Importance of equipment and systems inventory in FM

To develop a comprehensive operations and maintenance plan requires an initial inventory of building systems and utilities. This is necessary because all preventive, predictive, corrective maintenance and operating plans arise from a good understanding of the facility equipment, systems and needs.

Many firms and facilities maintenance personnel whose responsibilities include developing operating plans and procedures clearly do not apply adequate professional resources to this aspect of the work. Without such an exercise, the potential for more problems to come up becomes greater during the life of the equipment and systems.

Comprehensive management plans require all of the operating parameters to be considered when establishing work plans, priorities, and strategies that may affect the long term utilization of the facility. The inventory is therefore, only the beginning of a detailed process that will achieve best practice for the facilities manager.

This function of facilities management will require the following questions to be considered when such an inventory is being done:

What are the needs of the facility including the specific requirements of each functional area within the facility?

Are the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems sufficient to meet the needs of the functional areas of operation?

What is the overall quality of the maintenance practices including the current standard for the building systems?

Does the configuration of mechanical, electrical and control systems meet the needs of the facility in a cost effective manner?

Will specialized training be required to provide the needed operational and maintenance practices?

The questions raised above are not limited to the development of an operating strategy for newly constructed or acquired facilities but also serve as reminders of what should be in any facility operating programme.

Buildings being so dynamic in nature require regular and recurring review to ensure adequate and appropriate operating plans are in place. In as much as preventive maintenance addresses the recurring needs of the systems in place, a regular assessment of the ability of the installed systems to meet the functional needs of the facility is just as important.

Also important, as part of the inventory of building systems, is the condition assessment of each equipment. When the facilities manager carries out an assessment on the condition of the equipment, it serves to define the needs of the installed equipment. The facilities manager is therefore, able to establish the remaining useful life of the equipment and have a general understanding of the level of maintenance performed to date and whether the equipment is operating in accordance with the design. This is equally vital for newly commissioned installations where the systems and equipment may not have been subjected to the true loads of the facility during the commissioning process.

In conclusion, the inventory is a very important part of developing a robust and time-tested operations and maintenance plan in a cost-effective manner.

Tunde Obileye