Why would an organization turn to a maintenance consultant instead of using their own personnel? Some key reasons:

• First and foremost is the unbiased experience that consultants provide. Because they have no stake in the outcome (aside from providing the best service possible so you'll hire them again) , consultants can suggest radical or controversial strategies when needed.
• Few maintenance professionals have been inside more maintenance facilities than a qualified consultant. Consultants can often apply a wide knowledge of maintenance practices from many industries and organizations to help solve the problems that eat at you.
• Consultants can bring to bear ideas that have been successful in other industries and organizations, such as government, education, mining or transportation.
• A consultant who teaches has access to discussions from thousands of maintenance professionals from hundreds of sessions.
• In some cases organizations listen to outside consultants more closely than to their own in-house experts.
• Some organizations turn to consultants because the in-house staff has the skill but not the time. Consultants can focus their entire attention, without distraction, on a narrow problem. A consultant can usually get on-line rapidly -more quickly than even a highly qualified new hire.

Instead of hiring, consider contracting with a good consultant. You can send them home when the project is complete, minimizing overhead and disruption while ending up with the results you hoped for.

Springfield Resources undertakes a wide range of consulting projects on behalf of clients.

Sample Maintenance Management Projects:

• Maintenance Audits including:
  • Review of Maintenance Procedures
  • Review of information flow
  • Store room - inventories, procedures, purchasing criteria
  • PM, emergency and routine work systems
  • Maintenance information systems
  • Administration of maintenance fitness questionnaires
  • Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)
    • Design or specification of new capabilities
    • Installation and training for systems
    • Getting the most from your existing maintenance management information system (maximize benefits)
    • Training in use of the system (including reasons for the system) to craftspeople
    • Support for purchasing and/or specification of CMMS

• Work sampling survey to evaluate productivity with recommendations for improvements
• Improving the overall delivery of maintenance service to customers/users
• Design and set-up of Preventive Maintenance (PM) systems (manual, service bureau, and computerized)
• Building and equipment inspection (helping prepare your repair and modernization budgets)
• Design and set-up of Predictive Maintenance (PdM) equipment, systems and procedures
• Analysis of property management with recommendations for improvements
• Craftsperson training in PM (why, what, when)