Why Preventive Maintenance is Your Best Friend

“Why should we just rebuild the thing when it breaks? Let’s fix it before we have problems!” That is the opinion of Bill, our resident mechanic. He definitely knows what he’s doing and his work ethic inspires great respect for him among everyone here at the office maintenance.

Here is a peak into his world and perhaps you too can learn from those experiences.

1: Preventive Maintenance Prevents Problems!

I know how much Bill hates having to come to my rescue, so I try to do as much preventive maintenance as possible. The problem with doing so many preventative fixes is that sometimes one gets missed or pushed behind another task because of its timing or priority. This has lead to some hiccups in maintaining the servers. Here is a list of the problems I had and how I solved them:

Problem 1: Server Not Booted Up Correctly – To solve this problem, we added an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to jumpstart our servers when they were not properly booted after power outages and brownouts.

Problem 2: Carpets not cleaned – Now with security cameras in place, it has now become our nightly duty to check up on the cleaning crew every time they complete their rounds. Should carpets fall through the cracks, Bill installs t-molding on all thresholds for easier cleanup in case of any spills or misplaced cables by your employees. This way you can keep your expensive carpets looking spotless, longer.

Problems 3, 4, 5: Finalized Fix for Problems 1 and 2 – The addition of a tabletop vacuum cleaner to the cleaning cart never fails to solve any issues left by the cleaners or spilled coffee at our desks. Bill has also provided an LED flashlight be attached nearby so lost cables are easier to find when under tables or cubicle walls. This setup is so effective that I have yet to see another problem in this area since its implementation!

Problem 6: Distracted Worker Trips over Cord – We’ve added more signage in key areas around the office reminding workers to watch where they step, especially behind their desks. These signs help prevent anyone from tripping over cords which could lead to all sorts of accidents including injury or damage to equipment.

Problem 7: Equipment Failure due to Power Outage – We have an AC unit down in one of our meeting rooms that have not been fix yet because it is being work on by another contractor. This room is use for meetings with sales prospects so Bill provide us with a window air conditioning unit to meet our needs temporarily.

2: Preventive Maintenance Saves Time and Money!

Bill also mentioned the time factor when it comes to fixing things, especially when they are miss. The number one rule in any field whether it be cooking or engineering is that prevention is key, but sometimes mistakes do happen regardless how careful you are. If I had let these problems go unchecked, it would have lead to much bigger issues and require more downtime on my part. This would have costed time and money on both our parts!

3: Costs of Purchasing Replacement Equipment is More Expensive than Preventive Maintenance!

If you think about it, the costs of buying equipment to replace or fix a broken machine can be greater than just maintaining your current equipment. When something breaks down, we order replacement parts and Bill does all the repairs in-house. If we did not maintain our equipment and let them break down, we would have to do without until we had enough funds to purchase new ones, potentially causing problems for us during that time period! Bills advice was simple: Buy good equipment and invest in good preventive maintenance practices so you don’t run into these kinds of problems. I have to say that his words of wisdom are the best lessons I’ve learned so far in my time at new lane, and I am happy I was able to put them into practice!

4: Preventive Maintenance is an Ongoing Process – It Never Stops!

Bill advised us that there are always things that need to be around the office on a daily basis. Unfortunately, some people get too stress out with work and forget about these periodic chores until they pile up which can take up valuable time later on when you least expect it. Early on he explained who should do what cleaning tasks, including vacuuming the carpets or cleaning windows on each floor of our building. Over time we have all come to understand each other’s responsibilities to help us stay on task and be more productive.

5: Keep a Clean Work Environment – Appearance Matters!

Another important point that Bill made was to keep a clean work environment because it makes everyone happier, especially during meetings with clients or prospective clients. If your office is dirty, people might think you are too which could lead them to take their business elsewhere or not give your company the time of day in the first place. He wants our team to look organized and professional for our clients so we get better results from them, plain and simple. Regularly cleaning up messes also helps create a sense of stability for all employees to feel confident in going about their daily work tasks independently. 

Conclusion:

Overall, I think Bill is an amazing role model for us all. His advice has helped me immensely with both my physical and mental health around the office. It’s important to remember that no matter what you do in life, there are always ways to improve your work efforts and become more efficient! What matters most is that you take into consideration everything that comes your way so you can learn from them over time.