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Traditionally, forecourt operators have relied on reactive maintenance; that is, waiting for an asset to stop working before paying attention to the cause of the breakdown.
While on the surface this might seem like a cost-effective approach (no need to spend budget unless something is broken), the reality is that longer term, a purely reactive maintenance strategy often leads to increased – and unbudgeted – maintenance costs.
These unbudgeted costs can be the result of a combination of more severe breakdowns, technician overtime payments and the need for quick – often temporary – fixes.
Couple this with increased asset downtime, low customer satisfaction and a reduction in revenue, and a switch to a proactive and a planned, preventative maintenance schedule becomes a more obvious choice. Preventative maintenance results in smoother operations, enhanced safety on the forecourt, easier budgeting, improved cashflow, and happier customers!
The run-until-failure approach guarantees revenue loss
Effectively managing preventative maintenance (which can be as simple as cleaning routines and replacing consumables, or annual electrical testing or pump filter replacements) helps to keep forecourts running smoothly. It can also mean you’re meeting obligations for legal compliance, helping you avoid fines or penalties, and maintaining the validity of your assets’ warranties.
The more attention you pay to proactive and preventative maintenance, the less time and money you’re likely to spend on reactive repairs. It’s like looking after your car: regular checks and proactive maintenance help identify components that need attention before the car breaks down, keeping it performing optimally, operating safely, and on the road for longer.
Put an end to unplanned downtime
Downtime of critical assets is one of the biggest facilities and maintenance headaches for fuel retailers. Fuel pumps, coffee machines and carwash are always at the top of any fuel operator’s priority list of critical assets. A large proportion of a forecourt and convenience store profit is derived from the sales revenue generated by these assets, and any unplanned downtime has an immediate impact on revenue.
One of the major benefits of a robust preventative maintenance routine is a reduction in unplanned downtime and an improvement in the reliability of assets. By regularly servicing and inspecting your assets, and addressing any issues and findings before they escalate, you can dramatically reduce the likelihood of those unwelcome breakdowns.
Preventative maintenance can extend the lifespan of your forecourt equipment, reducing the cost to replace, and keep your forecourts operating smoothly. But importantly, preventative maintenance can help with forecourt safety. Regular maintenance can identify any potential risks with forecourt equipment and reduce the risk of accidents or incidents involving staff and customers.
Urgent helps fuel retailers manage preventative maintenance
Urgent makes it easy for fuel retailers to stay on top of proactive, preventative maintenance routines.
- Asset register: The asset register – or asset library – is more than just a collection of makes and models. It’s a central location to track warranty information, asset location and associated financial data. The asset register is a complete record of each asset’s maintenance history, including details of all inspections, service history, and repairs, and provides a full audit trail for compliance or reporting purposes.
- Scheduled tasks: Preventative maintenance helps keep your sites running optimally and ensures you meet your compliance or warranty requirements. Urgent makes it easy to manage and schedule annual inspections or services and regular maintenance tasks, such as landscaping, deep cleaning or waste management.
- Contractor performance management: Urgent is a single point-of-reference contractor management tool. Urgent captures contractor performance data through service level agreement tracking, works verification and contractor ratings, enabling fuel retailers to drive continual improvement across the supplier workforce.
