Are You Keeping an Eye On the Future of Maintenance?

This article was originally posted in Maintenance Solutions.

Staffing issues. Budget woes. Communication breakdowns. Customer complaints. The list of challenges facing maintenance and engineering managers never seems to end, or even ease up a little. And as existing institutional and commercial facilities age and new facilities come online, a fresh batch of challenges arises.

Given this workload, managers could be forgiven for simply focusing their attention on existing and potential problems at the expense of keeping up with the future of maintenance. While that approach might be understandable, it's probably not wise in the long term.

One tactic for getting a handle on the future of maintenance, as well as for learning about maintenance management strategies and troubleshooting trends and technology, is tapping into the world of manufacturing maintenance. Why?

Michael Cowley, president of CE Maintenance Solutions and a columnist for Maintenance Solutions, pointed out the most important reason at the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference & Expo last month in Baltimore: Manufacturing figures out equipment problems more quickly because of the money involved in production downtime. A chiller breakdown in a university classroom building makes for some uncomfortable indoor conditions, at worst. But an equipment breakdown at a steel plant means a direct and immediate hit to the company's bottom line. The consequences are too dire to treat maintenance as anything but a vital component of success.

For this reason, managers would be wise to keep track of maintenance trends in the manufacturing world. But for managers who need to justify this time commitment to themselves or others, consider some of the benefits institutional and commercial facilities already have realized from adapting strategies and tactics from manufacturing.

Many facilities that once relied solely on reactive maintenance have made the move — or started to, at least — to preventive maintenance. A select few have even adapted some practices of predictive maintenance. Both strategies were developed and refined in manufacturing plants.

Front-line technicians in those plants also popularized the use of essential troubleshooting technology — infrared imaging and vibration analysis are just two examples — that institutional and commercial facilities have latched onto and are benefiting from.

To begin or continue tapping into the opportunities that exist in manufacturing, managers need to ask — and answer — some tough questions. How many of your professional peers are in manufacturing facilities? Do you benchmark your department's performance against that of their departments? When did you last spend time thinking or talking about the possible benefits to your facilities of strategies and technology common in manufacturing?

Such questions might be tough, but probably not as tough as the predicament managers could find themselves in if they choose to ignore the issue and its opportunities.

Advantages of Automated Window Cleaning Systems

Compared to traditional bucket and squeegee cleaning methods, an automated window cleaning system offers several benefits:

• Fast return on investment (ROI)
• Labor savings of 70-80%
• Now a safer job; it’s easier to find and retain labor 
• Safely operates from the top of your building or from the ground
• Cleans the entire exterior; not just the glass
• Uniform cleaning using only spot-free pure water—No chemicals required
• No buckets, chairs, squeegees or other objects that can fall
• Cleans much faster and better than hand washing
• Optional in-line water heater delivers hot water for removing stubborn stains
• Potential dramatic savings in liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance
• Green chemicals can be injected if needed into the Sky Pro or SkyDro washer machines

The Life of a Window Cleaner

This article was originally posted in Blogger News.

According to those who did it, window cleaners have “adventurous jobs.” Others would call it dangerous. These people hang out over the sides of buildings on wooden platforms and safety ropes, keeping clean the numerous windows found on everything from skyscrapers to low-rise office buildings and shops. The people who undertake this task must not only have to know how to clean windows well but be up to the challenge of getting to these windows.

Window cleaners are in high demand. This is because architects keep trying to outdo each other by creating complex and admired buildings, making window cleaning a more difficult and more needed job. There are also risks involved in the job. About five to 10 window cleaners die each year in the United States. Despite this, window cleaners don’t worry much about falling or getting killed on the job. They take necessary safety precautions. Plus they are protected by the International Window Cleaning Association, a non-profit trade association that works to maintain the safety and quality of window washers among all kinds of window washing jobs.

Despite the risks, window washers generally enjoy their jobs. They like the freedom of not having a boss looking over them throughout the day. They enjoy the adventure of hanging from large heights. They also like the pay. Window cleaners can make between $10 to $12 to start. This can increase to $25 for more experienced workers, making it an ideal profession for young people and immigrants. In saying this, their services are expensive. A 25-story building can cost $100,000 a year for two or three cleanings. Smaller buildings cost about $4,000. Because of this, window washers must maintain a professional attitude in their work. At the end of each work day, they line up their gear like firefighters, organized and prepared for the next day of wherever a window may need washed.

