Time and Money

Time and Money

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

May 18, 2020

What could we do with just a little more time and money? We have all had that thought before. The reality is that it is typically more of a balancing act – if we are lucky enough to have either in abundance, it is typically one or the other but seldom both at the same time. We usually do our planning in one direction better than the other. For instance, when we are are doing well with earning money, we might plan ahead for a special vacation or even retirement when we will then use that money to afford the recreation and relaxation we have earned.

However, sometimes we are not as effective in planning for the other direction. Meaning when we have excess time on our hands, planning ahead for ways that will earn us more money in the future. This is unfortunate, because is it equally important to plan and prepare in when we have time on our side.

During this Corona virus pandemic, many of us are facing a period of time when we may not be able to conduct business as usual and as a result, and as a result, we seem to have some additional time on our hands. That doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done or that we can’t be have a positive impact on our business. In fact, quite the opposite is true. This is exactly the time to do those things that are going to best prepare our business for re-opening and / or a more normal business flow. Planning now can propel your business to a much more successful re-start. Let’s look at some of the ways you can get your business ready:

1. Conduct a thorough facilities inspection of your buildings and equipment. Use this information to prioritize a list of capital and maintenance repairs, replacements or upgrades as needed. Begin addressing those needs when feasible to do so.
2. Perform an inventory of your building equipment. Capture information about the equipment such as installation dates, warranty information, spare parts information, etc. so that when maintenance or repair work is performed on the equipment, the necessary information is readily available.
3. Develop or review your maintenance program for your facility and equipment. If you don’t have a maintenance program in place currently, use the information collected during the inventory to start the development of one. If you do have one in place, review its effectiveness and evaluate the scope of it to determine whether or not additional systems or equipment should be added to it.
4. Work towards a reliability centered maintenance (RCM) model that uses data and information to help you make more informed decisions for your facilities and equipment.

These are just a few of the steps that can be taken now that will drive not only maintenance cost savings to your bottom line, but will help you realize a more efficient and effective operation with less downtime. If you are unsure how to proceed with any of these tasks, reach out to a maintenance professional. There are consulting and contracting services available to fit every need.

Most importantly, remember that the time is coming when businesses will be returning to a more normal operating condition. Don’t be caught flat footed when that time comes – use this time wisely to save and make more money then.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Does Cleanliness Make a Difference?

Does Cleanliness Make a Difference?

Robert S. Michaud

May 15, 2020

If you are reading this, chances are your career is probably related in some way to facilities maintenance, management, or building operations. If you have a mechanical room that looks as neat and clean as the one in the photo, congratulations – you already understand the point of this article. But does having a clean mechanical room really equate to a well running one? Let’s examine this a little further.

Some might say that whether a workplace is messy or clean has no bearing on whether it is maintained well or not. They might cite those who have messy desks that tend to be quite productive in spite of the mess. However, the work place, and specifically the mechanical room, is not you eccentric professor’s desk. Cleanliness is directly related to maintenance for a number of reasons.

1. In a clean mechanical room it is easy to spot the early stages of a problem, like that minor leak coming from the water storage tank. If the mechanical room depicted above were dirty, with parts and supplies scattered about and with an greasy oily floor, it might not be so easy to pick up on that leak until it had become a real problem.
2. Clean mechanical rooms are inherently safer. Again, without parts and supplies on the floor, and having the floor clean and free of any slip and fall hazards, fewer of those types of accidents will occur. In addition, a well lit, clean mechanical room is easier to navigate and to avoid bumping and tripping hazards just by being able to see better.
3. A well lit and organized mechanical room is also easier to do work in. When you don’t have to hunt for parts or tools, or clean up an work space just so you can get at that pump that you need to maintain, you can be a lot more efficient in your work.
4. A clean mechanical room is also better for the equipment. Granted, most equipment is pretty robust as they typically have to operate in a variety of environments, but the less dust and dirt any equipment is exposed to, the better and more reliably it will run.
5. Lastly, the old adage of “If you want to know whether you should eat in a particular restaurant or not, visit the restroom first. If the restroom is clean, chances are the kitchen is too. If the restroom isn’t clean, you can expect the kitchen to be dirty as well, and you may want to eat elsewhere”. This adage speaks to both the expectation form management about the operation of their facilities as well as the pride in workmanship of the maintenance staff in charge of the mechanical room, and it may be the most important factor of all. Having worked in and managed a number of buildings with mechanical rooms, I saw a definite correlation between how tidy the staff kept their mechanical rooms and the overall workmanship of that staff member. As the leader, your job is to set the expectation for your staff, but you will find, as I am sure many of you have, that some are more engaged and ‘bought-in’ to the process than others.

