What are the advantages and disadvantages of having separate area and facilities maintenance teams? In this scenario, there are around 350 skilled tradespeople working in various crafts such as electrical, mechanical, millwright, and plumbing within an automotive components manufacturing and assembly plant that has a diverse equipment base. Area maintenance focuses on maintaining equipment and processes used in manufacturing or assembly, while facilities maintenance is responsible for infrastructure such as boiler rooms, coolant systems, HVAC, buildings, and grounds. Area maintenance teams report directly to Operations, while the facilities group reports to plant engineering. Your insights and opinions on this setup are appreciated. Thank you, Bob.
Our approach to utilities equipment involves a combination of in-house maintenance team and utility operators. Our Facilities Group focuses on building and grounds maintenance tasks such as drywall, painting, snow removal, and landscaping. While the department is overseen internally, the actual work is outsourced for efficiency. This management strategy has proven to be effective for ensuring optimal facility upkeep.
In my view, it would be beneficial to create two separate Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) groups that operate out of the same office under one leader. One group will focus on equipment maintenance while the other will handle facility maintenance. This approach can significantly improve the overall efficiency and return on investment (ROI) of a large company by ensuring more employees are trained in reliability practices. With a unified leadership, the boss can effectively coordinate efforts to enhance equipment and facility reliability, leading to a more streamlined operation.
In our organization, we emphasize the importance of collaboration. Reporting to the Engineering Director, our Maintenance Manager oversees a team of Maintenance Supervisors responsible for area maintenance, including utilities equipment. Additionally, we have a Facility Supervisor who manages buildings and grounds maintenance, including tasks such as landscaping, housekeeping, and pest control. While facilities work is typically outsourced, equipment maintenance is predominantly carried out in-house.
It appears that your plant is similar in size to ours. Our maintenance department is known as process maintenance, and our maintenance program involves collaboration between area maintenance, operations, and plant engineering. I believe it is essential for plant engineering to have oversight of area maintenance, as operational managers often have a narrow focus on maintenance tasks. Preventive Maintenance (PM) and Predictive Maintenance (PdM) are often overlooked in favor of keeping the assembly line running smoothly. Recently, we made the decision to have plant engineering take the lead on maintenance once again. As a result, we have implemented new Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs, upgraded our Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs), prioritized overdue PM tasks, and invested in new PdM technology. It is clear that maintenance should be under the control of plant engineering, rather than operations.
From my perspective, the key advantage of having separate area and facilities maintenance teams, especially in a complex setup like an automotive assembly plant, is specialization. Each team can focus on their specific area of expertise, ensuring that the machinery and the infrastructure are well-maintained by professionals who fully understand their mechanics. However, the downside could be a lack of communication or coordination between the two teams. This can lead to operational inefficiencies, or overlapping duties. To combat this, a strong communication framework and regular joint meetings could be implemented to ensure smooth operation and clarity of role boundaries.
Hi Bob, from my perspective, having separate area and facilities maintenance teams can be quite beneficial as it allows for specialization and focus. With a diverse equipment base and a sizable team of skilled tradespeople, it's crucial to apply their expertise where it can be most effective. Splitting the responsibilities ensures that each team can focus on their strong suit and guarantees that both equipment and infrastructure are optimally maintained. However, there could be downsides such as lack of communication or coordination between the two groups, or potential conflict between area and facilities maintenance in terms of priority. This could be mitigated by implementing a solid internal communication system and having strong leadership. I also think it's key for both teams to understand the bigger picture, that their collective goal is to ensure the smooth operation of the entire plant.
✅ Work Order Management
✅ Asset Tracking
✅ Preventive Maintenance
✅ Inspection Report
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Answer: - Having separate maintenance teams allows for specialized focus on specific areas - area maintenance can concentrate on equipment and processes used in manufacturing, while facilities maintenance can focus on infrastructure. - Clear reporting structures to Operations and plant engineering can streamline communication and decision-making processes within each team.
Answer: - Potential for silos and lack of collaboration between area and facilities maintenance teams, which may lead to inefficiencies or issues in coordinating maintenance efforts. - Duplication of resources or efforts in certain cases where cross-functional expertise is required but not readily available within each team.
Answer: - Implementing regular cross-team meetings or joint projects to foster communication and collaboration between area and facilities maintenance teams. - Developing standardized processes or protocols for sharing information and resources between the two teams to enhance overall maintenance efficiency.
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