Whether it's renting equipment and site vehicles or purchasing machines outright, fleet volumes continue to rise.
It's no surprise that equipment is one of the biggest costs for commercial construction businesses serving energy and petrochemical industries. To preserve that investment and maximize uptime, companies need to have a fleet maintenance and management program in place.
For many teams, developing a fleet maintenance and management program can pose some challenges, mostly due to time or resource constraints. So, they outsource these services to a team they can trust will take care of their equipment as carefully as they would in-house.
In order to get the right data to optimize maintenance, teams really need the right technology. Telematics technology, for example, arms teams with information on usage so they have more insight into maintenance schedules, consumption and forecasting. The more information readily available about any given machine means operating even more efficiently and can help with ANSI and OSHA compliance. The right information enables a more strategic approach, which usually results in even more cost savings.
In addition to fleet maintenance, there is fleet management to consider, particularly for large industrial sites. Most of these sites possess hundreds of pieces of equipment with values into the millions of dollars. In order to protect that investment, a fleet management program is of utmost importance. Just as with fleet maintenance, fleet management is something companies can outsource.
There are many factors that go into a fleet management strategy. These factors include fleet utilization, fuel consumption and performance. With a fleet management program in place, you can better determine whether purchasing or renting equipment is best in order to reduce costs. By outsourcing fleet management, companies can focus more on growing their business and not have to worry about their fleet.
A fleet maintenance and management program maintained by a reliable service provider can optimize an entire operation, increasing overall efficiency and cost savings. The benefits can be numerous.
Maintaining compliance helps keep your workforce safe by helping ensure equipment is expertly inspected, maintained and repaired. Some mobile equipment and site vehicles need to meet government standards, which requires using certified mechanics. The shortage of skilled labor in many areas is real. When you outsource equipment maintenance to a high-quality service provider with deep experience in mixed fleets, you don't need to worry about finding or training mechanics.
Working with a partner that services fleets provides access not only to skilled labor, but also to supply chain networks for parts. Companies that service fleets have the purchasing power and priority order status to get needed parts fast, often at price points below standard retail pricing that you'd pay. Readily available parts can save money and reduce downtime.
Plus, outsourcing fleet maintenance and management can help maintain a regular maintenance schedule. These providers proactively schedule and complete required inspection and maintenance services per time intervals and/or usage. Service providers can even handle rental replacement units if a piece of equipment takes longer to repair. And most repairs and inspections can be performed on-site.
Many companies also see a reduction in equipment maintenance staff, service vehicles and tools. Plus, a service partner can provide fleet data, which typically results in increased productivity. Having a fleet with telematics, for example, provides detailed insight of your equipment, giving you more fleet visibility.
Having a fleet maintenance and management partner is more than beneficial; it is a worthy investment. Worksites continue to grow in size and complexity, which leads to more expectations, but with a clear fleet strategy in place, lifecycle planning of equipment and vehicles becomes easier. Simply put, outsourcing fleet maintenance and management to a trusted service provider will help save you time and money.
For more information, visit www.unitedrentals.com or call (833) 407-3774.