So, as leaders, how do convey this sense of ownership in – not only the function, but the appearance of their areas of responsibility? There are a number of management techniques that can help here, and I will leave the management consulting to other experts, but in the scope of maintenance and your facilities, I think it starts with conveying a clear vision of what you hope to accomplish with your program, why it is important, and how you intend to get there.

If you do not have a functioning preventive / predictive / reliability centered maintenance program in place, it is going to take time to get to that point and your resolve will be tested. Going from a reactive / break-fix sort of maintenance (repair) program to a more pro-active program will be challenging and in the short term, will require additional resources as you cope with both the incoming demand for services, and the automatically generated preventive / predictive maintenance work orders. It is going to be tempting, at times, to toss in the towel on the pro-active work, but that would be a mistake and you will never arrive at the more reliability centered program that you are looking for. In this regard, the clean mechanical room is sort of a metaphor for the maintenance program. It is going to take time to get it cleaned up, but once you do, you will find that it runs far more smoothly, and the staff and their commitment will be much more in line with yours.

So in a way, the clean mechanical room is both a real and tangible representation of the state of your maintenance program, and a metaphor for that program as well. How clean is your mechanical room?

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Planning for an Uncertain Future

Planning for an Uncertain Future

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

5/14/20

There is little doubt that the business landscape after we emerge from this pandemic is going to look significantly different than the past. Each day we are learning that businesses that have been around for years are not planning to reopen – ever. This is sad, tragic, and difficult to come to grips with, but there it is. It is happening before our very eyes. If you are a business owner or manager, your thoughts are very likely consumed with thoughts on how you and your company will get through this, what will it do to survive, and what will it look like in the future.

Change breeds opportunity. It is a phrase we are all familiar with and when you read it in a business book or heard it in a sales or marketing class, it probably seemed like so much jargon. Today, though, change is dramatic and real, and so too are the opportunities. They may not be the changes you wanted, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be opportunities as well. There most certainly will be – but will you be prepared to take advantage of them? What are you doing now to prepare yourself and your business for these changes? Are you looking at how your business might adapt and offer new products or services going forward? You should be. We ALL should be!

Look around you – there are resources available to help you make sense of where you are and where you might be able to go. I have had conversations with a number of business leaders recently discussing this very topic. One of the first steps in this process, and really the most important step we must take RIGHT NOW, is to take stock of what we have – lay all the cards on the table, so to speak, so that we can make decisions with when the time is right with the best information possible.

No one resource can provide you with all of the information you need. Reach out to your lawyer, accountant, sales manager, human resources manager and others to talk about staffing needs and possible changes, business directions, new market opportunities, and more. Also, take a hard look at your facilities and consider a detailed inspection or assessment of them and the equipment to determine if there are changes that need to be made there as well. Is it time to address some ongoing maintenance concerns? Are there capital improvements that should be scheduled? Should you move out of some buildings because they are no longer cost effective or don’t meet your future business needs? We can’t help you with the questions regarding legal, accounting, sales or staffing issues, but when it comes to your buildings, your equipment and planning for the future, we can certainly lend a hand.

Failing to plan is planning to fail – another quip that we are all familiar with, but today is the time to plan. Let us give you a hand.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

The Wet Roof

The Wet Roof

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.
5/13/20

OK, this seems like a pretty easy one, right? Standing water on a roof is bad, that is obvious, but let’s think through all of the downsides, shall we?

