead to workplace injuries. Comply with OSHA regulation, and don’t cut corners when it comes to prevention. Regularly maintaining all machinery and necessary systems, such as lighting and HVAC, will go a long way to creating the safe area that you and your employees deserve.
• Choose and train your own staff. It increase efficiency in managing the warehouse; the more familiar employees are with the facility, the better it will run. If you do not have the resources or personnel to train an in-house team, seek the expertise of a service company that can ensure all work is done effectively.

MaintenX can assist you in all aspects of warehouse management. Our 30-year history of excellence speaks for itself; contact us anytime.

Facility management is a tough job to handle alone. The larger the facility, the more people needed on the facilities team. Preventative maintenance is vital but repetitive; it doesn’t require intimate knowledge of a particular facility or adaptability. To keep labor costs for facilities management low, consider outsourcing it.

Working with an outside preventative maintenance team takes the burden of scheduling off you and your business. Especially in large facilities, it can be troublesome to determine when each sector and component should be regularly maintained. A professional team will have the expertise and experience to help you establish the best working schedule.

Outsourcing also saves on time; a commercial preventative maintenance team will have the manpower necessary to execute your maintenance plan. Smaller companies don’t typically have enough in-house technicians to perform all of the necessary maintenance functions quickly, but an external team certainly will.

MaintenX has been in the business of facility management for over 30 years, so we have all of the skills and personnel necessary to help your business establish and execute the perfect preventive maintenance plan. To learn more about how we can help you today and in the future, please contact us anytime!

The safety of employees is something that all facility managers should strive to incorporate into their plans. A safe working environment means fewer injuries, happier workers, and fewer expensive workers’ compensation claims. While there are many things one can do to help prevent workplace injuries, preventative maintenance is one of the best.

The concept behind preventative maintenance is that small, regular fixes reduce the risk of sudden breakdowns. Equipment failure is inconvenient, costly, and frequently hazardous. For example, if a heavy piece of machinery breaks down, it may spin out of control and injure the operator.

Similarly, failure in systems like lighting or HVAC can lead to workplace injuries. If the lights suddenly go out while dangerous equipment is in use, the operator may be injured. Likewise, HVAC failures in places with inhospitable temperatures can cause total workplace shutdown.

Look at preventative maintenance as an investment in confidence. It is an excellent way to not only ensure that your facility’s equipment will operate properly, but also prevent injuries to workers and staff. To learn more about how MaintenX can help your business establish and execute the perfect preventative maintenance plan, please contact us at any time.

Energy efficiency is a goal for many facility managers because using less energy means less money going into power bills. Lighting is an easy aspect to modify; it doesn’t require major infrastructure change or expensive equipment. Facility managers should be aware of what lighting options they have that can save the most energy.

One of the most cost-effective ways to save on lighting costs is to switch to low-consumption bulbs. These are typically marked as energy-efficient or “green”. Though they might be more expensive than traditional bulbs, they not only use less energy but also last longer. Compact fluorescent bulbs last ten times as long as incandescents, and are four times as efficient. LEDs go further, lasting forty times longer than incandescents while using a fifth of the power. LEDs are smaller and more versatile than CFLs, produce no heat, and contain zero harmful mercury.

But don’t limit your efficiency transformation to just the source of light; think about how you control light as well. Light switches that are controlled by motion sensors will only activate if someone is in the room, avoiding waste. Turn off your office lights when no one is in the building; consider installing timers or a wireless remote-control system.

If you can, make green lighting as fundamental as possible to your facility. When designing or renovating, take advantage of natural lighting through skylights, window placement, eaves, and building orientation. Sunlight is free, after all!

To learn more about how MaintenX can help install and maintain your facility’s lighting systems to save you energy and money, please contact us anytime.

Energy efficiency is a central tenet of sustainability. Business owners and facility managers are increasingly pursuing it to cut down on utility costs. Plus, energy-saving appliances tend to last longer than their more wasteful counterparts. Installing and maintaining energy-efficient office equipment in your business can be easy, with the proper guidance and assistance.

Start by getting energy-efficient computers and IT equipment; EnergyStar can help you find everything from servers to A/V. Don’t forget to pair them with good habits, like setting displays to sleep when not in use. You can even find smart power strips that prevent current leakage!

Getting energy-efficient lighting systems will lower power costs as well as equipment costs, LEDs, and fluorescents last longer than incandescent bulbs.

HVAC systems can be modified to run more efficiently, and regularly inspecting them for leaks goes a long way toward eliminating energy waste. This holds true for bathroom appliances, such as toilets and sinks, which can be retrofitted with apparatus like motion sensors to use less water.

We at MaintenX believe in energy-efficiency, and can help your business save more by using less. We’ll install the equipment, and perform preventative and emergency maintenance on all appliances. Contact us anytime for expert suggestions and to learn how we can support your business and its facility.

The American economy might technically be at full employment, but there are a number of trade jobs still in high demand. They require skill and training, but no college degree, and our education system does not produce enough skilled tradesmen to fill the demand. A labor shortage means high wages; knowing the market value of these jobs will help you price out maintenance services for your business.

