How a good maintenance contract will save you money

Forklifts, like most things, can decline over time with regular use. This aging and deterioration effects more than safety on site. It can also lead to unplanned breakdowns and disruptions which reduce your ability to work efficiently and productively. Sure, good warranties and adhering to the recommended service intervals will keep forklifts longer in good shape, but you want them like that also when they’re older.

The cost of overlooking maintenance

For some companies, there are concerns about the costs involved in carrying out maintenance. That’s a very short-term view as – in the end – it will work out much cheaper than requesting an emergency call-out… and that’s before you consider the cost of repairing the forklift itself.

And that’s just the start…

Unplanned breakdowns can be thieves of time and productivity, too. In a warehouse, for example, where every minute counts and maximum productivity is essential, a broken-down truck blocking an aisle can come at a heavy price.

If the forklift will be out of action for some time, then a replacement truck may need to be arranged –until your machine is back in good working order.

But that takes time… and any delay to your operations increases the risk of it being noticed by your customers. Put yourself in their shoes: how many delays would you accept before you decided to go elsewhere with your business?

Be proactive with your forklift maintenance

Thankfully, with a good maintenance contract, those aren’t things you’ll need to worry about.

A good forklift service provider should schedule and plan maintenance around the needs of your truck and its application.

These scheduled visits should provide you with the checks necessary to ensure your trucks are working safely and productively. Also, the visiting engineer can instruct you how to do your daily checks yourself.

In addition, they allow issues to be identified and resolved early on – before they grow into more significant, expensive problems.

For those overseeing operations, maintenance contracts offer the transparency you need to accurately plan budgets and predict costs… all while minimising the risk of unplanned downtime.

What should you look for?

With so many options available, as well as lingo, choosing the right maintenance contract for your forklift’s needs can be challenging. Try to choose a supplier that can tailor the contract to your application.

Typically, you’ll be entering into a contract for 24 and or up to 60 months, so it’s important to make sure your truck is adequately covered. Take your time to compare the quotations, including travel costs, rates outside normal working hours, surcharges and so on.

To assist, we’ve prepared an easy-to-use checklist to help you identify your needs.

Conclusion

While some things, like fine wine and George Clooney, get better with age, it’s clear that your forklift truck may not… unless it has a good maintenance contract in place.

At Mitsubishi, we know that the better you look after your truck, the longer it will serve you – offering a great return on your investment.

That’s why our dealers offer a range of full and planned service programmes. By working with you, they’ll develop a maintenance programme which keeps your trucks and your business on the move.