1. Standing water greatly increases the chance of roof leaks. Any minor hole or defect in the roofing material, whether it is PVC, EPDM, modified bitumen, etc. will be exploited by standing water. The upshot is that even once you discover the leak inside the building, finding the source of the leak is not made any easier if your standing pools of water are large or many as in the picture above.
2. Standing water provides an environment for things to grow on your roof. All kinds of things! The only time this is acceptable is when you have a true “green roof” that is designed for roof vegitation. However, too many times, we have found very unintentional “green roof” systems where grass and even trees have started to grow on roofs. Not only can these clog up drains and even damage the roofing material, they can further inhibit the proper drainage of the roof, leading to more standing water. And what exactly is that black stuff growing on this roof? In this case, it is probably not mold but rather accumulated dirt, which also provides a place for seeds to take root. None of these scenarios is good.
3. As eluded to in point number 2, proper flow of water to the roof drains, scuppers or gutters and downspouts is critical to the proper function of a roof system. If not profiled correctly water accumulates, and depending on the type of insulation underneath, could even compress that insulation further, and that leads to even more water accumulation.
4. Speaking of insulation, should there be a small leak in the roof membrane where there is standing water, that water will saturate the insulation, severely limiting its effectiveness. This is especially problematic in the winters.
5. Also in winter, these areas of standing water turn into virtual skating rinks and provide a particularly hazardous place for maintenance workers to travel as they try to maintain roof mounted equipment.

These are just a handful of reasons that standing water on roofs is bad. Can you think of others? Leave them in the comments below.

Now that we have identified why this is bad, what can be done about it? Depending on the cause of the water build up, there are a number of things that could be done, some for little cost, others rather expensive.

1. Perform routine cleaning of roof drains, scuppers, gutters and downspouts to make sure sticks, leaves, and other foreign materials are not clogging them up. Make sure that strainer baskets are properly installed over the roof drains to help prevent clogging.
2. Perform periodic roof inspections by qualified professionals trained to look for changes in the roofing materials, flashing, connections, seams, etc. to minimize the chance of areas where ponding might begin and to assess the overall condition of the roof, and to properly plan for any necessary maintenance or replacement work.
3. Trim back overhanging tree branches to keep leaves and broken branches from accumulating on the roof and causing pools to form.
4. If problems are found such as compressed insulation, or improperly profiled roofing that does not promote proper drainage, consult with a qualified roofing contractor to make the repairs necessary to prevent standing water and other roof problems. This is the most costly of the action items listed, but these corrections are minor when compared to damage to interior finishes, equipment or furnishings – and the roof will still need to be repaired then too.

Roof systems sometimes don’t get the attention they deserve, but the old saying about repairing the roof before it rains is still true. Better yet, let’s inspect and maintain it before it needs to be fixed! That is an even better idea.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Scheduling is Key

Scheduling is Key

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

If it seems to you like we are in a holding pattern due to the current pandemic, you are not alone. The entire economy is experiencing a situation that few, if any of us, have experienced before. As government officials and health authorities try to make sure we safely reopen for business, each of us is challenged to determine how our companies can adapt to the current conditions and plan for the future at the right time.

Fortune favors the bold, the ancient Latin proverb, still applies here today. While there is uncertainty in the future, there is also opportunity. For building owners, facility managers, and manufactures that find their buildings largely empty our your manufacturing lines idle, now is the time to address those problems that cannot easily be attended to during operation. Perhaps you have operational problems with some of your equipment, or the finishes like the flooring need attention. Perhaps you know you have a lot of issues that need to be addressed but you don’t have any idea of their relative costs or how best to prioritize them. With the building being vacant, this is the perfect time to have a professional inspection and analysis done. A facilities inspection with an experienced inspection company can not only identify where the problem areas are, but give you a sensed for the costs to address them and to help you prioritize a course of action.

Timing is key here because eventually we will be getting back to work and the buildings we are responsible for will be occupied again. There is no better time than now to conduct a facilities inspection and begin addressing those problems that you know are out there. Maybe you are concerned about the access to capital for the needs that may be found. That shouldn’t stop you from being prepared to move forward when those funds become available. A facilities inspection and assessment will get you prepared to move when the time is right. The planning will be done and you will have access to the contractors and supplies that you need first because you planned ahead.

