Author: MaintenX

When you flip through any facility maintenance magazine, every glossy page boasts eco-friendly and sustainable solutions. Manufacturers compete with environmental claims and it can be hard to sift through what products really do help Mother Nature. As a business owner or facility manager, it’s important to understand how products can impact the environment. Here are a few ways to make sure you are doing your part.

Look for green certifications. To help you weed through all of the sustainable claims, trade organizations, government agencies and businesses created green standards. These certifications measure the environmental impact of every product, such as the percent of recycled materials used or the number of organic compounds that result from use. These certifications help to highlight equipment that is more energy efficient and products that expend less energy.

What are some practical ways for a facility to incorporate green certifications? One of the easiest solutions is to install light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs in your facility. Energy Star appliances are also a well-known way to help your business go green. The Energy Star certification measures the energy performance of many building products and is a great standard to implement in your company. WaterSense is another green standard that ensures bathrooms consumer less water. These are just a few of the green certifications that exist, there are dozens more that you can include within your business.

It is important to remember that in addition to doing your part to help the environment, making the switch to environmentally friendly certified products can also help your company save money. By using less energy and conserving more water, your power bills will see a decrease. These certified products appliances can help you go green while saving some green too.

 

If you’ve been working in any kind of facility management position, then you’ve probably heard the term integrated workplace management systems (IWMS). What is this system and how can it benefit you? Keep reading to find out more.

IWMS is a type of software that helps organizations and businesses of all sizes make the most of their available resources. Essentially, it is an organizational infrastructure that helps you effectively manage assets, track projects, and schedule maintenance all in one place. An organization looking for more efficiency, flexibility, and customer satisfaction can benefit greatly from IWMS.

There are numerous different kinds of integrated workplace management systems and many incorporate different functions in order to present a way to manage a company’s resources without having to install multiple software platforms. One common feature these systems allow for is a real estate and lease management. The system can be used to keep track of all property the business owns from purchase to disposal, including tax and lease information, and more.

These all-encompassing systems also help with facility and maintenance management. Individuals can manage the use of facility space and schedule employees within buildings. This application can also be used to schedule preventative maintenance appointments, send out work orders, and manage machinery. A system with these types of capabilities is excellent for ensuring that the facility is running as smoothly as possible.

This integrated system can also track a company’s environmental impact. By allowing a company to measure its energy expenditures, the business should be able to identify where there is energy waste. This not only helps notify the manager where to cut back to save on power bills, but it also helps the environment.

An integrated workplace management system is a vital tool for a facility manager or someone who takes care of company locations and assets. These systems help to maximize the efficiency of resources in a central location and can offer a list of solutions for a business.

Despite the old adage, many consumers do indeed judge a book by its cover. So what does this mean for improving the visitor experience for your business? It means you need to maximize each customer and prospective client’s first impressions and overall experience. This should lead to greater customer satisfaction, and increase the chances of them returning and spreading the word to others. Here are a few tips to make sure your company makes a great first impression:

Landscaping

Commercial landscaping can make a huge difference in the curb appeal of a property or facility. Your building’s landscaping is one of the first things a potential customer will see when walking up to your establishment. Overgrown bushes and wrangled weeds aren’t very inviting. It’s important to invest in simple and sophisticated shrubbery for your store front.

Exterior Maintenance

In addition to landscaping, having a pristine exterior is also important for making a positive impact on potential customers. Clients walking by an establishment will base a large amount of their perceptions of the business on the appearance of the facility. Since, the exterior is the first thing a consumer sees, strong curb appeal can help coax customers to step into your establishment. Hiring a facility maintenance company to power wash the building, fertilize the sod and replacing lighting when necessary can certainly help. In order to improve your company’s visitor experience, you want to keep the exterior of your facility looking its best.

Interior Maintenance

Just like you should maintain the exterior of your building, it is also important to take care of the interior. Just because you got the potential customers through the front door doesn’t mean they will stay in your store. The cleanliness you put forth on the exterior should also carry into the interior of your building. In addition to a spotless store, you will want to make sure to have an efficient air conditioning system and sanitary restrooms to ensure your customers are comfortable. You want to create an environment where your patrons are content.

With these helpful tips, you’ll be sure to improve your customers’ experience in your store.

 

Facility management is an all-encompassing field, and it asks a lot from those who work in it. However, like any other position of authority, there are certain technical skills that a facility manager must have to be successful. Here are a few traits to look for in a strong facility manager to ensure your business is in good hands.

