Effective Facilities Maintenance Management Tips for a Successful 2024

What could a quarter of facilities maintenance management savings mean for your bottom line?

What better reason to focus on facilities maintenance management than the fact that organizations that implement it effectively can reduce their maintenance costs by up to 25%? ^[1]

Effective facilities maintenance management isn’t a one-time task. 

It’s an ongoing commitment that requires a proactive approach to facility management best practices, using the right tools, and performing tasks at the right time. Plus, staying engaged and committed to the process is also essential for long-term success. 

With the right strategies, you can reduce downtime, extend the lifespan of your equipment, and ultimately save money. 

But what are those strategies? 

From automation to standard operating procedures (SOPs), we’ll cover the ins and outs of these strategies to increase your facilities maintenance management ROI. 

How Does Effective Facilities Maintenance Management Impact Your Bottom Line?

According to the study from the US Department of Energy, proactive, rather than reactive maintenance leads to savings of up to 12-18%. ^[2]

But those savings aren’t the only benefits you’ll experience when you capitalize on effective facilities maintenance management. By investing in regular maintenance and using advanced tools like predictive maintenance software, you can foresee potential issues and address them before they escalate. 

This, of course, saves you money on repairs. But that’s just one part of it. You also extend the lifespan of your assets and save energy. While these benefits aren’t as straightforward as numbers and dollars and can’t be as easily measured, at the end of the day, you’ll see long-term benefits. 

Recent research illustrates this: Regular HVAC maintenance can improve energy efficiency by up to 15% and reduce utility bills. ^[3]

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll also experience these benefits:

Cost Reduction

Is there any facility that didn’t experience unplanned downtime?

Facility failures result in costs on multiple fronts, including production, services, and financial losses. According to a study by Aberdeen Research, unplanned downtime can cost businesses up to $260,000 per hour. ^[4]

And that’s bad news. But the good news is that you can get ahead of unplanned breakdowns and reduce costs by implementing a proactive maintenance strategy.  Regular inspections, predictive maintenance, and timely repairs equal smooth operations with a lower likelihood of unexpected breakdowns. 

Increased Asset Lifespan

Lubrication, calibration, and component replacements all extend the lifespan of vital parts of your facility. 

And these all are invaluable elements of scheduled maintenance. When you maintain every aspect of your facility in top condition, everything performs better, lasts longer and delays expensive replacements.

Increased Productivity

Well-maintained facility = better working environment. 

When all of your systems function properly, employees perform tasks without interruptions. You’ll get highly productive employees, and they get higher job satisfaction. Remember that happy and productive employees contribute to the overall success and profitability of your facility. 

Investing in facility maintenance will pay off in more ways than you could imagine. And all these benefits add up. 

Energy Savings

Effective maintenance practices, such as cleaning filters, tightening connections, and optimizing settings. And we all know that energy costs are a major expense for facilities.  Inefficient equipment and systems lead to higher energy consumption and inflated utility bills. 

Safety and Compliance

Regular maintenance checks work great at identifying potential hazards, such as faulty wiring, leaks, or worn-out components, before they pose a risk to employees. Plus, compliance with safety regulations and industry standards often requires routine maintenance and inspections. 

Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and legal issues, but a proactive maintenance strategy helps you stay ahead of these requirements.

For example, Sunny Delight Beverages Co., known for its SunnyD® products, automated most of its maintenance tasks with LLumin CMMS and reduced their downtime significantly. But they also managed to comply with strict OSHA and FSMA regulations thanks to automated documentation and the implementation of lockout/tagout procedures and safety permits. This was made possible by LLumin’s features, which ensure that these essential documents are easily accessible on mobile devices, even offline.

The Most Important Types of Facilities Maintenance Management

There are different types of facilities maintenance management approaches, and when you combine all of them, you get the winning combination that will help you reap the benefits we’ve mentioned.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance focuses on scheduled maintenance tasks that prevent unexpected equipment failures. This type of maintenance is based on a set schedule, which can be daily, weekly, monthly, or annually, depending on the equipment and its usage. 

Examples include:

• Routine inspections of HVAC systems to ensure they are operating efficiently.
• Lubricating moving parts in machinery to reduce wear and tear.
• Replacing worn-out components, such as belts or filters, to prevent larger failures

Predictive Maintenance

Based heavily on data and technology, predictive maintenance anticipates failures before they happen. 