So don’t put off to tomorrow that which you should do today. The time is right – now!

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Where's the Fire Extinguisher?

Where’s the Fire Extinguisher?

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

Fire extinguishers are often the first line of defense should a fire break out in your facility. Before we get into too much detail in this analysis, please consult your local, state and federal codes on the proper use, location, application and maintenance of fire extinguisher for your building. Depending on your location, there will likely be one or more codes that dictate the specifics about fire extinguishers and in fact, some codes overlap, or at least, compliment each other. For instance, most, if not all, jurisdictions adhere to the NFPA code requirements, but were you aware that OSHA has guidelines for their mounting, placement and signage? Refer to CFR 1910.157 for more information. For NFPA: From the 2018 edition of NFPA 1

13.6.1.2* Where Required. Fire extinguishers shall be provided where required by this Code as specified in Table 13.6.1.2 and the referenced codes and standards listed in Chapter 2.

With all that said, the picture above depicts a fire extinguisher that is located in a pretty awkward place. It doesn’t meet the OSHA requirements of having the extinguisher “readily accessible to employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury.” That fire extinguisher is located really close to the ground without many (any) markings around it to indicate that it is there, and it is very close to the adjacent electric motor, and there is a pipe located along the floor next to it as well. The pipe poses a tripping hazard, with the electric motor right there to catch your fall!

There are a lot of considerations to review when locating your fire extinguishers, and as mentioned above, please check with the codes applicable in your location first. In addition to that, as a building or maintenance manager, you need to be sure that they are being inspected and tested regularly. We can see in this photo that this extinguisher has an inspection tag on it, but when was it inspected last? As it is located in a hard to find place, it wouldn’t be surprising to find that it had not been inspected in a while. Take a moment when you find an out of the way extinguisher like this to review its tag. If it hasn’t been inspected, work with your inspection company to make sure it gets added to the list and if you do decide to relocate it, let them know about that too.

Fire extinguishers are great tools and they can prevent a minor flare up from becoming a full building fire. However, they need maintenance and attention just like everything else. It is too easy to get complacent and just walk by these red sentinels. Take a moment and give them a closer look the next time you see them – you will be glad you did.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

The Importance of Commercial Building Inspections

The Importance of Commercial Building Inspections

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

For anyone who has purchased a home, especially when using a loan from a bank or other financial institution, you know that a pre-purchase home inspection is almost always required. So why is this not the case with commercial real estate transactions? They may not be required by lenders but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider having one performed. In fact, it may be the single most important act you perform prior to signing for the new property. Let’s examine why that is the case.

Commercial real estate is, by definition, about business – commerce. All businesses must focus on profitability, which means the income must exceed the out-go. Buildings are necessary for many of our business functions, and while their long term value is typically considered an asset, their day to day operation involves expenses. When considering the purchase or lease of a new commercial property, it is critical that the purchaser or lessee have a firm understanding of what the capital and operating expenses might be. You wouldn’t purchase a home with a leaky roof or a faulty boiler, so why would you blindly purchase a building for your business without the same basic level of understanding about the building? In fact, if you select the right inspection company, you can learn much more about the property, such as energy usage projections and equipment lifecycle expectations, and that can help you make the best informed decision possible.

Commercial building purchases or long term lease agreements are, or should be, logical and economic decisions and the tend to be, less about emotion than a residential real estate transaction. While in both cases things like location and aesthetics are important, commercial real estate transactions are fundamentally more concerned with how the purchase or lease will help the business grow. To that end, a detailed analysis of the attributes and faults of the building should be seen as a way to determine whether or not it will fulfill the needs of the company rather than more subjective concerns.

