As found in IFMA’s FMJ May/June 2016
Excitedly, the facility industry continues to mature, advancing our stature within our respective organizations. However, one key anchor impeding that progress is the aging infrastructure that exists in many of our facilities and the subsequent reactive maintenance it creates. This reactive firefighting is a drain of valuable personnel and financial resources, and it negatively impacts the triple bottom line and our image within the organization.
Per a recent FM360 survey, 40% of respondents reported that aging infrastructure remains their biggest challenge in 2016. This deferred maintenance has been generated through many years of insufficient capital reinvestment into facility infrastructure. Management has not recognized the importance and necessity of funding equipment replacement; this ignorance is no fault of their own, rather it has been caused by our inability to successfully sell and market the value of facilities and our services. However, as indicated in the aforementioned FM360 survey, nearly 60% of respondents indicated that they have a seat at the management table or at least making progress in that regard. Thus, now is the time to assemble and sell a plan to management that digs us out of this deferred maintenance backlog and sheds this anchor that is holding us back from success.
