Maintenance costs

How many tradespeople do you really need?

Several years ago, when I was trying to get approval to hire an additional machinist, my boss, who was a very smart mill manager, said “Don, I do believe that if you had twice

What parts should be in your Maintenance Stores and why?

There are two things that can be said for certain about spare parts (including miscellaneous maintenance materials) – Stocking them is expensive and Not stocking them is expensive. This article explores the components of the

How to reduce Stores inventory – without reducing reliability

The inventory carried in Maintenance Stores in manufacturing operations can be considerable, often worth many millions of dollars, and it is usually one of the first targets when a cost-reduction programme is initiated. There

How much does a tradesperson really cost?

Hiring a tradesperson is something that should not be taken lightly. As with any other employee, the value that the new person will add to the organization needs to exceed the cost of

Maintenance budgets and cost reporting

One of the more important Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in Maintenance is how much it costs. While many would argue that this is the most important measure of Maintenance, I would suggest that in

Approving Maintenance expenditures

A fundamental management principle is that any function that is a part of a business process should add value, and this includes the function of approving expenditures. Of course, all major capital expenditures