Aging Facilities in the US are entering the Renovation Phase. The average facility age is 50 years old. For many facility managers, the risks and costs associated with mid to old-age facilities is new territory. Aging facilities that are reaching 40 to 60 years old are facing a new stage of capital investment that many are not prepared for.
Like most mature job functions, facilities management regularly face the scenario of senior employees retiring, more so than newer industries like artificial intelligence or electric vehicles. Everyone of us can related to throwing a surprise party for a fellow colleague, and then it hits us, when Tim walks out that door, along go 4 decades of knowledge. But Tim’s job is done, he has earned a well-deserved retirement and it’s time for new employees to take the reins.
Every year 200,000 people leave the U.S. military service. Now, not all are suited for manufacturing or maintenance careers. I would say a small percentage of them intend to jump right into manufacturing by design. Yet, many end up falling into manufacturing careers after their transition, like I did. Why is that?
In today’s highly competitive markets, organisations are strongly looking to achieve strategic objectives to meet stakeholder needs and smart returns on investment. Managing assets and equipment optimally has become crucial for organisations to stay competitive in today’s global market. Such a demand places enormous pressure on maintenance systems to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. Therefore, it has become imperative for maintenance managers to adopt tools, methods, and concepts that could stimulate performance growth, minimize errors, and utilize resources effectively to transform the organization into a winner.
Choosing a model for maintenance and engineering projects, problem solving, process improvement or business change scenarios can become confusing with many models on offer. So, how do you get the best out of what is available, and why use just one?
When looking at HVAC units for K-12 schools, it is important to install a system that will create the optimal learning environment. Installing a single-room, single-packaged vertical unit (SPVU) ventilator provides important benefits that will keep the air fresh, clean and safe for students. These units are installed in individual classrooms, so they can be adjusted to optimize and address individual needs. Since these operate within a single room, unit ventilators eliminate cross-contamination. Airborne pathogens, such as the flu virus or RSV, will be contained within that room.
So, let’s start with my hypothesis that TPM drives all three elements of OEE, namely: machine availability, speed and quality. Traditionally as a Maintenance Leader and then Operational Excellence (OpEx) leader in paper mills and packaging manufacturing plants, my focus was all about machine availability. If the machine was running, it belonged to operations and I could focus on writing PMs, improving RCM and building Gantt charts for my next planned outage. However, experience has taught me that just focusing on availability is missing 2/3 of the opportunity to improve business by not embracing the entire OEE metric through maintenance action.
In 2023, speed and accuracy are driving forces in the facilities management industry, to keep costs low, track and maintain assets and mechanicals and be always compliant. To do this, you need technology that’s easy to use and affordable. Using paper-based floor plans, maps, blueprints that are usually dog eared, stained, and filed away where nobody can find them is a recipe for disaster.
There are three significant trends that are causes of concern for the real estate industry and large enterprises globally in 2023. While most of these are common problems real estate owners and operators encounter, they threaten the very existence of such businesses during economic downturns. How do they keep themselves afloat and profitable? Real estate owners and operators are turning to technology solutions to find ways to curb spend and improve bottomline in 2023 and beyond.
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Torbjorn Idhammar is the blog manager for MaintenanceWorld.com.
A maintenance and reliability management consultant, Torbjorn has spent 25+ years in the profession and provides advice to clients around the world.
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She is responsible for reviewing submitted content for the site and ensuring that it provides value to the readers of the site.
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