4 Ways to Keep Equipment Management Efficient For Small Construction Companies
Small construction companies often find it difficult to compete with large operations that boast even larger advertising budgets and offer customers lower prices and shorter turnaround times. However, efficiency is one area where you can give the big guys a run for their money, and there’s no better place to start than with the machinery that keeps your business running. Here are four effective ways that small construction companies can streamline their equipment management.
Keep Detailed Records
Maintaining comprehensive, detailed records can not only improve efficiency but also increase the lifespan of your equipment. Keeping track of how long each machine was used lets you know when maintenance, repairs, and replacements are needed, while fuel usage records can help you fine-tune operations for better energy efficiency. You can use a spreadsheet to track information manually or invest in specialized software that does it for you.
Combine What You Can
Not every piece of equipment needs to be specialized to only one task. Products like 4 in 1 buckets do the work of four specialized buckets in just one, saving you space in storage and time in swapping out between buckets on your machinery. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting time and energy caring for, storing, and moving unnecessary equipment.
Log Equipment Downtime
Every minute that your equipment spends idle costs you money, so tracking downtime is crucial if you want to increase productivity. Even more important than logging idle hours is documenting the cause of downtime. Knowing how much time you lose every week to user error, equipment malfunctions, weather, and other delays can help you better plan your workdays and job sites for greater efficiency.
Utilize Machine Data
Most recent-model heavy equipment can connect with data analytics systems to collect useful productivity and safety data. Knowing how to use this information can increase efficiency by giving you valuable insight into the performance of both your machines and workers and alerting you in advance of potential safety problems. You can also use this data to save time by programming equipment to automate certain tasks.
Your construction business may be small now, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Managing your equipment more efficiently is one way that your company can grow. Efficiency saves time and money, which means you can invest more back into your company and take on more jobs. Efficient management will also be an asset as your company grows and acquires more equipment.
