Should You Outsource Your Equipment Maintenance?

How do you decide to keep labor in-house versus outsourcing to a vendor? Several factors come into play, such as the quality of work, the expense of maintaining employees, and the type of tasks you need to be done.

Today’s blog from Omnia360 Facility Solutions answers if you should outsource your equipment maintenance. 

FM companies often work with different sourcing models: in-house, in-source, co-source, or outsource. In certain circumstances, it’s far better to simply outsource a task. But first, you’ll need to ask some questions:

What Equipment Do You Have?

Do you have specialized, proprietary equipment found nowhere else in the world? What about machines made in a factory? 

For specialized or proprietary equipment, you probably have on-site mechanics who know the day-to-day operations better than anyone else. It makes sense to keep these equipment maintenance specialists in-house.

However, if you have factory-made equipment that has manuals and standard parts that anyone can research, you might consider outsourcing your equipment maintenance needs. A good mechanic knows the basic operations of many types of machines, and a facility management company like Omnia360 has connections to these specialists.

How Much Equipment Needs Regular Maintenance?

Not all of your machines run all of the time. Some operate daily. Others weekly. Maybe some machines only power up once or twice a year. Machines that run daily may require weekly maintenance.

That means you’ll need the staff to take on that type of routine. If not, outsourcing your equipment maintenance makes sense if you can’t take the staff time to perform regular maintenance.

A robust maintenance regimen makes your equipment last longer, improving your ROI the longer you own it.

Can Current Staff Fix It?

You have a dedicated staff who knows your facility inside and out. But can they perform regular equipment maintenance and repairs? 

Let’s say you have some specialized equipment that needs monthly maintenance. However, you only have one or two staffers able to fix any problems with it. What happens if that staff is on vacation or out sick? What if those people leave? Who do you train for that type of equipment maintenance now?

Omnia360 can alleviate the concerns of staff absences. If you don’t have enough people with the know-how to maintain or fix your equipment, outsourcing to the right company makes sense for supplementing your in-house workers. Besides, deferring maintenance on your equipment or building, in general, can negatively impact your facility. 

Are Workers Cross-Trained?

Cross-training offers a fantastic way to have in-house staff perform equipment maintenance at your facility. In many production facilities, line workers are trained to handle basic maintenance on equipment.

What happens if you have a major malfunction? Can your line workers or facility manager take care of a major breakdown that leads to hours or even days of downtime? Equipment maintenance specialists and contractors, like those supplied by Omnia360, can supplement already-trained staff when your maintenance crew needs extra help.

Contact Omnia360 for Equipment Maintenance

Omnia360 Facility Solutions can supplement your current equipment maintenance teams or outfit your entire crew. Whatever your needs, we provide a range of options for your facility. Contact Omnia360 online or call toll-free 1-833-360-6642 for more details on how we can help your team.