Forward

Be honest…do you view maintenance as a necessary evil? Do you believe it’s an uncontrollable cost? If so, you could be missing an important productivity opportunity. According to Computerized Maintenance Management Services by Terry Wireman, most internal maintenance groups are only 33% productive.

The key factor is whether maintenance is one of your core competencies. Remember, evaluating your core competencies doesn’t mean assessing what you do well and what you do  poorly. A discussion of core competencies should pinpoint activities you must do yourself if you are going to gain a competitive edge in your market.

Is maintenance one of your core competencies? (Does it differentiate your company’s products and entice customers to buy?)

This analysis can be tricky—there may be core competencies you perform poorly or non-core competencies you perform well. To help determine whether maintenance is one of your core competencies, ask yourself the following six questions.

1. Do you lack the time, resources, and experience to develop an advanced factory maintenance program?

2. Do you find it difficult to recruit, train, and retain technically competent maintenance personnel?

3. Do you effectively analyze maintenance problems, determine their root causes, and drive continuous improvement?

4. Do you analyze repairs, procurement, management, ownership, warranty administration, and total-cost-to-own issues?

5. Do you have the required spare parts when you need them, while maintaining minimum inventory levels?

6. Do you stay a step ahead of technology demands?

If you answered "no" to two or more of these questions, then maintenance is probably not one of your core competencies, and outsourcing all or part of your maintenance may add value to your business.