Measuring the hours billed to work orders relative to the
hours available for work (productivity) can provide insight into almost everything that is going on in the shop. If productivity levels are low, transportation managers can evaluate things like shift schedules, work assignment procedures, parts procurement practices and training requirements. Keep in mind that high productivity might not be all good news.
If mechanics are taking twice as long to do a job than it should take, productivity is high and efficiency is low. Terefore, measuring job times against a department-wide average or against industry “book times” where available will provide insight into efficiency. Te ability to have the “right” parts available while managing
cost makes inventory management an underappreciated science even within maintenance operations. Balancing items that are easy to get with those you actually use, those you “must have” and those that might be special order, require detailed and thoughtful consideration. Starting with the composition of your own inventory is an excellent point of entry to this analysis. Evaluating the proportion of part requests taken out of stock inventory can indicate whether appropriate items are in the inventory and indicate which should be removed. Assessing the time between when a mechanic orders a part and when it arrives demonstrates whether inventory management and the procurement process is supporting the core mission of keeping
the technicians working on vehicles as much as possible. Te fleet inventory also has an important impact on
maintenance effectiveness. Te average age and mileage of the fleet are useful to know but insufficient to understand the impact of asset management on maintenance. Measuring the replacement backlog (calculated as the percentage of the fleet that is at or beyond a desired replacement criteria) provides much more insight into the relationship between fleet condition, cost and reliability. Similarly, evaluating historic expenditures for new vehicles versus projected replacement costs provides a forward- looking indicator of likely cost increases in maintenance services. Fleet management does not have to be the black sheep of the
transportation family. Te ability to actually repair equipment is not necessary skill to effectively manage maintenance services. Rather, it is critical managers have insight and focus on the relationships between the functional areas of maintenance and the systems in place to maximize technician productivity and efficiency. ■
Tim Ammon is a consultant with Management Partnership Services, Inc., in Rockville, Md. He has extensive experience in system implementation and use and evaluating school bus routes and schedules and has analyzed all aspects of transportation and fleet management operations. Ammon also assists in the specification and implementation of transportation software applications.
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