Dave Durfee is the Facility Management Director at Timber Ridge, a lodge-style CCRC located at the base of Cougar Mountain in Issaquah, Washington. With 184 residences and another 154 currently being constructed, communication, asset protection and reporting are at the top of their list of challenges.
“Before utilizing TheWorxHub, I had to keep track of a lot of things in my head. We did everything with hard copies. All of our work orders would come in on pieces of paper. All of this information had to be maintained on a spreadsheet with lots of margin for error. We really needed a more efficient solution.
Communication is important in a community this size. I use reporting quite a bit to keep track of how long it takes work orders to be completed, who is doing what and how they are performing. Probably the most important use of reporting that I use is for our monthly and quarterly QA meetings for our skilled nursing center, where we go over all of the work orders for that area. Because it’s all documented, it easy to share with other departments. This type of reporting also helps with our quarterly fire, life and safety checks.
Streamlining construction & asset management
We are in the process of building a new phase. During this time, I will utilize the barcode feature as new equipment and assets are installed. We can then schedule preventive maintenance and determine life expectancy of the equipment, so I can do my capital expenditure budget and put aside money for replacement costs.
One of the biggest advantages of utilizing TheWorxHub is protecting the assets of the company from the standpoint of having all the data at your fingertips. You know the entire history of each piece of equipment, and what you’ve done to extend the life of the equipment and the building. Being able to maximize the use of your equipment prior to replacement results in cost and time savings.
Another factor in saving time: Imagine that most teams have one person who is better at, say, HVAC, and another who is better at plumbing. As the work orders come in, I am able to quickly route work to the person best qualified for the job.
Lastly, we have a large amount of refurbishments that we do. Every seven years our residents get new carpet and paint, and in 10 years they get new appliances, etc. We put all of those alerts in and never have to give it a second thought. The system will alert us when it’s time.
For a building this size, it’s so helpful to take the work out of us having to remember who needs what, when.
This way, we can focus our time on the actual work and not the administrative side of things."