Mikkel Broas, Bilfinger Industrial Services, Inc.
I am often asked, "What is the benefit of outsourcing our maintenance?" The answer is based on different variables, but there are some common themes that can be used to help you decide if outsourcing is the right thing for you and your business.
The most useful benefit comes in the form of resource utilization. For most companies who self-perform maintenance, oftentimes utilization of personnel is not optimal. It is much easier to have two full-time equivalent (FTE) electricians, even if there is only enough work for one-and-a-half FTE electricians. If the team were to reduce the number to one, the electrician who is left would quickly be overwhelmed. When maintenance responsibility is turned over to a maintenance services company, you are provided with only what is necessary. Additionally, you only pay for the services you use. The ability of a maintenance services team to increase or decrease staffing based on need can be very useful in an organization that wants to run in a lean fashion.
Another benefit of outsourcing that almost all organizations realize is access to a much larger pool of talent than the local job market can provide. With the number of skilled tradespeople in steady decline, having access to a regional or, in most cases, national labor pool gives a dedicated maintenance provider an edge when a critical position needs to be filled.
Knowledge management is a challenge that many organizations struggle with. How do we ensure that best practices are captured and communicated? How do we make sure that specific equipment and plant knowledge won't walk out the door when employees leave? These are not uncommon questions. A good maintenance services company can solve that knowledge management problem and, in most cases, can provide even more knowledge to your organization than you can develop organically.
Maintenance services companies work in a variety of industries and across many geographical areas. Most of them have knowledge networks set up specifically for that transfer of knowledge, whether it be best practices, safety knowledge, technical knowledge or industry knowledge. We call these networks "Competency Circles." These networks allow for a maintenance supervisor in one plant for one industry to reach out across the globe for answers to his or her questions or gain access to procedure templates, technical information or just general information. That is a great value for smaller organizations or plants that are particularly isolated, whether geographically or by the nature of their industry.
The question of outsourcing can be a touchy one. It can carry a negative connotation. However, if you are struggling with your maintenance costs, confronting the limits of your ability to staff your teams with competent people, or just trying to move out of a reactive maintenance cycle, you are doing yourself and your company a disservice if you don't ask yourself what the benefits are of outsourcing maintenance.
For more information regarding outsourcing your maintenance, contact Mikkel Broas at mikkel.broas@bilfinger.com.
