Why maintenance schedules should be followed even with a tight budget.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly strained and influenced the economic, social, and political structures all over the world. Many companies and businesses have already drastically reduced their budgets due to the effects of the pandemic, and companies of all sizes continue to strive for cost reductions and are searching for new ways to maximize their resources.

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Facility managers of schools, hotels, or hospitals are no exception: they know that every euro saved helps to secure the survival of their institution in difficult times.

When cost reductions do not result in savings

Saving is a need for many people. And the millennia-old history of humanity shows that the ability to optimally use available resources is something that has given humanity an advantage and enabled it to better cope with upcoming challenges and crises. However, not all savings measures in the context of building maintenance are to be rated equally: while some expenses are certainly debatable, savings measures elsewhere can have counterproductive effects.

While suspending a maintenance plan to stick to a tight budget may reduce costs in the short term, in the long run this can have serious consequences for facility managers. If buildings are not properly maintained, their condition deteriorates more quickly, which can lead to financial and reputational losses for companies and often also affects employee well-being.

Even more important, however, is that well-maintained facilities minimize safety risks. During routine annual maintenance, all potential weak points and problems that could cause possible safety impairments can be analyzed. In addition, regular maintenance ensures that the applicable safety regulations and standards are met.

Maintenance plans are essential to reduce costs and increase safety

No matter whether it is a fire risk, a burglary risk, or a technical malfunction: with a maintenance plan, a problem can be precisely diagnosed and the worst can be prevented before it happens.

But even without a worst-case scenario, regular maintenance enables facility managers to make more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly decisions, better control their budget, and plan costs more specifically—compared to unforeseen and therefore difficult-to-calculate expenses for repairs.

For example, regular maintenance helps to detect problems with sanitary facilities or energy leaks, thus helping the facility manager to reduce utility costs. Furthermore, this can not only contribute to improving indoor air quality but also help protect the building’s structural fabric. Simple repairs carried out after regular maintenance can prevent major structural damage. Major damage is usually associated with significantly higher costs and more often leads to buildings being out of operation for the duration of lengthy repairs.

How can costs be saved with a maintenance plan?

Facility managers with a tight budget should not suspend their maintenance plan, but they should focus on cost-efficient and smooth implementation. One of the best ways to achieve this is through partnerships with companies that adhere to the highest industry standards and are trustworthy regarding the products and services they offer.

Even though the cost situation is a top priority for many facility managers these days, they should not forget that for their customers, good, trustworthy communication and quick response times are the most important things.

If it’s not broken, maintain and service it!

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a well-known saying that originally comes from the southern United States and became popular in the 1970s. However, the wisdom of this saying no longer applies in our modern world with its constantly changing demands. In the environment of fast-moving technologies and ever more complex business models, the following is much more true today: If it’s not broken, maintain and service it!