Another reason that conducting a building inspection prior to purchasing or leasing a commercial property is so important is due to the complexity of commercial building systems as compared to residential ones. While some home buyers will feel very comfortable taking on home improvement “D.I.Y.” projects, the equipment and systems found in commercial buildings is often much more complex and unfamiliar. Additionally, you are in the business of running your business, not acting as a carpenter, electrician or HVAC technician typically. Still, you need a qualified professional to analyze these systems and provide you with easy to understand reports that allow you to manage the building that you choose to lease or purchase. Armed with a quality inspection report, you can properly plan for the required maintenance and upgrades that you will need for your building.

One more consideration for commercial buildings that should not be overlooked is that they are typically subject to very different regulations compared to residential buildings. Things like the Americans With Disabilities Act, along with local, state, and federal building code requirements must be considered and understood as they can have a direct impact on the final cost of the building. A qualified inspector with experience inspecting commercial buildings can identify these for you and help you understand the potential costs involved. Failure to take this into consideration could be extremely costly. For instance, perhaps you are considering the purchase of a building that had not been used for retail purposes in the past, but is in a great location and has great “curb appeal” – a real eye catcher that you hope will draw in customers. Unfortunately, the primary entrance is up a short flight of stairs and leads to an ornate old door with an old fashioned knob for hardware. You may be forced to make significant changes to the entrance to allow for ramp access and a change in the front door to make it ADA accessible. These changes may or may not effect your decision to purchase the property, but you deserve to have the information in advance so that you can weigh the pro’s and con’s before making your decision.

Now that you know why you should have a building inspection performed before leasing or purchasing a commercial building, the next question is how do you go about it. First, talk with your real estate agent about your interest in finding a qualified inspection company to review the building. You can also conduct your own search in your area. Be careful to select a consulting firm or inspection company that has experience specifically in the inspection of commercial buildings. As noted earlier, commercial buildings are often significantly different from residential structures and your average home inspector is not equipped to provide you with the analysis that you need to make your decision. Realtors – if your business lists or assists buyers in the purchase of commercial buildings, seek out those firms in your area that can provide these services and have experience in this area. You will be providing a valuable service to your clients and in the process of helping them make financially sound choices, you will be improving your credibility in this market.

Building inspections are a vital service to the building owner and their importance is not limited to just the initial transaction. There is valuable information for all building owners and managers that can only be gained through periodic inspections. Even after the real estate transaction is over, consider periodic inspections as part of your ongoing maintenance and operations process. These inspections will help you keep track of improvements that have been made to the building as well as to re-assess the condition of the systems to plan for future work and upgrades. It is far more cost effective to plan for maintenance and capital improvements to your facility than it is to wait for a system to fail and then have to deal with repairs on an emergency basis. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – this axiom from Ben Franklin is as true today as it was in his day. Find your qualified building inspector and help prevent unwanted problems in your building.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

We Are Really Fortunate

We Are Really Fortunate

Robert S. Michaud, P.E. - 5/5/2020

We are really fortunate. Can you imagine if we tried to manage this same pandemic 20 or 30 (or more) years ago? Not only would we all be a lot more starved for entertainment options (no Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, etc.), but we would certainly not have the same opportunity to still be productive at work. For those of us with “essential business” status, part of our challenge has been to adapt to the very different business climate. We have gotten used to video conference calls and virtual meetings, but have we really explored what can be done “virtually” in our workplace. So much of what we, as engineers, do each day revolves around information and data. If we can transmit that data to others electronically, we can find ways to continue to work collaboratively. If you aren’t permitted to allow a contractor or consultant onto your property to investigate or inspect an issue, take photos and video or conduct a video call (Skype or similar) with the consultant on the line. We can find ways to work together and still get the job done.

Time is critical. Each day of this pandemic is troublesome for normal operations, but it can also be a time to address those areas of our facilities that too often get neglected. This is a perfect time to conduct those roof inspections, equipment inspections, general building inspections, audits of the maintenance practices, evaluate and update current maintenance procedures, develop maintenance procedures for those troublesome pieces of equipment that always seem to slip through the cracks, and in general, streamline operations. Having a hard time wrapping your head around these things? Reach out for help. There are resources and experts ready to help, and with today’s technology, we can tackle these challenges in a variety of new ways.

Now, try to think about doing THAT a few decades ago!

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020