Simplifying the In-House vs. Outsource Maintenance Decision

Holman’s team of maintenance experts discuss the pros and cons of operating an in-house repair facility versus outsourcing to an external vendor.

Typically, the vehicles in a vocational fleet are much more than just trucks, and vans; more often than not, they’re complex tools your employees need to do their jobs and service your customers. For these vocational fleets, vehicle uptime is of paramount importance and many organizations operate in-house maintenance facilities to help get vehicles back in service as quickly as possible.

That being said, effectively managing in-house resources and, when necessary, supplementing them with external vendors can be a significant challenge. In a recent article with Fleet Maintenance, a team of Holman’s experts discussed the pros and cons of operating in-house facilities versus utilizing external vendors and offered some advice to help fleet operators navigate this complex decision.

In the article, Holman’s Eric Woltz says that for most organizations, the in-house versus outsource decision is typically driven by three key factors – capacity, capability, and infrastructure. Eric notes that while capacity (the number of in-house technicians you employ) and capability (your technicians’ expertise and training) are important considerations, infrastructure is often the biggest hurdle.

 
Later in the article, Holman’s Joseph Smith shares that a hybrid-approach to maintenance, operating an in-house facility that is supplemented by external vendors, can help you strike an ideal balance.

It is also important to keep in mind that when you outsource your fleet maintenance, you’ll also have more time to focus on the strategic fleet initiatives that make a meaningful contribution to the success of your business rather than dealing with the day-to-day tactical minutia of operating an in-house facility. To read the entire article, be sure to visit FleetMaintenance.com (article begins on page 8).