At MaintenX, we strongly encourage our clients to invest in preventative maintenance. These services — from regular tune-ups to cleaning and manufacturer’s recommended parts replacements — help to keep your facility’s plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems intact. However, we rarely discuss the potential benefits and costs of the no-maintenance strategy.
What is a No Maintenance Strategy?
Some companies implement a no-maintenance or reactive maintenance strategy, which simply means that repairs are not scheduled until a breakdown occurs. There are some unique advantages to this maintenance strategy. While the cost of breakdowns is typically more expensive, these companies do not pay for unnecessary preventative repairs or services. They also typically have a lower monthly budget for maintenance that is easier to sell to upper management than a more costly preventative care schedule.
The Hidden Cost of a No-Maintenance Strategy
While a reactive maintenance strategy is cheaper today, it is exponentially more costly once a breakdown actually occurs. Think about it this way: is it more expensive to perform routine maintenance checks on your HVAC system every quarter, or to have to replace your entire system at the drop of a hat when something major goes wrong?
Oftentimes the cost-savings of preventative care are not apparent because they work in preventing these sorts of breakdowns. You may not even realize the potential hazards you are escaping from investing in preventative care. But, we as maintenance technicians have seen them happen, which is why we push preventative maintenance service for all of our clients.
Combining the Best of Preventative and Reactive Maintenance
The best solution for a maintenance team is not to choose one over the other, but rather to choose which systems need more preventative care, versus which ones can operate on a run-to-fail system. Older appliances and pieces of equipment naturally need more maintenance in order to perform. However, a brand new system may not need any preventative care until it reaches a certain stage in its life cycle.
Maintenance strategies are nuanced, which is why we work collaboratively with clients to ensure they get the best value for their dollar. To learn more about our preventative care strategies and services, contact MaintenX today.