Examples of predictive maintenance tools include:

• Vibration analysis to detect imbalances or misalignments in machinery.
• Thermal imaging to identify overheating components.
• Oil analysis to monitor the condition of lubricants and detect contamination.
• IoT sensors collect real-time data on various parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and more. 

One of the greatest advantages of predictive maintenance is that you reduce both downtime and maintenance costs, and it has the highest ROI long-term.

Condition-Based Maintenance

Condition-based maintenance involves monitoring the actual condition of equipment to determine when it requires maintenance. Similarly to predictive maintenance, it relies on real-time data from sensors and other monitoring devices. 

Condition-based maintenance optimizes maintenance activities by focusing efforts on equipment that truly needs attention, thereby improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary maintenance tasks.

For example, implementing a condition-monitoring system for critical assets, such as boilers or generators, makes sure that your staff performs tasks based on the actual condition, not on a predetermined schedule, which can sometimes be wrong. 

Facilities Maintenance Management Checklist

Do you tick all the boxes on our facilities maintenance management checklist? If not, you still have the time to reap the benefits, enjoy savings, and reduce downtime. 

But first, let’s see what this checklist consists of:

Automation for the Win

Do you have headaches from endless spreadsheets and tracking maintenance tasks manually?

If the answer is yes, you’ll benefit most from automation.

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) can help you schedule preventive maintenance, track work orders, and manage inventory. All at your fingertips and automated. 

For instance, a CMMS can automatically generate work orders for routine inspections and send reminders to your maintenance team. Forget about oversights! When you automate these tasks, you’ll reduce the administrative burden on your team and improve their productivity. 

One of the leading tools for this purpose is LLumin CMMS.

Preventive Maintenance Scheduling

LLumin CMMS has the ability to schedule preventive maintenance tasks automatically. By setting up maintenance intervals based on calendar dates, usage hours, or readings, the system makes sure your facility gets the care it deserves. 

The calendar view provides a comprehensive overview of all scheduled maintenance activities, making it easy to plan and allocate resources efficiently.

Asset Management

Did you know that one simple solution can keep detailed records of all your assets, including their maintenance history, employee information, and performance metrics? LLumin saves you time and money by tracking the lifecycle of each asset and making informed decisions about repairs or replacements. 

Mobile Accessibility

With LLumin CMMS, your maintenance team can access the system from anywhere using mobile devices. They can even update work orders, check asset information and receive alerts on the go.

Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts

The system integrates with IoT sensors to provide real-time monitoring of equipment conditions. llumin CMMS can send alerts and notifications to maintenance personnel when it detects anomalies or potential issues, allowing for immediate action to prevent failures.

How LLumin flags and fixes issues in real time

Create SOPs

SOPs provide clear, step-by-step instructions on how to perform specific tasks, reducing the likelihood of errors and ensuring that maintenance is carried out effectively. For example, having an SOP for HVAC maintenance can guide your team through the necessary steps for cleaning filters, inspecting components, and checking system performance.

But how do you create SOPs for facilities management?

Involve Experienced Staff

Your staff’s hands-on knowledge and expertise are invaluable in identifying the best practices and potential pitfalls of each task. That’s why you have to include them in your decision-making process. If you do, your SOPs will be practical, easy to implement, accurate and effective. 

Break Down Tasks into Clear Steps

Each SOP should break down tasks into clear, concise steps. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon to make sure everyone easily understands the instructions regardless of their level of expertise. 

Breaking down tasks into steps will also improve and make your onboarding process more efficient, and remove the chance of mistakes.

For example, the SOP for changing an air filter in an HVAC system might include steps such as turning off the system, removing the old filter, inspecting the filter housing, installing the new filter, and turning the system back on.

Include Safety Precautions

Safety should be a top priority in every SOP. 

If you want to protect your employees and prevent accidents, make sure to write down detailed safety instructions for each asset. Depending on the equipment, this could mean wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), following lockout/tagout procedures, and being aware of potential hazards.

Train Your Team

Once you create SOPs, your maintenance team needs to know how to follow them. Training sessions are a great way to get them up to speed and go over each procedure in detail, answer questions and provide hands-on demonstrations.

Regular training will also help you reinforce the SOPs and make sure everyone is on the same page. 

