Consumers these days are often asked to buy extended warranties and other product protection plans. You break it? We will buy you a new one. Blew out a new tire? We will replace it for free. But all too often when these problems arise, we find out what is in the small print excludes coverage.
It’s these real life experiences that teach us: when a Sales Representative tries to sell you product protection, you respectfully decline. Forklift Contract Maintenance - I can tell you from experience - is quite the opposite.
When have you ever added 10,000 lbs to your Camry’s trunk and drove around to see how long the brake pads would last or how quickly your tires would wear? Forklifts are built to withstand the jobs they are made for but will also require wearable parts to be replaced (sometimes frequently) to ensure optimal performance of the equipment.
Meeting customer deadlines is what we all strive for at the end of the day, and Contract Maintenance is one of the best ways to avoid unexpected downtime. Contract Maintenance is designed to:
- Increase the lifetime of the equipment
- Decrease downtime
- Streamline and set monthly operational costs
- Keep the operator and products safe from injury and damage
Completing this work as scheduled by your manufacturer increases the lifetime of the equipment and lowers the overall cost of ownership by helping you avoid major component failure. As an added bonus: you effectively decrease your downtime from needed repairs and have the flexibility to schedule maintenance during a slow period for your operation.
Built into these maintenance packages, and most important to any owner, are the safety inspections. These are crucial to your operation and operator safety, all while keeping your Forklift in compliance with all OSHA regulations.
Lastly, and perhaps most important from an accounting standpoint, is cost. These contracts allow you to control maintenance and repair cost by providing a set monthly rate with all-inclusive plans enabling you to plan and budget years in advance.
In the end, forklifts are a necessity for completing business but rising maintenance costs, major breakdowns and customer dissatisfaction are not. So the next time you are offered a contract maintenance plan, keep the factors described above in mind. While new forklifts come with warranties and the initial cost to maintain them is low, there’s a significant cost benefit to a Contract Maintenance plan for the years to follow.
For questions about this article, or for additional information on scheduling service, contact the author directly or the TMHNC location nearest you.