1. Management Skills

Facilities management includes include a never-ending list of work orders, preventative maintenance appointments and repair calls. It’s important that facility managers are able to manage their team’s workload and rely on a sound work order management structure to accomplish all of the tasks at hand. With so many different aspects of a facility to oversee, being able to make informed decisions based on all of the information provided is critical. These skills will mean your facility will always be performing at peak efficiency.

2. Strong Communication

Not only do you want your facility manager to do great work for your company, you want to be kept in the loop about it. Keeping the client informed about tasks and helping them to understand next steps is important. This clear and succinct communication carries over to employees as well.

3. Compassion

A successful facility manager has to have compassion. You want an individual who will put him or herself into the shoes of your employees or customers to ensure they receive an excellent experience when inside your facility. You want to work to create a happy and healthy work environment, and so should your facility manager.

These are all very important characteristics to keep in mind when assessing your facility manager. With these helpful insights, you’ll be sure to find a fantastic partner to help take care of your facility.

 

In Florida, inclement weather can hit at a moment’s notice. It’s not a question of if, but when a storm of some sort will strike your facility, and you need to be prepared. Ensuring your company is prepared for natural disasters can help to lessen the financial impact of these incidents and get you back to work quicker. Keep reading to learn how to protect your company by planning ahead to ensure your facility, employees, and business are safe.

One of the most important things to do when preparing for a natural disaster in Florida is to put together a supply kit. In a worst-case scenario, you could be without power or help for days, so have on hand plenty of bottled water, nonperishable food items, flashlights, a radio, spare batteries and a first aid kit.

In addition to tangible items, it is also a good idea to create a comprehensive disaster plan in the event of an emergency. Make sure to include input from all departments in your company to include everyone’s needs during disaster management. Creating an emergency plan gives you and your employees familiarity and knowledge of potential problems, allowing you to mount a quick, efficient and appropriate response in the event of a real crisis. This preparation will help your company recover and get you back in business.

It’s also important to plan for how to mitigate damages after the hurricane is over. Talk to your insurance company for information about what is covered, as well as how to go about fixing any damages from a storm.

In the event of an emergency, you want your business to be prepared. Taking the extra steps to ensure your employees and facility will be able to sustain a natural disaster will help get your company back on track as fast as possible after a crisis.

When it comes to the repairs and maintenance of your business or facility, you’ll want a company who is the best fit for the job. The market presents you with two different choices to pick from — self-performing technicians or subcontracting brokers. Keep reading to find out more about each type of hire.

A company that self-performs completes a certain facility maintenance project, whether it be an air conditioning replacement, plumbing repair or preventative maintenance check-in, with their own team of highly trained technicians. Self-performing companies have control over the work order from start to finish and are able to set the pace of the project as well. These companies tend to operate as a one-stop-shop and can provide you with technicians for each entity of your project. Moreover, there is never a question of accountability, competence or skill, since technicians perform the work personally. Since the company’s own name is on the line, self-performing technicians tend to be highly invested with each job they receive.

General contracting companies uphold a different business model. These brokers build up a library or network of subcontractors to provide needed repairs. When a needed repair comes in, these companies find someone in their network to fix it, acting as administrators for the repair process. This subcontracting network can span throughout the entire U.S., but these repair companies continue to maintain their own separate business outside of this relationship. With a big construction project that will require several different kinds of repairs, such as construction, plumbing and electric, a subcontracting company will provide you with individual companies for each of your facility’s needs.

At MaintenX, we dispatch our own self-performing technicians to assist you with all of your facility maintenance needs. To learn more about the services that we offer or to seek help from any one of our skilled and experienced technicians, please call us at 855–751- 0075.

Taking steps to be a greener organization is important to help preserve the planet. Ensuring your company or facility partakes in sustainable electrical and energy practices is a great way to do so. Not only will these earth-friendly practices make your company environmentally responsible, they will also save you money. Keep reading to discover a few tips to decreasing your facility’s ecological impact.

Installing occupancy sensors throughout your building is a great way to be more energy efficient. This feature will control the lights in a given room and automatically turn them off when the last occupant has left the space. These devices are especially convenient in your company’s restrooms and conference rooms. An occupancy sensor guarantees that the appropriate amount of electricity is being used for each space and eliminates wasteful electricity usage.

While it is common to see them in many buildings today, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and light emitting diode (LED) light bulbs are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. Not only do these types of light bulbs utilize less energy, but they also last much longer than your average bulb and need to be replaced much less frequently. It is also important to embrace the sun when feasible. Relying on natural sunlight to illuminate interior space is free and should be used as much as possible.