Establish KPIs

How effective is your maintenance, and how effective will it be when you implement all the strategies from the facilities maintenance management checklist?

You won’t know without KPIs.

By tracking KPIs such as Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), you’ll know where you stand, and you’ll be able to improve. There is a popular saying “If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.” and it perfectly reflects facilities maintenance.

Most Popular KPIs to Track for Facilities Maintenance Management

• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Measures the average time between equipment failures. A higher MTBF indicates more reliable equipment and effective maintenance practices.
• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): Measures the average time taken to repair equipment after a failure. A lower MTTR indicates faster response times and efficient repair processes.
• Planned Maintenance Percentage (PMP): The ratio of planned maintenance activities to total maintenance activities. A higher PMP suggests a proactive maintenance approach.
• Maintenance Cost per Unit of Production: Measures the maintenance cost relative to production output. This helps in understanding the cost-efficiency of your maintenance activities.

Set Realistic Targets

Once you’ve identified the relevant KPIs, set realistic and achievable targets for each. These targets should be based on industry benchmarks, historical performance data, and your specific maintenance goals.

If your current MTTR is 8 hours, you might set a target to reduce it to 6 hours over the next year.

Communicate KPIs to Your Team

Your maintenance team has to be aware of the KPIs and understand their importance. That’s why you have to regularly share performance reports and discuss progress towards targets. This transparency fosters a sense of accountability and encourages your team to work towards common goals. If you can also reward them with incentives once they reach the targets, that will create a work environment that can easily surpass initial KPIs. 

Collect and Analyze Data

Consistently collect data related to your chosen KPIs. This involves recording details of all maintenance activities, including time taken, costs, and outcomes.

LLumin CMMS will help you in this process, as it can automatically track and store maintenance data, making it easy to analyze trends and performance. Plus, you can generate reports on various KPIs, such as MTBF and MTTR.

Pro tip: KPIs are not just for tracking performance; they should also drive continuous improvement. Analyze the data to identify patterns, areas of improvement, and success stories. Use these insights to refine your maintenance processes, allocate resources more effectively, and implement best practices.

Leverage Predictive Analytics

By using tools like vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and oil analysis, you can monitor the condition of your equipment in real-time and predict when different elements of your facility need maintenance. 

The most important thing you need to do is define acceptable thresholds for your equipment’s performance metrics. When these thresholds are exceeded, the system should generate alerts to notify maintenance personnel of potential issues. In this way, you’ll perform intervention before the problem escalates.

LLumin CMMS integrates with various IoT sensors and monitoring devices, allowing you to track equipment performance and health in real-time. Once your predictive maintenance is up and running for some time, it’s time to develop predictive maintenance models using historical data and advanced analytics. 

These models forecast future equipment failures and maintenance needs based on past performance and current conditions. Machine learning algorithms improve the accuracy of these predictions.

Based on the insights from your predictive maintenance models, schedule maintenance activities proactively.

Develop a Preventive Maintenance Checklist

When you write it all down, it becomes real. 

That’s the ultimate advantage of creating a checklist for your facility. But how do you do it to maximize your uptime and automate most of the maintenance activities?

Identify Critical Assets

Start by identifying the critical assets in your facility that require regular maintenance. 

For most facilities, these assets typically include HVAC systems, machinery, electrical systems, plumbing, and safety equipment. Of course, there are industry-specific assets such as harvesters for farm maintenance or cranes for manufacturing plants. Prioritize assets based on their importance to your operations and their potential impact if they fail.

Determine Maintenance Tasks

For each critical asset, determine the specific maintenance tasks that will guarantee optimal performance and prevent failures. These tasks should cover all aspects, including preventive maintenance inspections, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, and part replacements.

For each task on the checklist, provide detailed instructions to help your staff understand how to perform it correctly and avoid mistakes. Include all specific tools and materials they need and safety precautions they have to take. 

Set Maintenance Frequencies

Each piece of equipment or system requires a different maintenance schedule. Usually, it’s based on usage, manufacturer recommendations, and historical data. It’s your job to gather all this information and create optimal maintenance frequency for each asset in your facility. 

Use a Template

You want to avoid confusion, and using a standardized template to create your preventive maintenance checklist is the best way to achieve that. The template will do the heavy lifting for you, and all your tasks will be consistent and easier to track and manage. 

For example, your template could include a task description, frequency (e.g., monthly, quarterly), and checkboxes for each scheduled date.

