Running a company comes with a lot of responsibilities regarding the business itself and managing employees and workflow. For everyone to be performing their duties efficiently and successfully, there’s also the responsibility of making sure the property and business-specific equipment are operating smoothly to ensure maximum productivity. If you’re responsible for company maintenance, you’ll know how difficult it is to decide where to spend your money, so here are the smartest ways you can do so.
- Upgrade HVAC System
One of the most important aspects to put some of your company maintenance budgets in is checking and upgrading the HVAC system. It’s never wise to wait for the HVAC system to break down or malfunction to get it checked, that’s why there should be at least bi-annual visits or more depending on the number of systems in the company. Heating, cooling, and ventilation aren’t just company assets, but they are also essential to ensure the comfort of your employees. If you run a restaurant, for example, you can’t have poor ventilation and cooling systems that will make the food go bad and your chefs sweaty.
- Fix Business Vehicles
If your business relies in any way on vehicles to deliver or transport company assets of any sort, you need to allocate part of the maintenance budget toward routine maintenance. Failing to do so will result in experiencing engine failure, breakdowns, and dangerous driving conditions for your employees. Facing any kind of trouble with business vehicles could waste a lot of time and money and cause delays in your business commitments. That’s why it would never be a waste of money to do preventive maintenance on your vehicles.
- Get Some Help
Being responsible for a whole company’s maintenance could be overwhelming with all the crucial decision-making. Instead of worrying about what areas to allocate the company’s maintenance budget, hiring a facilities management company is the smartest way you can use some of that money. It’s the best way to have experts respond to environmental, security, health, and safety issues. They can also help you anticipate future needs so that you make room for them in the next budget plan. This will not only be more cost-effective than winging it and possibly getting it all wrong, but it will give you more time to focus on other key business requirements on your to-do list.
- Inspect Essential Assets
Whichever your business’s main assets are, they are the heart and soul of your entire enterprise and should be regularly inspected. Make a list of all the essential equipment in your business that plays a part in its success and schedule regular maintenance to keep them in shape and running smoothly. A restaurant owner, for example, should prioritize his walk-in refrigerator where all his resources are kept and have it regularly inspected and maintained by defrosting built-up ice, checking the drip pan and drain hole, the door seals, and cleaning the condenser coils. Measure this type of upkeep to the main machine in your business and have it checked regularly to avoid any emergencies.
- Pest Control
This one might not have even crossed your mind the way it doesn’t with most business owners or employees responsible for company maintenance. However, pest control should be one of the main ways you use your company’s maintenance money since neglecting it can significantly harm your business. Not only could it cost you huge financial losses when these pests ruin your electrical work or plumbing, but they can also damage your reputation if seen by a customer. All you need is to schedule at least four visits per year to spray away those unwanted invaders that might ruin everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve with your business.
- Electrical Work and Plumbing
When you have a company that operates many machines, heavy or not, it can take a toll on the electrical network in the property. This could be highly dangerous, and if neglected, can result in many accidents. The same goes for your plumbing; there’s nothing worse than water damage and all the harm it can do. However, all this can be prevented with few simple visits from experts to inspect both your electrical network and plumbing system to catch any onset of mold or leaks. It’s another essential maintenance aspect to spend money on to keep things intact and running.
Factors Determining Maintenance Budget
Before diving into company maintenance and its many aspects to make decisions about, you should first make a plan for how you will allocate the company’s maintenance budget. Some important factors you should keep in mind while planning are the location of the business, property age, and the nature of your business. You should also think about any pieces of equipment needing special attention and care to allocate more resources towards it. Don’t forget to keep a part of the budget for any surprise expenses like construction work that could come up.