Finally, make sure to unplug devices that are not in use. It may seem like a no-brainer, but electronics continue to absorb lots of electricity even if they are turned off. This is especially true for those electronics with a rechargeable battery. By making a few minor changes in your business, not only can you reduce your energy consumption, but you can also reduce utility costs. To learn more eco-friendly tips and for any assistance from our skilled MaintenX technicians, please call us at 855–751- 0075.

Making a commitment to eco-friendly plumbing can not only help you go green, but it can also ensure you are provided with superior performance and a lower water bill. Keep reading to find some environmentally friendly plumbing changes you can make that Mother Nature will thank you for.

One such example of saving both water and power is to install an energy efficient water heater in your business or facility. The water heater is one of the most taxing appliances in terms of power and water usage, so having a machine that is specifically designed to mitigate both reaps many rewards.

Water reclamation systems can also be installed as an earth-friendly commitment. By harvesting rainwater for reuse, you can efficiently supply your facility’s irrigation system with this recycled water. This will decrease your water consumption and drastically reduce your water bill.

Installing low-flow and other green fixtures into your company restroom. These features reduce the flow of water being utilized in order to reduce water consumption. Examples include faucet reducers, which limit water usage in your sinks, and low-flow toilets, which use minimal water after each flush. A leak monitoring device is also a good idea because any water lost to a leak is wasteful. Leaks should always be repaired immediately and such a device can identify them as soon as possible.

As you can see, there are many different things that your business or facility can do to help your plumbing system be more eco-friendly. For more green plumbing tips and to learn about how the technicians at MaintenX can help, please call us at 855–751- 0075.

Heating and cooling systems are very important to businesses in order to keep a comfortable environment for customers and employees. A proper heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit is key to creating that healthy work environment, but it is also responsible for a major percentage of a company’s electricity bill. In an effort to conserve energy and your company’s spending, here are some energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions to help you go green.

Preventative maintenance is the easiest and the most important thing to do when it comes to improving energy efficiency. Regularly scheduled maintenance on your HVAC system will ensure it is always running at peak performance. Preventative maintenance includes changing the air filters, cleaning the compressor coils repairing leaks and other tasks. When your system is running at its intended level of efficiency, the unit requires less energy to perform heating and cooling responsibilities. This conservation of electricity will save you money on your power bill.

It is also good practice to keep the temperature at a relatively consistent rate. Many people believe it is smart to turn off your HVAC unit when the business is closed in order to save power. However, this practice can actually end up costing you more. By completely turning off your heating and cooling system, the unit will have to work extra hard to balance out the temperature changes when your business opens the next morning. This translates to more energy expended and higher costs. However, changing the temperature by a few degrees during off-hours can turn in to energy savings.

Investing in technology that is intended to conserve energy and have your unit perform efficiently is also a great way to go green. ENERGY STAR qualified products are great units to install for your company’s efficient heating and cooling needs. Incorporating control strategies on your unit will ensure that the system is only being utilized when necessary. Programmable thermostats, multiple zones and other items can be installed to help with your energy conservation. These technologies can be included on new HVAC units, but can also be installed in old systems as too.

If you are looking for more energy efficient solutions for your business, MaintenX is here to help. To learn more about our services, please call us at 855–751- 0075.

It is an unfortunate reality that not all businesses that set out for success obtain it. When a retail store closes its doors or discontinues operations at a particular site, it is considered to be “going dark” or a “dark store.” If you are the owner of a strip mall or shopping center, having a dark closed store can be a major problem — not only because no one is occupying the space, but it can also become a detriment to future tenants and the business of those who patron the center.

A dark storefront can easily become an eyesore for anyone visiting the shopping center or mall because of the likelihood that it will fall into disrepair. If there is no one there to utilize the space, it is easy for the insides of the building to decay, the landscaping to grow out of control, and the outside to begin to look rundown. Not only will the building’s neglected appearance turn off customers of other stores in the center, but it will also lessen the chances of future tenants moving their business to the space. Without proper upkeep, this facility will hurt the business of smaller stores and ultimately bring the entire center down.

What is the best practice for maintaining a dark closed store? Rather than trying to fix everything after the fact, preventative maintenance is recommended to keep the storefront looking acceptable. Quarterly inspections, necessary repairs, and landscape maintenance are all worthwhile because they prevent the building segment from going into disrepair. This not only prevents the problems noted above, but it comes with a smaller price tag. Small amounts of regular maintenance are less costly than a series of expensive repairs all at once.

If you need help maintaining a dark closed store, MaintenX is here to help. We will make sure the space is well maintained, fully operational and landscaped to perfection, making it inviting for the next tenants. To learn more about the services we offer and how our skilled technicians can assist you, please call us at 855–751- 0075.