"During the crisis many entrepreneurs have cut back on maintenance. You cannot spend money when your broke. And when there’s financial leeway, it's good to look again at your investments as well as your maintenance", according to Theo Akerboom, freesia grower from Roelofarendsveen, the Netherlands. He already made a plan 5 years ago with 'what should be done'. Because no entrepreneur is waiting for a standstill, fire or loss of sales.
But from where do you start working?
Theo starts from his goals regarding the production. The considerations he makes are based on optimal production and yield. Catching up on deferred maintenance, prevention of malfunctions and replacing of parts fits into this picture. In this way, new screens are optimizing his cultivation and the light output of new lamps is greater than that of his old lamps. The choices he makes naturally have to do with the financial possibilities to invest. Do you opt for replacement of lamps or are you waiting for the developments around LED lighting? When can you replace the flammable insulation? If you postpone it, is the fire safety at risk?
When you make a maintenance plan, it gets priority
"In our annual plan we determine what is given priority. We work from a list that we have drawn up. We check the installations in order to get as few malfunctions as possible. Based on our plan, we know which equipment needs to be replaced and when. "Theo is happy with this method. "I force myself to keep my administration in order, because it is only when you make a maintenance plan that it gets status".
How do you go about it? A plan? Just do it?
Good maintenance has many advantages. For example, in recent years, considerably fewer water tanks have collapsed because of regular inspections and fewer fires have broken out by carrying out electrical inspections. How do you ensure a safe building and properly functioning equipment? Just do it? Do you need any help?
Interpolis promotes carrying out maintenance. For more information, visit the Interpolis website.