How much of your company’s cash is winding up in the trash?

Companies have been working tirelessly to cut costs anywhere and everywhere they can since the economy went south. And cost-cutting efforts have made their way to the Dumpsters and store rooms of many businesses.

Folks in the facilities game call it “lean maintenance.”

Sounds much more elaborate than it really is. In reality, your organization only needs to take small steps to secure some big savings.

Think of it: The people who maintain your company’s physical plant have a bird’s-eye view of what’s being wasted, misused and underused around your company every day. Here’s how to harness this info and the minor changes you can make to start saving money immediately.

Step #1: Identify your best ‘intelligence’

Naturally, the best place to start is by identifying the folks within your organization who have the info you’re after. You’ll want to seek the opinions of the obvious choices: Maintenance, cleaning people, groundskeepers.

But don’t overlook the more “unofficial” players who have some insight. For example, admins often end up in default “cleanup” mode, whether it’s reloading the copier or neatening up the company fridge. They may be able to offer some unexpected savings suggestions.

Step # 2: Start small

Once you get people to flag areas to tighten up, you probably want to focus on the low-hanging fruit first. A filter: Choose projects where the cost is small and ones you can easily do with tools or materials you already have.

One company found that by simply changing the paintbrushes it uses, it could slash the amount of paint and time needed to complete the job. A quick fix with an instant payoff.

Step #3:  Understand where bigger wins are

If you’re interested in tackling bigger maintenance projects, be sure you understand which ones have the best cost-cutting potential. Check out the possible savings of maintenance budget dollars:

• Re-engineering of equipment and maintenance improvements to equipment: 39%
• More extensive application of predictive maintenance: 27%
• Preventive maintenance improvement and the correct application: 26%, and
• Improvements in the storeroom: 7%.

Adapted from “Avoid Waste: Lean Maintenance Can Reduce Overall Costs,” by Joel Levitt, at
www.pem-mag.com