Investing in maintenance

Maintenance budgets are set to remain buoyant, even in these times of austerity, according to research from easyFairs, organiser of MAINTEC 2012.

Nearly eight in 10 maintenance and engineering managers interviewed ahead of the 28th February to 1st March exhibition at the NEC, say they expect their budget to remain the same or increase over the coming year. Additionally, 36% said that improving plant productivity is the main driver behind their maintenance spend.

This is welcome news given that 55% of respondents are planning to tackle the economic slump through added investment in predictive maintenance technologies that will extend plant longevity, improve efficiency and avoid catastrophic, costly plant failures.

However, easyFairs found opinion divided when it came to views on the board's attitude to maintenance: 8% said they saw it as expensive, while 8% believed their bosses considered it as good value for money.Nearly two fifths said their respective boards saw maintenance as an invaluable part of the business, but one fifth said directors see it merely as a 'necessary evil'.

easyFairs UK & Ireland MD,Matt Benyon, said: "Businesses are still finding it tough, but many realise that cutting back on maintenance budgets is false economy. There's a wealth of advanced, affordable technology on show at MAINTEC 2012 that can deliver significant efficiency savings and help protect machinery and equipment." For further information on MAINTEC, please turn to page 20