How to Improve Your Maintenance With Facilities Maintenance Management Software?

One of the primary benefits of using CMMS for facilities is its ability to centralize information. 

All maintenance data, including work orders, equipment histories, and inventory levels, are stored in a single, easily accessible location. 

Powerful reporting tools that only the best facilities maintenance management software have can get you a long way and help you identify trends, monitor performance and make data-driven decisions that will improve operations at your facility. 

For example, you can track the frequency of equipment failures and identify which assets require the most attention. Plus, with mobile capabilities, your maintenance team can access information and perform tasks from anywhere. This is particularly useful for large facilities or organizations with multiple locations.

Automate Preventive Maintenance

One of the primary benefits of using maintenance management software is the ability to automate preventive maintenance schedules. The software can generate work orders automatically based on predefined schedules or parameters. 

Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts

Maintenance management software integrates with IoT sensors to provide real-time monitoring of equipment conditions. The software sends alerts and notifications to maintenance personnel when it detects anomalies or potential issues, allowing for immediate action to prevent failures.

LLumin CMMS offers you customizable alert settings and enables you to receive notifications via email or SMS for critical issues. 

Work Order Management

Work order management is a core function of maintenance management software. 

The software simplifies the creation, assignment, and tracking of work orders, and that’s exactly what facilities maintenance managers struggle with most. You can also prioritize work orders based on urgency and track their progress in real-time. 

LLumin CMMS provides a user-friendly interface for managing work orders, including features like work order templates, priority settings, and real-time status updates.

Facilitate Compliance and Audits

We can’t talk about proper maintenance without mentioning the importance of compliance in the whole process. 

Maintenance management software helps you document all maintenance activities, track compliance with SOPs, and generate reports for audits. As a result, you’ll meet regulatory requirements and maintain a safe work environment. 

LLumin pays special attention to compliance, and that’s why we’ve developed features that generate compliance reports and audit trails, making it easier to demonstrate adherence to safety standards and regulations.

But how does it work in real life?

Before adopting LLumin, Granite Falls Energy had problems with inefficient asset tracking, manual maintenance tasks, and a lack of customization in its outdated CMMS.  

With LLumin, they:

• Automated the management of approximately 300 preventive maintenance work orders each month, eliminating manual record-keeping and reducing the workload on maintenance technicians.
• Enabled accurate tracking and visual reporting of nearly 5,600 assets. Maintenance technicians could easily access historical data, identify trends, and make informed decisions about equipment maintenance.
• The software’s parts reorder utility ensured that necessary parts were available when needed, preventing downtime caused by waiting for parts to arrive.
• Maintenance technicians could access all safety documentation for equipment directly within LLumin, which was important for compliance with safety regulations and improving workplace safety.
• LLumin’s configurable modules allowed Granite Falls Energy to tailor the software to their specific needs.

As a result of implementing LLumin CMMS+, Granite Falls Energy boosted maintenance efficiency, reduced ethanol production costs, and improved operational effectiveness.

But that’s not all. Similar results for you are just one call away. 

All that separates you from where you are now to where you could be is one simple task:

• Schedule your free software demo today 

…and that will probably be one of the last manual tasks you perform. 

Predict, Plan, Prevent. Choose LLumin. Schedule a free demo

Conclusion

Effective facilities maintenance management is the cornerstone of a smooth-running operation, helping you avoid costly breakdowns, extend the lifespan of your equipment, and ensure regulatory compliance. 

Hence, investing in a comprehensive maintenance approach today sets you up for a more efficient, cost-effective future. Take the first step toward optimizing your operations by exploring LLumin’s powerful solutions – your facility’s success depends on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is facility management maintenance?

Facility management maintenance involves the upkeep, repair, and improvement of buildings and their systems to ensure they function efficiently and safely.

What are the types of maintenance in facilities management?

The main types of maintenance in facilities management are preventive, predictive, corrective, and condition-based maintenance.

What is the difference between maintenance management and facilities management?

Maintenance management focuses specifically on the maintenance and repair of equipment and systems, while facilities management encompasses a broader scope, including overall building operations, safety, and services.

What is the role of facilities maintenance?

The role of facilities maintenance is to ensure that all building systems, equipment, and infrastructure are operating efficiently, safely, and reliably to support the overall functioning of the facility.