I have been involved in the telecommunications industry as long as I can remember. One of my best memorys is sitting on a packing crate at age 8, helping my Dad install equipment in a small central office in Okalona, Arkansas. I was strapping blocks (wiring) for a STEP installation.I have worked for several ILECs including Bellsouth
In the mid 80s as the line between IT and Telecom began to blur, I became more involved with IT and networks. During that time I earned several Microsoft and Cisco certifications.
My latest venture is working for Hardy Services and getting something called Site Support Services started.
The Site Support Services Department was created to offer turnkey support for Mission Critical Infrastructure. We instal , reapir and service all types of data center cooling , UPS and power systems, fire suppression systems, acces flooring, data center security access control and video.
Although I am very familiar with Information Technology and the facilities that maintain that infrastructure, the mechanical side is new to me. I am learning as I go with the help of lots of folks here at Hardy and all the online training available to the industry.
I thought I would share my "learning experiences".
The case for Scheduled Maintenance has been made over and over, ad nauseum for the last 50 or 60 years since Air Conditioning became popular in the 40s. Many who are far more intelligent and learned have recited all the reasons why this is the way to do things. Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel , I would like to recall some of the reasons that I have heard out in the field for NOT doing maintenance. I promise to try my best to defend these positions.
“We just don’t do maintenance contracts.” – Obviously this organization sees the folly of getting trapped in a contract. Now they don’t say they don’t do maintenance they just don’t do contracts. We all know that the best way to shop for something is on the spur of the moment, right! Why would you want a relationship with a Vendor anyway? Everybody knows that Vendors are all out to get you.
“The unit is still in warranty.” – This gets at the heart of how a warranty should work. If you offer a 10 year 100,000 mile power train warranty, you need to manufacture a product that will last for 10 years and 100,000 miles regardless of what the end user does or doesn’t do!
“We just don’t have the time/resources to do maintenance.” – How can you schedule preventative maintenance when you are fixing all that broken equipment? Besides, there are a lot more hours and jobs generated this way. Let’s keep America working!
“The energy savings that you receive from maintenance just aren’t worth the recurring cost.” – A 10, 20 or 30 percent savings on a $5000.00 a month electric bill is piddly compared to the staggering cost of a maintenance contract. (Let’s see 10% of $5000 is $500 a month vs. $800 a month for maintenance…… see there’s no way to come out on it. You are $300 in the hole every month!)
The next time someone wants to talk about PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, just throw some of these tried and true reasons at them. I am sure that they will make haste to leave and never darken your door again.
As a contractor that services facilities, may I throw in my two cents. Unforunately I'm too honest and for years refused to offer a service contract. I always told my customers if it isn't broke why are you paying me to fix it. But then I realized that we were actually losing work because many companies only have work done through service contracts. It has been my experience in such a case the contractor has to C.H.A. in which the customer ends up paying for something they didn't get. And in a lot of cases once a contract is signed (with another company, not ours) the customer does not receive the service they would if not in a contract and in many cases the contractors we've seen don't uphold their end of the contract. My recommendation, find a good service company and call them on a as needed basis.
Unfortunately, the comments by Gary Dunlap in his posting " against scheduled maintenance" have some merit. The company that I work for offers scheduled maintenance contracts at the request of customers. It has been fairly successful. Most of our business is based on quarterly PMs. We provide cutomers a good rate and are able to prove the savings.
Our customer base consists of high profile commercial building owners and/or managers. They are very cautious about spending money on PM programs; they are very intelligent and look for savings. We provide savings figures when we are contacted and invite questions on all phases of our PM contracts.
As you know, there is a lot of expensive MEP equipment that requires PM contracts (chillers, cooling towers, etc.). Deferred maintenance program usually turns into a crash mainetnance program that may be verty expensive (ex. overtime emergency repairs).
Yes, there are arguments for and against scheduled maintenance. As Mr. Easter wrote, "honesty" is obviously a very important component in selecting a MEP/HVAC contractor. Contractors must also be able to answer those difficult questions, that Mr. Dunlap refers to, with some pragmatic answers.
Best Regards to all.
When a person has predetermined their opinion on a subject they always surround themselves with these home spun quotes to defend their opinion against confusion by the facts. Let's look at the 'just the facts, m'am'
'IF IT AINT BROKE, DON'T FIX IT' Think about this one the next time you're stepping onto an elevator in a high rise building or barding a plane. Thank the good Lord that regulatory officials weren't naive enough to buy into this 'fact'.
'ENERGY SAVED IS INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO PM COSTS - SO IT DOESN'T PAY TO HAVE A PM CONTRACT' This one still circulates despite the fact that ASHRAE, BOMA and IFMA estimate a minimum of 10% energy loss to as much a 50% loss due to poor performance experienced when equipment is not properly maintained (lubricated, inspected, cleaned, calibrated, etc.) AND this does not take into consideration the costs of business interruptions, poor IAQ and shortened equipment life or the fact that energy IS limited and costs of energy always increase.
"WITH A PM CONTRACT, THE CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY EQUIPMENT" Even with a solid contractor with a strong track record, the Facility Manager is still responsible to insure the correct maintenance is completed at the correct time by qualified professionals. Manage your facility maintenance by 'in house' staff or contractors. It is your job.
"THE WARRANTY WILL COVER DAMAGES" Hold on there. Read the fine print in your OEM warranty. You will find that YOUR failure to manage PM for the equipment according to OEM recommendations can and probably will let the manufacturer off the hook and void your warranty.
Go ahead. Don't let yourself be confused by the facts. After all, if it aint broke . . . . . . IT SOON WILL BE!
It's a specialized world we live in today. No one can fix or service everything and no one knows everything. Service contracts help facilities managers keep their equipment operating.
Over thirty plus years I have been worked with service technicians and seem the effects of neglected equipment first hand. My facility is over fifty years old and due to preventive mainetnance we are still operating the with much of the original equipment. Three of four boilers are working as well today as they were the first days I started. The same is true for three of four 500-ton chillers. Have there been problems with our equipment? The answer is of course, but because we have paid attention to preventive maintenance over the years they have been limited.
It's true that some service contract providers are "rip-off artists" but they usually don't last for long. Our contracts always contain a clause that allows either party to cancel the contract at any time for cause. In addition we competitive bid all contracts to ensure we are getting the best pricing available. We generally lock in costs for one year and require bidders to forcast the percent increase for two subsequent years. This allows us to budget annual expenses. Also part of the bidding process entails the checking of references.
In conclusion I am a supporter of preventive maintenance and service contracts.