If you want to keep your machinery in the best possible condition while staying within your budget limit, here are a few useful tips you can implement.
Keep detailed records
This is something that you should start practicing if you haven’t so far. You can get fleet management software to help you with it. Keeping track of important information such as the history of the machines, the repairs that have been done on the machines, their fluid levels, check-up dates, and so on can be very helpful. By doing so, you will have a steady plan for your help that can help your employees conduct preventative maintenance as well as avoid potential breakdowns.
Why is this important for your budget? Well, if you keep track of your equipment and its condition, you will be able to foresee potential breakdowns and fix them before they become a bigger issue that requires more money to be fixed. Monitoring fuel usage is crucial for the very same reason. The data you collect will provide you with information on how much money is spent on fuel. This will give you an insight into how much you’re spending, what the problem is, and how you can fix it so that you can stay within your budget limit.
Reward your workers for proactive maintenance
A lot of money is spent on equipment breaks. Employers usually make their workers stay overtime to fix the problem which is both time-consuming and expensive. What you should try to do instead to save money is to pay your workers bonuses each time they spot an opportunity to take preventative measures and maintenance in order to prevent a certain breakdown from happening. This system will save you both a lot of money and time.
The bonus doesn’t have to be large. Depending on how big the preventative maintenance was, you can set different types of bonuses. However, make sure you have some rules that need to be followed so that this system doesn’t get abused by the employees.
Have a team-wide meeting to brainstorm
Your workers are more likely to know your fleet of construction equipment better than you do. After all, they’re the ones who work with that equipment every day. They know how to predict certain breakdowns and can probably determine what type of maintenance is needed for the machinery.
For this reason, organising a team-wide meeting where your employees will get a chance to openly discuss and brainstorm new ideas for daily equipment maintenance. Teamwork is the key here. Ensure that all of them get a chance to speak up and that they come to a mutual agreement and compromise. After you’ve come to an agreement, assign someone who will have the responsibility of supervising the process of daily maintenance.
Rent your machinery
A lot of companies tend to buy brand new machinery when they’re starting their business. While this may be perfectly fine for many, it does have major drawbacks regarding the finances. Besides the fact that buying new machinery is expensive, the maintenance of it may cost even more. This can especially be a big problem for the equipment that you rarely use and that is just going to sit in the corner collecting dust and cost a lot of money to get proper maintenance. Renting equipment that you rarely use instead of buying it may actually be a lot more convenient for your business and save you a lot of time and money.
For instance, if you need forklifts for only a few occasional tasks, you can pay a smaller amount of money to get a forklift rental and ensure that you get the latest, properly maintained model of machinery that is going to serve you as long as you need it. Then, you can simply give it back and not have to worry about taking care of it.
Offer company-wide construction equipment maintenance training
Lastly, your workers may know how to use the equipment at work, but do they know how to maintain it? Do they know what measures to take when they spot a potential issue regarding the machinery? Do they know how to follow a certain daily maintenance routine?
To make sure that they are prepared for these tasks you can organise company-wide training on equipment and its maintenance. This way, your workers will be fully trained to take care of your equipment and prevent bigger problems that will require professional help and a lot of money spent on repairs.
Conclusion
All things considered, staying within the budget mostly relies on spotting possible breakdowns and being able to either prevent them or fix them before they get bigger issues. Renting out equipment, training your employees to spot problems, and rewarding them for good work are only some of the best ways you can manage your construction equipment on a tight budget.
