Alyssa Graham
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin
As a civilian married to a veteran, I have had the privilege of learning many lessons of the United States military’s operations without having to personally enlist. One of my favorites is the philosophy of motor transport in the Marine Corps. Preventative Maintenance is their number one priority. In fact, almost all their time is spent on
preventative maintenance because why would you want to reactively repair something in the field – putting you at higher risk and also higher cost – when you can simply do the work up front and keep the machine running smoothly?
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin
As a civilian married to a veteran, I have had the privilege of learning many lessons of the United States military’s operations without having to personally enlist. One of my favorites is the philosophy of motor transport in the Marine Corps. Preventative Maintenance is their number one priority. In fact, almost all their time is spent on preventative maintenance because why would you want to reactively repair something in the field – putting you at higher risk and also higher cost – when you can simply do the work up front and keep the machine running smoothly?
Granted, we are not in a war zone while under a truck, but all of us have complex human bodies that run 24-7. This is exactly why all healthcare organizations recommend annual preventative health care screenings. From a business perspective, it is also why most medical insurance providers offer these screenings for free or at a reduced cost – the cost in savings of avoiding major medical issues with routine care cannot be overstated. From a human perspective, it benefits us to catch any potential problems early on and avoid catastrophic illness. Planned, preventative maintenance is a win-win!
Owning and operating a business is no different. There is no industry or manufacturer that doesn’t recommend or require some level of upkeep on their products to ensure optimal operation and lifespan. Regular, preventative maintenance minimizes downtime, reduces major repairs, extends product life, increases productivity, and reduces reactive maintenance. Including planned maintenance as an integral part of your operations is the best route for the highest return on investment simply by reducing your costs and keeping your profit stream steady.
When it comes to ROI, the data supports the military’s and doctors’ stance on preventative maintenance. A typical dock leveler that sees 100,000 forklift crossings each year can save between 12% and 18% by using preventative maintenance over reactive service calls. PM can even cut energy bills by 5-20%! Fewer equipment failures and longer equipment lifetimes mean higher productivity and more revenue.
So, what does Robert Dietrick Company’s Preventative Maintenance process look like? We use the industry standard 5 step process: clean, inspect, lubricate, adjust, and document. RDC’s documentation and asset management system is valuable for our customers’ recordkeeping and validates many warranty details, where PM is often a requirement. There are also many options of PM cadence dependent on facility operation, equipment, and budget. We offer PM schedules to accommodate any frequency needed – monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, annually, and more.
In 2024, our customers with quarterly and monthly Preventative Maintenance plans saw only 23% of their service calls get turned into larger, quoted, aftermarket jobs. Our customers with bi-annual and annual Preventative Maintenance plans were just over that at 26% of their service calls. However, our customers with no Preventative Maintenance saw more than 33% of their service calls turn into bigger repairs. This is proof that regular, routine maintenance can resolve three-quarters of service calls in one short visit! The difference in immediate service call resolution between facilities with frequent PM inspections and no PM inspections is 10% – a significant savings in operation downtime.
So, whether you’re a Mom & Pop shop or a Fortune 500 corporation, preventative maintenance means you will ensure your equipment’s life expectancy, reduce downtime, boost productivity, make your customers happy, and increase profitability . Preventative Maintenance keeps your business moving forward!
Check out our different PM plans below and the benefits associated with Gray, Black, and Gold level PM!
