Some metrics often used to judge the correct maintenance staffing are misleading. For example, do you know the true meaning of full utilization, visibility on the floor, and downtime levels?
• Full utilization. If maintenance people are busy, you’re getting your money’s worth. The reality is you don’t want maintenance people saddled with special projects or loaded down with repair work. They need time for OJT and other skill-building.
• Visibility on the floor. If you have a staff of 33 maintenance people but see only four of them ever fixing anything, the assumption is maintenance must be overstaffed. The reality is when you see maintenance people fixing anything, it means they failed to prevent a breakdown.
• Downtime/breakdown level. If there’s less downtime now than a year ago, that must mean you don’t need as many maintenance people as you did a year ago, right? The reality is just because you are now diverting maintenance people to less repair work doesn’t mean you need fewer maintenance people.
Typically, the same people perform repairs and maintenance. Your goal should be for them to maintain more and fix less.
