Category: Facilities Management

2021 has already had its share of significant hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane Ida wiped out much of New Orleans and surrounding areas, and there are others brewing in the Gulf, ready to make a path toward the mainland. Many MaintenX clients are calling to ask, “When will we be in the clear for hurricane season? And how do I prepare to minimize risk for my facility?”

 

What You Need to Know About The Hurricane Season

The 2021 hurricane season has been scary for many of us, and we won’t be in the clear for several months. However, there are ways to prepare to ensure your facility is less susceptible to damage and can open more quickly after a storm. 

 

• Hurricane season isn’t over until November. While hurricanes are most active in late summer and early fall, you can expect them until November 30th every year. This means that you still need to be prepared for evacuations and emergency maintenance well into 2021. Don’t neglect your preventative care now, because we still have several months of stormy weather ahead. 

 

• Expect a more active season. Most reports cite that 2021 will have above-normal hurricane activity in both the Atlantic and Pacific coastal regions.  This high activity is likely to continue into the late fall, so it’s best to review your hurricane preparation plan and ensure it is up-to-date before the end of the month. 
• It’s important to secure any outdoor equipment before a storm. When preparing for a hurricane, the biggest danger is unsecured equipment and inventory outside. If you have an extensive outdoor showroom, equipment, or simply landscaping that includes furnishings, you need to secure these items indoors. This prevents them from flying around and damaging the interior or exterior of your building while hurricane-force winds are present. 

 

• Don’t skimp on roofing maintenance services this time of year. Flying debris doesn’t just affect windows and landscaping during a hurricane. It most often damages or collapses roofing, especially if your property has trees surrounding it. Be diligent in your roofing maintenance this fall to prevent dead tree limbs or weak spots in your roofing from causing real damage to your facility. 

 

• Make sure your employees have the resources to evacuate. Your building is important to protect, but your employees are even more important. Offer as many resources as possible — from transportation options to time off in advance — in order to help them evacuate before a major storm. As soon as an evacuation notice is in effect, you need to communicate your plan and put evacuations into effect for your staff. 

 

Hurricane season is scary, but preparation goes a long way toward protecting your assets and staff. To learn more about hurricane damage prevention, contact your local MaintenX team today. 

 

Cool breezes, changing colors, and holiday festivities are not far away. As the summer ends and autumn begins, you want to start changing your maintenance schedule to reflect the new season. There are some major differences between fall and summer maintenance, most importantly exterior maintenance scheduled. Below are five ways you can prepare your building for the season and lower maintenance costs through the winter. 

 

Plan for fall landscaping. 

Autumn is the perfect time to prune, plant, and prepare fresh designs for your landscaping. Whether it is the addition of new plants or the simple management of the current design as summer blooms start to fall, you want to be proactive in your landscaping to ensure your outdoor space looks just as fresh as it did in the summer and spring. 

 

Schedule a roofing inspection.

If you live in an area that experiences significant snowfall, you need to schedule a roofing inspection during the fall. You don’t want to wait until there’s a leak or sagging in the roof due to snow before you contact your MaintenX roofing professional. By practically scheduling roofing repairs in the fall, you can save yourself a lot of time and money. 

 

Plan a deep clean of the interior office spaces.

Autumn typically coincides with cold and flu season as more people spend time indoors and in close proximity. Now, it is more important than ever to ensure proper sanitization in the fall, as COVID-19 precautions ramp back up in many parts of the country. Schedule a deep clean and sanitization services throughout the fall and winter in advance to keep the cold and flu at bay. 

 

Schedule an electrical system inspection.

If you operate a large facility, you may utilize space heaters in certain areas to cut down on major heating costs. However, these have the potential to overload older outlets, causing circuit problems and potentially lead to electrical outages or fires. Before it gets too cold, contact your MaintenX electrician to schedule a tune-up. 

 

Service exterior faucets, plumbing, and irrigation.

