Happy Earth Day! Did you know today is Earth Day? It seems like every day has a new moniker. I like the old Monday – Friday, really like Saturday and Sunday and especially holidays! But that’s just me.

Anyway, I started thinking about an old article I read a few years ago about corporate responsibility and the triple bottom line, and then how it relates to sustainability, which is what Earth Day is all about.

What is corporate responsibility and the triple bottom line? Basically, it is part of an organization’s overall strategy that includes a focus not only on profit, but also on social and environmental impacts. There is a lot more to it than that, but I like to keep things simple. Standard bottom line is a focus on profit. The triple bottom line includes a focus on profit, people, and the planet (the three Ps).

Let’s consider how a solid implementation of Maximo can help organizations meet some of the goals associated with corporate responsibility and the triple bottom line. Even if your organization is not focused on the triple part, there are activities that can be improve processes that will drive ROI in the maintenance organization and at the same time have a positive impact on the people in your organization and the planet.

There are six basic areas that are considered when looking to improve through sustainability.

  • Reduction in Carbon Footprint
  • Reduction in Energy Costs
  • Reduction in Facilities Costs
  • Reduction in Paper Cost
  • Reduction in Transportation/Logistic Costs
  • Increase in Customer Retention

A maintenance organization that has or is implementing best practices does have a positive impact on the list above and as a result is improving their triple bottom line. The following are some thoughts on how we can improve our impact on profit, people, and the planet:

Reduction in Carbon Footprint: From a maintenance and operations perspective, when our assets are operating at peak performance, they will consume less energy. How effective is your PM program? Do you have a lubrication program in place? Are you replacing older, less efficient assets when practical?

Reduction in Energy Costs: Anything we do to improve efficiency of our assets and people will have a positive impact on energy usage and costs. Can we implement solar within the facility to reduce the overall reliance on fossil fuels? As we replace our aging fleet of vehicles, Electric Vehicles (EVs) may be an option.

Reduction in Facilities Costs: There are so many actions we can take to reduce overall facilities costs from turning off unused lights (motion detecting switches), meter readings to drive PMs and maintenance activities, to improved efficiencies because of planning and scheduling programs.

Reduction in Paper Cost: In my opinion, if you are not using mobile applications for work management, inventory management, and rounds, you are missing out on a quick win. How much paper does your organization consume? I remember the stacks of paper, work orders and PMs, that we would generate on a weekly basis in the past. Mobile apps eliminate a great deal of wasted paper and at the same time improve data collection and quality. What about employee satisfaction when using a mobile app? You must include that in the metrics.

Reduction in Transportation/Logistic Costs: How many times have you had to special order a part or overnight something for a job that was scheduled or for a critical asset that failed unexpectedly? Guilty as charged, and I have seen worse committed by others over the years too. You can’t eliminate all emergencies, but by implementing best practices around reliability, planning, and scheduling, PM forecasting and identifying failures that may happen with critical assets, you can better understand consumption patterns for spare parts and identify what critical spares should be readily available.

Increase in Employee/Customer Retention: By providing better tools that simplify an employee’s day-to-day and providing the necessary training on how and why things are done, you can have happier employees who are more efficient. It is not easy, but focusing on making things better for employees goes a long way. This can also result in providing a better product and environment, increasing customer retention and growth.

I do believe the above items are achievable activities, and while they do have an impact on profitability, they also have an impact on people and the planet. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Any maintenance and operations organization can be an instrumental part of an organizations bottom line (It’s no longer a cost center.) and can address each of the points above in a positive way. Furthermore, by putting in place better/best practices, you are in effect leveraging your long-term sustainability, which will lower costs, increase profits, and lead to happier employees and more satisfied customers.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, and I would be happy to share how Maven can help you lay out a roadmap for improvements to you triple bottom line.