Facility managers need preventive maintenance now more than ever

Facility managers really do need preventive maintenance in 2023.

Based on a survey of facilities management (FM) practitioners, JLLT’s The State of Facilities Management 2023 reports that preventive maintenance (PM) will take on greater importance this year because existing assets must remain in service longer due to shortages of parts and equipment. Facility managers cite delivery backlogs of a year or more for essential equipment, especially for restaurants.

PM is often more expensive in the short term but proves itself over the long term as a money-saving FM best practice. Per the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals, reactive repairs are more expensive than PM, take longer to complete, and are more hazardous since more workplace accidents are associated with reactive repairs.

How facility managers see preventive maintenance

The report highlights how facility managers are focusing on PM in a year of competing priorities. When queried about asset management, survey respondents selected PM as their top asset management priority and outcome.

For a magnified view of the images below, right click the image and select “Open image in new tab.”

It’s interesting to note in the image below that the most common types of reactive work orders are ideal candidates for preventive maintenance. PM schedules can be easily created inside most FM software platforms.

The Asset Insights dashboard in the Corrigo Business Intelligence module identifies assets not yet on PM schedules but should be and includes links for easily creating them.

Next steps

Discover what FM practitioners are prioritizing in 2023 as work order volumes increase while economic uncertainty looms and shortages of skilled FM labor persist. Download your copy of The State of Facilities Management 2023.