You need to service exterior plumbing systems not to ensure they don’t freeze over the winter. Be sure to drain all exterior faucets, unhook hoses or replace them with freezeproof equipment, and check with your MaintenX plumber to ensure your pipes are insulated. Any plumbing work you can get done before the first freeze should take priority in the fall. 

 

MaintenX can help you prepare a fall maintenance schedule that is easy to handle and cost-effective. To learn more, contact your local MaintenX team or visit our resource center for more information. 

MaintenX specializes in maintenance services for restaurants. We understand the beating your facility takes on a daily basis, as well as the long hours you work in order to create a thriving enterprise. All of this work means your maintenance schedule must be planned carefully and preferably, ahead of schedule. Unexpected repairs are the enemy to a restaurant owner which is why we avoid them at all costs. 

 

While MaintenX is known for our restaurant preventative care, we also help new restaurant owners wil equipment installation and facility design. Below are some of the most common design strategies we see that help our clients maximize their service experience once open: 

 

Prioritize ambiance over maximizing capacity

You want to be able to seat as many people as possible, but not if you have to sacrifice ambiance for guests. You want plenty of space between tables (especially those that aren’t booths). Once you have enough seating for a minimum capacity to break even, build slowly and stop once tables start to get less than four to six feet away from each other. 

 

Minimize unpleasant seating

Areas close to the front entrance, near the kitchen, or too close to the restrooms can create an unpleasant atmosphere for guests. By creating long hallways at entrances, bathroom areas, and kitchen spaces, you can minimize poor seating options. 

 

Schedule preventative care for your HVAC system

The HVAC system is arguably the most critical system in your entire restaurant for maintaining a pleasant atmosphere for guests. Commercial kitchens produce heat, smoke, and aromas that can taint the guest experience if you don’t have proper ventilation to remove them. Similarly, a tight capacity can make a restaurant feel stuffy if you don’t have proper air conditioning in the spring and summer. By investing in a high-quality system and preventative care, you can ensure your guests always have a comfortable atmosphere when they dine. 

 

If you need help with your restaurant’s HVAC system, call MaintenX today! We are experts in commercial kitchen ventilation and can help you install and maintain a system that works for you for years. 

Creating a quiet commercial indoor space is essential for all businesses. Whether you’re operating an office space or a local restaurant, you want to keep indoor and outdoor disturbances to a minimum in order to enhance the atmosphere. Employees need quiet in order to concentrate, and customers want a quiet atmosphere in order to relax and enjoy their experience. However, reducing noise is not as easy as one might think. 

 

If your facility is experiencing uncomfortable levels of noise, try these four methods to reduce the commotion and create a more productive workspace: 

 

Carpeting and rugs

Carpet and rugs can help absorb unwanted noise as opposed to hard floor surfaces. While this may not be an option for all areas of your facility, it can be impactful in areas where carpeting is a safe option. Other cloth items like curtains can also help absorb noise coming from outside the building. 

 

Rubber door sweeps

Rubber door stops seal the gaps between the flooring and door to reduce noise coming in through the cracks. Building managers are often surprised by how much noise can be blocked with this simple addition. The same practice should be applied to windows as well. By sealing the gaps in your windows and doors you can noticeably reduce the noise coming in from outside. 

 

Identifying loud furnishings and appliances

Perhaps the noise that’s most disrupting to your facility is coming from desk chairs scraping against the floors, or a noisy kitchen appliance that needs to be replaced. By identifying your biggest culprits, you can effectively transform your workspace. 

 

Isolating loud equipment

Sometimes there is no way around having loud equipment at your facility. It may be necessary for your operation, or simply cannot be replaced at the time. If so, do your best to isolate this equipment to reduce distractions for your staff and employees. 

 

MaintenX can help you improve your facility design to reduce noise and other distractions to your employees and customers. To learn more, you can contact us or visit our resource center. 