Sky Pro Demonstration in Minneapolis

Sky Pro® Window Cleaning System is a self-contained, self-climbing automated high rise window cleaning system that can clean 50 feet per minute and 30,000 square feet per hour.

Washing Windows Without Automation

Washing windows without the use of automated systems is not only time-consuming but also can pose significant safety risks.

To sufficiently clean the outside of the windows on the upper floors of skyscrapers without automated equipment, window washers need to suspend themselves from what is called a boatswain’s chair. The chair is supported from davits located on the building’s roof. Scaffolding ramps can also be suspended from the roof davits. Window washers sit in the chair or stand on the scaffold with buckets or other containers of window cleaner and water. They scrub the window with the cleaner and squeegee the window to remove dirt and water.

Manually washing windows on a skyscraper this way is inherently dangerous. The number one most cited safety violation in 2010, according to OSHA statistics, is scaffolding. There are over 700 deaths per year on the job from falls in general with 3-10 window washer deaths.

Sky Pro Mini Provides Affordable Automated Window Washer

The Sky Pro Mini is an automated machine designed to clean windows and buildings up to 25 stories tall, while using less than two liters of water per minute. Weighing in at 47 kg, this lightweight, compact and easy-to-use unit fits in the back of a small truck or pull behind trailer to simplify transportation between buildings.

Using a reliable, variable speed Cordem winch motor, the Sky Pro Mini can clean anywhere from 2,000 to as many as 4,450 square meters in an average workday. Plus, Sky Pro's new finger brush technology ensures that windows, frames and smooth surfaces are cleaned thoroughly.

The system is available in two distinct models to clean flat and irregular building facades. Sky Pro can be conveniently purchased in a ready-to-use MINISYSTEM, which includes the cleaning unit, variable speed winch motor, roof outrigger, remote brush on/off controller, water hoses, tether cable, two lithium batteries to power the finger brush and a quick-charge battery charger. Sky Pro Mini starts at $22,985 and offers additional add-on features to meet individual application requirements.

Learn more about the Sky Pro Mini and see how it works or at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJmYdHtlFA0.

Building Envelopes: The Outside Story

This article was originally posted in Maintenance Solutions. 

Facilities present maintenance and engineering managers with an array of evolving challenges and priorities. One constant, if overlooked, priority is proper maintenance of the building envelope. But this area of maintenance often presents more questions for managers than the initial problem suggests. In some cases, the answers to these questions can be disheartening, such as when workers must quickly perform large, burdensome projects.

A comprehensive building envelope maintenance program can deliver a range of important benefits to organizations. It can prevent building deterioration, reduce long-term maintenance costs, improve a building’s appearance, and reduce occupant disruptions caused by such problems as leaks.

Perhaps just as important these days, proper inspection maintenance of a building exterior can help workers identify and repair sources of energy waste caused by poorly installed or maintained exterior materials and components.

Inspection Issues

Maintaining building exteriors is essential for protecting the efficient operation and appealing appearance of a building. The envelope blocks the entry of water and wind, helping to prevent interior damage and disruptions and to maintain a comfortable environment.

If managers do not address these components as needed, the resulting failures and deterioration can prove costly in the long run. Exposure-related problems include damage from water infiltration, mold growth and loose elements falling from the exterior. A proactive approach to exterior maintenance can prevent these occurrences, reduce liability and keep tenants happy.

A maintenance program for building exteriors should include regular assessment and observation. Managers can implement the program using in-house workers who perform the inspections biannually. Specifically, inspectors should note areas of shifted or displaced elements, cracks, spalls, stains, or other forms of deterioration they can observe from the ground, roof, balconies, or terraces. Window cleaning crews can aid in inspections. Since they have access to upper stories of a building that maintenance staff probably can’t observe, ask them to report any exterior components or materials that might require attention.

Observations do not need to be confined to the exterior of the building. Inspectors also should record reports of water entry into a building, including when the entry occurred, its extent, and weather conditions at the time.

Read the full article here to learn more about facility exterior cleaning.