Facility managers are super busy every day, making sure all the processes in the buildings they are in charge of run smoothly and efficiently. Systems that form a building environment often require various levels of periodic interventions to run optimally. The key to dealing with these problems lies in identifying potential problems early to have time to review the most efficient and effective ways to solve them. Here are some of the biggest and most common challenges surrounding building maintenance, and the possible solutions.

1) Control Costs

Controlling costs remains one of the most critical challenges in building maintenance. As a result, facility managers usually have to maintain service quality despite budget constraints. They are under pressure to do more with less. Even though this might seem daunting, it can be done. Costs can be overcome by careful planning and allocation of resources. There are several main budget items which, through close monitoring, can be used by facility managers to control the overall operational costs of their buildings.

Considering just maintenance costs on their own can be an important part of a business’ yearly budget. By following a planned rather than reactive maintenance strategy can provide substantial cost savings in the long run because deferred maintenance costs can be rather high. Find a company who offers excellent mechanical engineering services for the upkeep of your facility, like Construction Companies Manchester at https://www.piggottandwhitfield.co.uk/building-services/

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2) Record Storage and Data Analysis

Facility managers are often flooded with records. These records range from those produced from daily operations to minutes of meetings, stock and asset inventories, repairs and services, etc. Keeping organized records starts from capturing accurate and reliable data, then storing it to form the basis for making informed and strategic decisions. For now, Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) remains the most commonly used tool for this. However, it is hoped that with more progress in smart technology, the Internet of Things will play a greater role in gathering and analyzing data, and software will be able to retrieve and report that data back to you.

3) Emergency and Safety Response

If an emergency occurs, the responsibility for communication and evacuation is with the facility management team. Given that such emergencies can range from natural disasters to fires, security breaches, terrorist incidents or critical system problems, emergency response and safety needs a ‘can do’ approach and in-depth planning.

4) Extending the life of assets

Building capital-intensive projects, owners will spend a lot of money to make their structures as modern as possible. They want their buildings to stay desirable to business and maintain market competitiveness. However, as the buildings ages, the systems will deteriorate. Such damage can be severe enough to affect structural integrity (eg roof components). Although it might be easier to directly replace, maintaining and extending the life of an asset from the installation stage is usually a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly option.

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Operation & Maintenance: It’s important to promote a proactive strategy when it comes to maintenance, with a routine and preventive maintenance schedule that will also help extend the life of the asset by ensuring service is done at maturity. Implementing preventive maintenance does not have to be difficult and expensive. With the right plan, you don’t need to rely on reactive maintenance.