Re-evaluate protocols for employees and visitors. 

In the wake of the first wave of vaccinations for adults 18+ many businesses decided to change their protocols for both employees and customers. Mask recommendations were lifted, and capacity for large buildings was brought back up to their original numbers. However, as Delta-variant cases continue to climb, many businesses are going back to their original precautionary measures, often only for staff members. If your facility experiences high foot traffic, you may consider reinstating mask recommendations to help protect both customers and staff. 

 

Reinstall temporary sanitation facilities if necessary. 

In the summer of 2020, hand sanitization and mask stations were commonly found at the entrances of most facilities. As vaccinations became more prevalent, many retail outlets and restaurants removed these, but they may be necessary as Delta-variant cases continue to rise. You may consider reinstalling these sanitization facilities if your area or state experiences climbing COVID-19 case numbers. 

 

Provide new information to staff as needed. 

It’s important to keep your staff informed about up-to-date vaccine research, CDC-recommended protocols, and other helpful information to ensure they make informed decisions about their health. By taking a proactive approach, you can help employees feel safe coming to work and ensure the public that you take their health and safety seriously. The best defense against COVID-19 is an informed public, and you can do your part by providing that information as needed to your staff, especially in how COVID-19 affects their job duties. 

 

COVID-19 is a disease we can overcome if we fight it together. By providing your staff with the tools and information needed to protect themselves, you can ensure a cleaner and safer work environment for all. 

 

To learn more about the Delta-variant of COVID-19, visit the CDC website here. 

Facility security is a top priority for most business owners. The technology and equipment you invest in are important not only for business tomorrow but for your long-term growth. Preventing losses and protecting staff should be a top concern when moving into a new building. It is also important to review safety and security practices after a disturbance has occurred to constantly improve upon the current building operations. 

 

Below are four different ways you can improve upon the security at your facility with low-cost and effective technologies. 

 

Fencing

Building a security fence is often the first step toward protecting a business from unwanted visitors. A sturdy fence with security cameras and optional alarms can help you to protect your property before theft has even occurred. A simple eight-foot chain link fence can even be effective in keeping some intruders out and will protect your building from unwanted loitering during off-hours. 

 

Security alarms

Security alarms are often the next logical step when implementing a security system for your building. These alarms will not only hasten the police presence at your location in the event of a break-in but can deter some burglars from staying on the property to steal or vandalize. Your security system should include windows as well as doors and other entryways to protect your building from all types of break-ins. 

 

Security cameras

Security cameras are not only a great aid to law enforcement after a burglary but can be a deterrent all their own. Even if you do not have security staff, the mere presence of a security camera can motivate some to avoid your location as a place for criminal activity. The more you place and the higher they are from the ground, the less likely you are to experience break-ins. 

 

Panic buttons

Panic buttons are becoming more and more popular for 24-hour facilities, especially in places where shift work is common. If you have an employee that is isolated, they can use a silent panic button to communicate to the police or an outside authority when a crisis occurs. Whether that is a robbery or other disaster, a panic button can accelerate communication and protect your employees from all types of dangerous situations while at work. 

 

With these systems in place, you can better care for your employees and ensure they are safe at all times. To learn more about your security installation options inside and out, contact MaintenX today!

As a facility manager, you have a lot on your plate to manage. Barring the occasional equipment crisis, you have preventative maintenance to schedule, staff to oversee, and new technologies to research and integrate into your facility for optimal performance. However, there are still plenty of daily maintenance tasks that you need to oversee in order to keep your facility in tip-top shape. 

 

If you run the maintenance department of a commercial facility, here are some things you should be doing every day to ensure peak performance at every level: 

 

Facility walkthrough

Being in charge of facility care, you should start your day with a simple interior and exterior walkthrough to identify potential visible maintenance issues. Cracks, leaks, lighting issues, and climate control problems will often make themselves readily available, but you must leave the office to find them. You can use this time to also catch maintenance team leads up to speed on daily tasks and goals. 

