The Klipboard Field Service Glossary

A Parts Inventory Management Software system is designed to reduce the maintenance cost of assets, reduce inventory shortages and encourage a more cost effective approach to maintenance.

Most Inventory Management Software systems allow you to gain more control over the supply chain of your parts and products. Having greater visibility of your stock levels helps you to avoid running out of parts required to complete repairs.

Klipboard Job Management Software includes an Inventory Management Systems that also allows you to manage stock across multiple locations. This is particularly useful for Field Service Engineers where parts could be spread across various depots, storage centres and even vehicles.

 

Passive Fire Protection are the components or products used to structurally protect a building from fire and keep their occupants safe.

Fire Safety regulations and certification differ country to country but all support the most important goal which is the protection on life. 

Examples of Passive Fire Protection testing certification and regulations by region:

• United Kingdom: BS 476


• Germany: DIN 4102


• Netherlands: NEN6068


• United States: ASTM E119


• Canada: ULC-S101


• Australia: AS1905.1-2005

Passive Fire Protection such as Fire-Resisting Doors, Fire Shutters, Suspended Ceilings and Fire-Resistant Glazing all need periodic testing and inspection to meet their code. Fire Safety Compliance specialists are commissioned to do scheduled testing to ensure the building owners meet compliance regulations.

Building developers are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment. Passivehaus or Passive House is a highly energy efficient building standard and has become a leading building standard. 

Particular care and attention is given to the thermal insulation of the building. The heat the building contains and the airtightness of the property dictates whether it meets Passivehaus standard.

Developed in the 1990s by Professors Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist in Darmstadt Germany. Passivehaus was initially designed with new build properties in mind, however its expanded to refurbishment projects.

Peak Seasons are periods when a Field Service business is at its busiest and this is often dependant on the type of work that carry out.

HVAC technicians experience their busiest periods during extremes in temperatures. In the Northern Hemisphere this is typically from May to Aug for Summer months then Nov to Jan for Winter. This trend is reversed for the Southern Hemisphere.

Your might be interested in: How managing your HVAC business changes during the summer months

Drainage companies see their peak seasons during the wet seasons when they experience downpours which put added pressure on drainage systems. While some industries in Field Service have a fairly consistent workload throughout the year with short periods where work stops such as Construction, Building Services and Facilities Management. These are likely to be constantly required throughout the year with only extreme weather and seasonal holidays halting demand.

 

 

Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) is the process of ensuring equipment, machinery or assets are serviced and inspected on a regular basis to avoid downtime.

PPM is frequently used by Field Service Engineers and Technicians and forms part of an ongoing commitment of asset management between the servicing business and their customers, to ensure their equipment is performing effectively.

Potential faults and failures can be spotted early and avoided when the equipment is regularly serviced. For many client’s any downtime experienced of their assets could have a significant impact on their revenue.

The key benefits of PPM are:

• Longer lifespan of assets and equipment


• Reduced need for unplanned repairs or emergency call outs


• Improved performance of the equipment


• Reduced running costs


• Improved safety management


• Reduced downtime


• Happier clients

 

 




Managing PPM schedules is typically done with Job Management Software, this allows the Servicing Business to book a series of jobs into their engineer’s diary and accompany that with all the information they need.

To read more on the benefits of PPM Schedules click here.

Preventative Maintenance is maintenance that is performed on a piece of machinery on a regular schedule to reduce the likelihood of failing or breakdowns. A routine sequence of preventive maintenance will ensure parts within the machinery are operating as the should be and will give the engineer or technician an opportunity to spot a potential fail, before the breakdown occurs.

Unplanned downtime is avoidable by using a preventative maintenance schedule. The frequency of the schedule is dependant on several factors such as how the equipment is used, how often the equipment is operational, or sensor based with smart machines.

 

Usage-based maintenance

If an asset or parts of an asset are known to fail upon a certain number of uses then a maintenance schedule can be designed around the usage of the equipment. For example, if a fan within an Air Conditioning unit is know to after 400 hours, a HVAC engineer can build a plan around the expected time it will take to reach short of that number.

 

Time-based maintenance

A time-based maintenance plan will schedule maintenance around set dates. A Gym maintenance technician may be required to conduct weekly swimming pool PH and chemical testing. Due to high usage and the health and safety implications a more frequent maintenance schedule is required.

 

Condition-based maintenance

Condition based maintenance schedules are deigned to be proactive and identify parts of an asset likely to fail. This form of maintenance is changing significantly will the introduction of smart sensors and 5G networks. Field Service Engineers are able to read the real time condition of machines allowing them to plan proactively ahead to order new parts of schedule servicing.

A Proforma Invoice isn’t actually an invoice at all. It’s a preliminary bill or an estimation used to secure commitment from a buyer for goods or services before they are supplied. A Proforma Invoice will include details of the products, parts or services needed for a project or job.

What’s the difference between a quote and a Proforma Invoice?

A quote is often a simple outline of the project or job and the estimated costs. People often use a Proforma Invoice to offer the buyer or client more detail in the transaction. Often a quote will generalise the overall costs while a Proforma Invoice is likely to list all individual costs.

Public Tenders are the procurement process used when the public sector is invited to compete for work. This could be the supply of goods, services, products, works or maintenance with the overall goal of securing the best quality service at the most cost effective price.