Christopher L Sharp

An Evaluation of Facility Maintenance and Repair Strategies of Select Companies Christopher L Sharp

Publisher Marketing: Whether a company is predominantly administrative or production oriented, facility related costs are usually a significant portion of the overall cost of doing business. Although initial construction costs are high, the cost of operation and maintenance over a facilities life-cycle is significantly higher. A common challenge for facility maintenance professionals is balancing the cost of facility Maintenance and Repair (MR) with the benefits derived from those facilities. This thesis documents how a selection of companies implemented that balance by first determining their facilities MR requirements based on their chosen facility condition level and how they then allocated funds to meet those requirements. The research effort consisted of interviews with facility maintenance professionals at each company selected. The data was then used to perform a multiple case study analysis and comparison with the methods currently used by the USAF. Results indicate that companies that methodically identified their requirements and used those requirements as the basis for allocating funds to meet those requirements incurred the least impact from facility problems on their daily operations. In comparison, companies that allocated funds based on methods other than actual facility MR requirements typically under-funded those requirements, resulting in facilities that did not optimally meet their needs, required extensive work around conditions, and ultimately increased their cost of doing business. Finally, the data also suggests that a commitment to proper facility maintenance does not impede a company's ability to compete within their chosen market.