{"id":36921,"date":"2024-09-19T10:08:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eptura.wpengine.com\/?p=36921"},"modified":"2025-02-19T10:47:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T15:47:03","slug":"2024-workplace-index-report-preventive-maintenance-roi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eptura.com\/discover-more\/blog\/2024-workplace-index-report-preventive-maintenance-roi\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 Workplace Index report: New numbers highlight preventive maintenance ROI"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to recent research by Eptura, on-demand work orders\u00a0generally take twice as long as preventive maintenance<\/a>. So, by finding and fixing small issues before they can become difficult problems, organizations can cut associated labor costs in half. But that data doesn\u2019t exist in a vacuum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By diving deeper into the reasons behind the numbers, facility and maintenance managers can more fully understand all the ways it pays to be proactive. <\/span><\/p>\n

From there, they can better make the case to key stakeholders across the organization to increase investments in the programs that empower them to deliver more value at lower overall costs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eptura\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>H1 2024 Workplace Index<\/span><\/a>\u00a0features proprietary research from enterprises in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and leverages anonymous user data from over 5,000 companies, covering 19,000 buildings, 95.5 million desk bookings, and 25 million room bookings. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time on reactive maintenance is double that of preventive maintenance<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Eptura\u2019s data shows that the more you can move to proactive maintenance, the more you can save on labor costs, because preventive maintenance work orders (PMs) take much less time. In fact, since October of 2023, our data consistently shows that maintenance departments spend on average roughly half as much time closing out PMs than they spend completing reactive work orders<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even when the average time for reactive maintenance<\/a> work drops, the time for preventive work does too, maintaining the previous difference. That means no matter how much better a team gets at reactive maintenance, they are still likely going to take half as much time when they work proactively. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The data makes simple sense. No matter how good you are at putting out fires, it\u2019s always easier to prevent them. But it\u2019s also important to look behind the numbers and understand all the different ways preventive maintenance takes less time.<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspections and tasks are faster than unplanned fixes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For a combination of independent and interconnected reasons, in most cases a maintenance technician can close out a PM faster than an on-demand work order.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Less time waiting, more \u201ctime on wrench\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Planned and scheduled maintenance gives maintenance managers the time they need to work in various efficiencies. When maintenance technicians can decide\u00a0when they will perform\u00a0tasks and inspections, they can optimize based on proximity, for example. <\/span><\/p>\n

If they\u2019re already going to be in Building C on Wednesday looking at the air conditioning units, it makes sense to also schedule time to check the lights in the offices in that building. Instead of technicians going around in circles, they can move in straight lines.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They can also plan work in relation to production schedules and workplace occupancy trends. The maintenance team can schedule work on the conveyor belts during a planned stoppage, so they don\u2019t have to worry about working between production runs and in between operators. <\/span><\/p>\n

In an office, they can clean the air ducts on Friday afternoon, when they know there will be fewer people around.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For on-demand work orders, everything becomes less efficient. Zig-zagging between projects means technicians are often backtracking instead of making forward progress. And because they often arrive without knowing what tools, parts, and materials they\u2019ll need, every trip between sites can include detours to grab supplies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Little to no\u00a0troubleshooting<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

On-demand work orders often require time-consuming diagnostics to identify the problem. Even something as seemingly simple as a stopped motor could be caused by a long list of possible issues, including: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n