 

Daily landscaping

If you manage a facility with spacious landscaping, it’s likely that it will need daily care. Watering plants, inspecting for pests, and removing weeds or dead plants should all happen on a daily basis so your landscaping never gets out of hand. Even if you don’t perform these tasks, someone on the maintenance team should. 

 

Maintenance staffing meetings

If you are the facility manager, it is likely you’ll need to meet with your maintenance staff at least once a day to ensure short- and long-term goals are on track. Whether you’re meeting with technicians to assign tasks for the day, or update upper management on your weekly and monthly progress, communication should be a priority on your daily task list. 

 

Trash removal and cleanup

Finally, before you leave you want to make sure that you’ve tied up all loose ends — trash removal, sweeping or vacuuming, surface cleaning, and more. Go through the daily maintenance checklist with whoever is responsible to ensure you leave the office as clean as when you came in. This will reduce stress in the morning and help you become more efficient in achieving the bigger maintenance strategies. 

 

Daily routine maintenance will make up most of the maintenance you do, so prioritize it. To learn more about facility management and tips for success, visit our resource center for more information. 

At MaintenX, we work hard to ensure that our clients have the best maintenance service in their industry. Whether we are working with a small office building or a multi-location industrial complex, we are always looking for new ways to make your facility more efficient. We’ve been in business for over 40 years and have learned all of the tricks of the trade. However, our advice for optimal facility maintenance is very simple. 

 

Many facility managers want to look for new investments, or new technologies to implement in their maintenance programs to show visible progress. However, we believe that a simpler approach is often the most effective to create cost-savings and greater facility efficiency. When our clients go back to basics, they see both decreases in annual maintenance costs and tremendous energy savings. 

 

Our best advice? Make a plan and stick to it. 

 

Preventative maintenance is all about planning. If you want to catch repairs before they turn into disasters, you need consistent maintenance service to ensure that everything is in proper working order. This includes inspections, cleaning, and manufacturer’s recommended maintenance services to help critical systems function as they age. 

 

If you work with your MaintenX contractors to create a flexible but actionable maintenance plan, you can achieve greater facility performance across the board. You’ll experience fewer breakdowns and will rarely call in for an emergency repair because your technicians are on the job to prevent issues. We recommend putting these three services in your schedule to get the most out of your maintenance plan:

• Regular cleaning – All of your major systems — HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, roofing, and even electrical — will need regular cleaning to prevent corrosion and to improve performance over time. Sticking to a cleaning schedule is easier when you have it written down and scheduled with your MaintenX contractors. 

 

• Tune-ups for major appliances – Your HVAC system, refrigeration, electrical and even plumbing systems have parts that need to be oiled, filters changed, and circuits that need to have safety checks on a regular basis. If you don’t have a schedule for these services, it’s likely they’ll be put on the backburner indefinitely, which can spell disaster for your systems. 

• Annual inspections for needed repairs and upgrades – At least once per year, your MaintenX contractors should come onsite for inspections and auditing of your major systems. This can alert you to major repairs down the road, as well as help you calculate cost-savings due to preventative care. 

 

Preventative care is simple if you prioritize it. To learn more about your maintenance options, contact your local MaintenX today!

Facility maintenance jobs can be incredibly rewarding for the right person. They are hands-on, meaningful to the community, and pay very well in comparison to the cost of education. However, becoming an HVAC technician, electrician, plumber, or other maintenance worker is not right for everyone. It requires several years of training and should not be chosen as a line of work unless you are confident you’re up to the task. 

 

If you’re interested in joining the facility maintenance field, ask yourself these questions to determine whether you’re right for the job:

 

Do you like working outside? 

Even though you’ll be working on buildings, quite a bit of maintenance work happens outside. HVAC technicians, plumbers, roofers, and electricians all have job duties that require work outside, sometimes in tight spaces or on the ground, These jobs can get dirty, too, so if you’re not used to hard labor in the sun, you may want to consider whether you’ll be capable of working in these conditions daily. 

