Maintain efficiency

Choosing a reliable, cost-efficient maintenance contractor for your loading bay can be a minefield and it's easy to get it wrong. Stertil Stokvis suggests some of the factors that need to be considered

Maintenance is an easy target when managers are under pressure to cut costs. Some may wonder whether there is such a thing as a maintenance contractor who is reasonably priced and who will ensure your compliance with all necessary health and safety legislation.

So, what are the key areas for consideration?

Value Cost is usually top of the list, but it's value that's the key. Making decisions on cost alone is often the reason people get it wrong: cost has to be balanced by the benefit to the business, in order to get a real value. Saving a few pounds, or even a few hundred pounds, on your routine maintenance is a false economy if your equipment suffers more frequent expensive breakdowns as a result.

Breakdown Frequency This is the single most important factor in determining maintenance. How much does equipment breakdown actually cost your business? What would it cost you to lose the use of a loading bay for a day? The answer to this question should drive your decision on the frequency, quality and, ultimately, the value of your loading bay maintenance.

Time to Fix Even the best-maintained equipment can fail, so it's vital that it can be repaired quickly. But quick response isn't any good if an engineer can't repair the fault there and then. An engineer who arrives in minutes but can't get hold of the necessary parts for weeks is not going to help your business minimise its downtime. Look for a company which can respond quickly 24/7 and which holds parts in stock for your equipment and can complete the majority of repairs in just one visit.

Every business and every site is different and each company will have its own particular requirements. Beware of 'one size fits all solutions, which may not take into account the specific needs of your business.

Identify what those needs are and look for a supplier who is flexible and can tailor a maintenance package to suit you.

Stertil Stokvis is one of the companies that offers a wide range of maintenance options and offers a free, no-obligation site visit.