Summer Update
It’s been a busy year for the Murray Building Services Maintenance Division with new clients coming on board, a full programme of summer maintenance and plenty of activity across our Minor Works and Lifecycle team.
Our engineers have been working across the North West, supporting clients in healthcare, education, commercial properties and public buildings. Whether it’s routine servicing, compliance inspections or responding to a breakdown, the priority is always the same – keeping buildings safe, systems running and disruption to a minimum.
New Maintenance Partnerships
We’ve welcomed several new planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and compliance customers this year, including the University of Lancashire (UOL), where our support began at the start of the year.
Another notable addition is the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, located on the site of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station.
It’s a great building to be involved with and one we’re particularly pleased to add to our maintenance portfolio. Looking after mechanical services in a busy visitor attraction, particularly one with such an important industrial heritage, brings its own challenges. It’s the kind of work our team has the experience to support.
Both partnerships are developing well, and we’re pleased that our maintenance work will continue beyond the summer.
We’ve also recently welcomed Rochdale Town Hall, Chester Cathedral and Rossendale Borough Council as maintenance clients. These additions show the range of buildings we support, from civic and historic sites, and the area our maintenance team covers across Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
A Busy Summer Across the Education Sector
The school holidays are always a busy time for our maintenance engineers, and this summer has been no different.
With students and staff away, our teams have been making the most of the quieter sites to carry out servicing, compliance inspections and planned maintenance across schools and education facilities throughout the North West.
It’s an important window for getting essential work completed with minimal disruption, making sure heating, hot water and other mechanical systems are checked, serviced and ready for the new academic year.
A lot of this work happens behind the scenes, but it’s essential to keeping buildings safe and running properly.
Keeping on Top of Compliance
Compliance is a major part of the work we carry out for our maintenance clients.
Regular servicing, inspections and testing aren’t just about meeting statutory requirements. They’re also about spotting potential problems early, keeping equipment in good working order and avoiding unnecessary breakdowns.
Our Maintenance Division covers a range of mechanical services, including:
- Boiler and gas safety inspections and servicing
- HVAC maintenance and performance checks
- Thermostatic Mixing Valve (TMV) inspections and testing
- Legionella monitoring and control
- Mechanical planned preventative maintenance (PPM)
- Reactive maintenance and repairs
By keeping on top of these essential tasks, we help our clients manage their buildings more effectively, reduce the risk of unexpected failures and get the most from their equipment.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, our engineers will continue supporting customers with planned servicing, compliance work and reactive maintenance across the region.
Minor Works and Lifecycle - Building On Our Maintenance Services
Another area that’s been keeping us busy is Minor Works and Lifecycle, a relatively new addition to our maintenance offering which has continued to develop throughout the year.
Led by Martin Hickson, a long-standing member of the MBS team, this service focuses on planned plant replacements, mechanical upgrades and improvement works.
It’s a useful extension of the work we already do for our maintenance clients. Our engineers are often the first to identify equipment that’s reaching the end of its working life or systems that would benefit from an upgrade.
Rather than waiting for something to fail, we can work with clients to plan the replacement, agree a suitable programme and carry out the work at a time that causes the least disruption.
Recent Minor Works and Lifecycle Projects
The team has completed several projects this year, including:
- Full commercial boiler replacement at Yarnspinners Health Centre
- Boiler plant upgrades at Stoke Extra Care Facilities
- Underfloor heating refurbishment works, getting systems back into good working order ahead of the colder months.
- These are good examples of the type of work our Minor Works and Lifecycle team is now delivering, helping clients deal with ageing equipment and make improvements to their existing mechanical services.
Planning Ahead Rather Than Waiting For a Breakdown
Anyone responsible for managing a building knows that unexpected plant failures can be costly and disruptive, particularly in hospitals, care facilities, schools and other occupied buildings.
That’s why we’re encouraging clients to take a more planned approach to replacing and upgrading their mechanical equipment.
Through regular maintenance, we get to know the systems we’re looking after and can advise when equipment is showing signs of wear, becoming unreliable or nearing the end of its useful life.
Whether it’s a commercial boiler replacement, an HVAC upgrade or a larger programme of plant improvements, the aim is to help clients plan the work and budget for it rather than face an unexpected breakdown.
It’s a practical approach that makes sense for both the building and the people who rely on it.
We’re pleased with how this part of the business is developing and look forward to taking on more Minor Works and Lifecycle projects over the coming months.
Looking Ahead
It’s been a strong year for the Maintenance Division, with new contracts secured, established client relationships developing and our Minor Works and Lifecycle team taking on an increasing range of projects.
Maintenance is an important part of MBS, working alongside our Contract Division, which delivers larger mechanical installation projects across the North West.
Having both divisions within the business means we can support clients at different stages – from major installations and refurbishments through to ongoing servicing, compliance, repairs and planned plant replacements.
Most importantly, none of this happens without the people doing the work. Our engineers, managers and office team have put in a great deal of effort throughout the year, often working around busy, occupied buildings and tight maintenance windows to get the job done.
A big thank you to everyone across the division, and to our clients for their continued support and trust in MBS.
We’ve got a busy few months ahead and plenty to look forward to.