 

Is your schedule flexible?

When a pipe bursts in a home or the power goes out, most people can’t wait until the next business day for service. This means that many facility maintenance jobs require on-call time and overtime in order to provide 24-hour service. While this will inevitably add to your paycheck, it can be taxing on those who prefer a 9 to 5 job. Be aware and willing of this job requirement before applying for trade school. 

 

Are you willing to invest in your education?

Most facility maintenance fields will require a two-year technical school degree or the completion of an apprenticeship before you can begin your work as a journeyman. While technical school is much less expensive than a four-year college, it will still take time and patience before you can begin earning as a maintenance technician. 

 

Are you looking for a challenge?

Maintenance work is very different from modern desk jobs. You’ll always be on the move when you’re at work — there is little time to sit back and relax as a maintenance tech. You’ll also be working physically most of the time, which can wear on the body the longer you’re in the field. While this job can be very satisfying for diligent hard workers, it is not the path for everyone. You have to really want success to achieve it in the maintenance field. 

 

MaintenX is always in search of qualified maintenance technicians at our locations across the U.S. Once you’ve completed your training, give us a call to learn about the opportunities in commercial maintenance and how to get started with us!

What should facility managers aim for when it comes to disaster response and preparedness? Should they look for ways to disaster-proof their facility? Or should they simply look for the best company to clean up the damage in the event of a hurricane or fire? At MaintenX, we believe that there is one simple key to your facility weathering any storm: resilience.

 

A resilient facility is not one that simply folds under pressure and waits for the clean-up crew. Instead, it is able to prevent damage and cope with it when it happens. Below are some tips to make your facility more resilient to fires, storms, and other natural disasters: 

 

Update your plan annually.

A disaster emergency plan doesn’t do your facility any good if it is not up to date. Review your plan at least once a year to ensure that your insurance coverages are up-to-date, your contacts are accurate, and that any action plans you have still meet the needs of your facility. This is especially important if you add new equipment, staff, or change anything to your regular maintenance schedule throughout the year. 

 

Plan for disruptions in the supply chain.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught business owners anything, it’s that you can’t just worry about disasters that affect your community directly. Many businesses have been adversely affected this year not because they couldn’t open safely, but because their suppliers or manufacturers in different parts of the country or even around the world couldn’t. Be prepared for this by having backup suppliers or routes in the event of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or local fire. 

 

Understand your risk factors. 

Each facility is built differently and will have unique risk factors in the event of a natural disaster. For example, if your building is older you may have to worry about roofing collapses or pipe bursts more so than a newer building. If you have had electrical problems in the past, you may be at a greater risk for power outages to last longer than expected. Talk with your maintenance team to learn the ins and outs of your facility so you know what to expect when disaster strikes. 

 

Have a communications plan.

If you live in a disaster-prone area (like along the coast of Florida, which faces an increasingly destructive annual hurricane season), you need a plan in place to communicate with staff before, during, and after the disaster. You’ll need to know how to communicate to everyone effectively if you plan closures or an evacuation, and will want to be able to get in touch with your MaintenX team when disaster repairs begin. This communication plan should be effective whether employees and your maintenance team are onsite or at home. 

 

Choose contractors ahead of time. 

After a natural disaster, there will be an influx of general repair and remodeling contractors into your area offering services for low prices. Many of these contractors will perform low-quality work or may even try to scam an unprepared business. Make sure this doesn’t happen by pre-selecting a local emergency maintenance company before a disaster ever hits. By building that relationship early on, you know you’ll be in good hands. 

 

MaintenX specializes in disaster response and emergency repairs for businesses across the U.S. We care about our customers and want to help them get back on their feet as soon as possible after a storm. To learn more about our emergency services or previous work with disaster response, contact us today.