Outsourcing Equipment Maintenance- Reducing billable hours lost to equipment maintenance

Having a process in place for equipment maintenance is important for ensuring that your operations are running at maximum output at all times. Periodic equipment checks will make sure that you will not run into unexpected problems.  An important part of equipment maintenance is being able to outsource; having your employees do repairs on equipment decreases their productivity and increases billable hours that are lost to equipment maintenance.

Yet, when it comes to equipment maintenance and repairs companies can experience a multitude of issues.  Maintenance history, repair history, and warranty details are all documents that are usually stored in a paper file format.  These can become quickly disorganized, and when employees have to stop and search through pile of papers, it becomes a huge loss of productivity.  Often times, they are not checked at all because it is too much of a hassle to search for.   At this point, if a machine breaks down your crews are left having to do repairs that you otherwise could have been able to outsource.  This leads to valuable hours wasted on equipment maintenance that should have been spent focusing on their jobs.

Sigilo Fleet Management is a mobile app that stores all important equipment information to your smartphone.  Having equipment documents such as maintenance history, repair history, and warranty details at your fingertips means that you will know exactly when equipment is due for maintenance.  The app uses NFC (Nearfield Communication) technology to communicate with a chip on your equipment and your smartphone.  There is no room for human error, thus taking the guesswork out of equipment maintenance. 

If a piece of equipment is due for maintenance you will know ahead of time, rather than when it’s too late.  This will make it easier to outsource your equipment maintenance rather than needing your employees to do it. There is no longer a reason to sift through paper folders searching for specific equipment information, making your shop unorganized.  Sigilo will streamline equipment processes and make looking for equipment information much easier.

When you know ahead of time a piece of equipment is due for repair, you are able to set up an appointment if necessary.  This will ensure that you are not stuck without anyone available to do repairs if equipment breaks down unexpectedly. Also, you will save money by not having to schedule an emergency appointment to get your equipment fixed last minute.  You will be able to see where equipment has been repaired in the past, and arrange to have it repaired there again.   In general, downtime will be cut (if any), and output in your operations can be at its maximum.

Learn more at http://www.sfmgmt.com 

Advertisement

Ways To Eliminate Equipment Theft

Increasing profits is a goal for every company.  However, equipment theft can be a huge obstacle in this process.  Having to worry about the safety of your equipment decreases productivity among your crews, and when equipment does get stolen your company is impacted financially.  The cost goes beyond the value of stolen equipment.  Rental costs, downtime on the job site, and missed project deadlines are all issues when dealing with stolen equipment.  Landscaping companies are tempting targets for thieves because not only is it easy to re-sell the stolen equipment, but jobs are often distracting enough that they can access equipment unnoticed.  Implementing proper theft prevention techniques is necessary for deterring criminals.

ETS systems are the solution to eliminating equipment theft.  All of our tool tracking softwares are available on your smartphone; this is software that cannot be accessed by thieves or other outsiders.  Since many people already know how to use smartphones, there is minimal employee training necessary.  This increases employee productivity right from the start.  ETS systems completely eliminate the possibility of human error.

Invisi-Tag is an innovative asset tracking system that provides your crews with an electronic checklist.  The electronic checklist is available on a smartphone or tablet, which many employees already know how to use. With our mobile app, the crew will be able to see all items on the truck before they leave, as well as items that are not there. 

Invisi-Tag also allows jobs to be assigned to specific employees.  This way, if anything goes missing internally, the correct person will be held accountable.  There are many ways to organize jobs on Invisi-Tag’s app, and cloud-computing capabilities are available as well. Having this system in place will increase employee’s productivity, because they know that they will be held accountable for discrepancies.

Senal Geo Tracking is a mobile GPS tracking system available on your smartphone.  It can be used to track any important tool or piece of equipment. Senal’s sensors are constantly working in the background, so you always know where your valuable equipment and machines are.

There are several easy steps and procedures you can implement to eliminate equipment theft.  ETS systems support these procedures, making it simple to track your equipment.  Do not leave machines on unfenced properties or job sites, and do not leave machines or materials unattended on trailers.   Moving machines and equipment from a job site can sometimes be a hassle, but Invisi-Tag makes loading and unloading vehicles fast and simple with an electronic checklist.

Disabling machines that have to be left on job sites will prevent items too big to transport from being stolen.  Make sure keys are not left behind and disable batteries, fuses, and tires.  This will be off-putting for thieves, due to the extra effort it would take to steal these items.  Randomly checking job sites during off hours is important because if thieves are looking to steal equipment, they will be looking to do it at times they know work sites are empty. 

Do not leave hand tools or small equipment at job sites.  Invisi-Tag makes it easy to quickly track small tools and make sure they are on the truck at the end of the day.  Create an accurate list of all-important equipment.  Invisi-Tag provides you with a mobile electronic checklist, which makes this simple.  Invisi-Tag makes taking inventory a fast and easy process; therefore, you can quickly check to make sure you have all equipment before you leave. Mark all tools with the company name and address.  By purchasing each of our systems you are provided with chips to place on your equipment.  Knowing that equipment is being tracked will deter thieves.

Advise site security guards if activity is expected, and whom they should expect.  If someone unassociated with the company or job comes to the job site, they will not be let in and you will immediately be contacted.   Let employees know that management will be making checks.  Invisi-Tag makes this even easier to do.   Jobs can be assigned to specific employees, so if internal theft happens, it can be easily tracked.