One of the most popular skilled trade jobs is that of an electrician. Electrical work typically takes a few years of apprenticeship, as well as a specific license. But with a high school diploma and on-the-job training, the median wage for electricians is $53,000/year. They certainly provide a vital service for facility owners.

Plumbers are equally important; you must have functioning toilets as well as lights. Plumbers need similar qualifications to electricians, and their median wage is $51,000/year. In addition, the profession is projected to grow much faster than average in the coming year.

The HVAC technician field will grow similarly quickly. With postsecondary non-degree education and on-the-job training, their median income is $46,000/year. Especially in parts of the country with less temperate climates, there will always be a need. Even as HVAC control systems become increasingly automated, mechanics still need to service the hardware.

MaintenX employs its own self-performing technicians, including the three categories mentioned above. Our work is faultless and our prices are competitive. Let us help you keep your facilities running smoothly and effectively; contact us anytime.

No matter the industry, small business owners must attend to facility management. Since SBOs have to run a tight ship in terms of both money and time, having a handle on infrastructure frees up a lot of mental space. Here are several key steps you can take to effectively manage your facility and keep business processes running strong.

• Be aware of your structure and inventory. This includes the lease, history, and layout of the building, as well as all assets inside. Inventory management software may be an expensive initial investment, but it helps you better manage and allocate your resources. Knowing your building lets you perform more targeted maintenance and make better decisions about furnishing and insurance.
• Select your service staff carefully. Many small businesses can’t afford a designated maintenance professional, and have to contract it out. If that’s the case for your establishment, don’t make price your only criterion. Having quality maintenance staff can actually save money in the long run, as they fix small issues before they become big problems. Employees and customers alike should enjoy your facility’s cleanliness and smooth operation.
• Finally, build a consistent maintenance plan into your budget. Regularly-scheduled, preventative maintenance is more cost-effective than emergency repairs, which cause hassle and downtime. Maintenance isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

For experience, quality, and economy, look further than MaintenX. We’ve been helping small businesses for over 30 years, and we’d love to keep yours sparkling and functioning. To learn more about how we can serve you today, contact us anytime!

Maintaining your buildings’ heat, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is vital to the comfort of its inhabitants. As such, having the right team working on your HVAC system ensures it will run smoothly, reducing the risk of breakdowns and costly emergency repairs.

When choosing an HVAC service company for your facility, a few important questions should be addressed. How long has the company been in business, and what kind of credentials do they have? Are they reviewed well? Look on ratings sites, and ask around in your industry for recommendations; you never want to have someone unqualified working on your facility. Older businesses tend to have good track records, but don’t throw out newer ones if they’re satisfying their customers. If they are a contractor, make sure they’re licensed by the State.

You’ll also want to ask about workers’ compensation claims. If a company does not provide on-site worker’s compensation insurance and one of their workers is injured on the job, you will be the one covering their medical costs. There’s a reason contractors put “licensed and insured” on their trucks.

Finding an HVAC service company should be the hardest part of HVAC maintenance. Once you have a service you’re confident in, the maintenance itself becomes smooth and easy. We at MaintenX draw upon more than thirty years of industry experience to get the job done right. Contact us to learn about our self-performing technicians and how they can serve you today.

Toilets may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about facility cost reduction, but they actually use large quantities of water, which costs you money. Reducing water use also helps address excess water use, particularly in states that are facing drought. A study done by the Alliance for Water found that switching residences to water-efficient toilets could save over 360 billion potable gallons of water every year. Not only are these savings good for the environment, they’re good for your bottom line.

The current federal gallon per flush (gpf) standard in the U.S. is 1.6gpf, however older and non-efficient tanks use between 3-7gpf.  With water prices steadily increasing in many areas, that is money -quite literally – going down the drain. Fortunately, installing new toilets is an easy solution. By replacing older model toilets, businesses can begin to see a return on investment in the form of lower water bills.

Once you’ve made the decision to replace your facility’s toilets, consider looking for units that have earned the WaterSense label from the EPA. WaterSense labeled toilets use no more than 1.28gpf. The EPA has had these toilet models independently tested for quality and performance to insure plumbing systems have adequate flow to function properly, while using between 20 and 60 percent less water than the federal standard. These low-flow toilets operate well below the 3-6gpf of many out dated flushometer-valve toilets currently in use throughout the United States.

Replacing an old model toilet with a new federal standard toilet (1.6gpf) can save around five dollars per one thousand flushes, using a low-flow toilet (<1.28gpf) can save up to six dollars per thousand flushes.  In a high traffic facility or business these savings add up quickly. If applicable, you might also consider investing in low-flow WaterSense labeled urinals. Waterless urinals are also an option, which can save up to 40,000 potable gallons of water per unit each year.

As you can see there are numerous options for updating your restroom facilities. Low-flow options have become more affordable, creating an even higher return on investment. Whether you choose to go with federal standard toilets, certified low-flow model toilets, waterless urinals, or low-flow urinals, investing in new bathroom fixtures for your facility will decrease your water usage and start saving you money with the first flush.