Smart Maintenance
Smart Maintenance is all about using maintenance budgets more effectively by optimising planning and using the most appropriate and cost-effective materials and systems. We have found this system is must applicable to our customers who have long term ownership of their housing stock (five years or greater).
Even seemingly insignificant modifications to maintenance can lead to big cost savings over the lifetime of a building. To achieve these savings it is necessary to gain a complete understanding of the performance characteristics of all materials involved.
The philosophy of Smart Maintenance, effectively applied, enables the achievement of ‘Best Value’ on any cyclical maintenance programme. It is a tailored process which acknowledges that each site will require a specific approach according to aspect, building use, traffic flow and other factors.
Smart Maintenance is a calculated balance between quality and cost. Product quality alone is not necessarily the means to achieve “Best Value”. Where two products have broadly similar performance characteristics and life expectancy, price becomes an important criterion, as does ease of application and the consequent reduction of labour time.
The life cycle of a building and its maintenance needs form the basis of Akzo Nobel’s Smart Maintenance programmes, which provide an innovative and practical approach to cyclical maintenance. Smart Maintenance specifications incorporate the most appropriate and cost effective coating systems.
We have worked with the Akzo Nobel Smart Maintenance programme for three years now and the benefits to the properties are self evident when viewing properties which were decorated in year 1.
It is vital, when embarking on a Smart Maintenance cyclical maintenance programme, that the substrate be brought back to a sound condition in Year 1. Time spent on ensuring this will be repaid later in a lower maintenance requirement. As an example we have costed, with the paint manufacturer, the estimated benefits of this to the owner for a typical block of flats (2 storey) 35 units, two communal staircases and corridors:
Conventional Smart Maintenance
£’s year 1 £’s year 5 £’s year1 £’s year 5
Fascias/soffits Fascias/soffits
£’s year 1 £’s year 5 £’s year1 £’s year 5
Fascias/soffits Fascias/soffits
235.20 235.20 235.20 176.40
Windows painted/stained Windows painted/stained
3712.31 3712.31 3712.31 1744.78
Doors Doors
Windows painted/stained Windows painted/stained
3712.31 3712.31 3712.31 1744.78
Doors Doors
145.40 145.40 145.40 145.40
PVC-u RW goods PVC-u RW goods
PVC-u RW goods PVC-u RW goods
158.90 158.90 158.90 158.90
Total labour/material costs Total labour/material costs
Total labour/material costs Total labour/material costs
4251.81 4251.81 4251.81 2225.49
Material cost Material cost
Material cost Material cost
280.50 280.50 280.50 210.37
Labour cost Labour cost
Labour cost Labour cost
3971.31 3971.31 3971.31 2015.11
For Year 1 the total decoration cost is £4,251.81 for Year 5 the decoration cost is £2,225.48. This gives a cost savings per annum of £2,026.33 by Year 5. Using this system we are able to almost halve maintenance costs for painted surfaces. When multipled up across a customer's entire housing stock this system shows great economic benefits.
