100% Secure PaymentsThe script is being flipped when it comes to thinking about ROI business plans. ROI (return on investment) data commonly measures the performance of a business based on items like cash flow and profit. When you purchase new equipment or launch a new pricing strategy, you measure ROI based on the money saved or gained.
However, ROI data is being measured differently as well: A facility needs to demonstrate business value across the company as well as financial viability. A facility manager needs to look beyond the cost savings to gauge the value of a workforce’s efforts.
Improving employee satisfaction and investing in facility upgrades creates a workplace where employees enjoy being can improve productivity, which in turn can have financial impacts on your facility. It gives your business a competitive edge and ultimately helps the bottom line.
Facility upgrades for improving health
Air quality starts with proper air circulation, which can be achieved by installing industrial ceiling fans. These fans – also known as high volume, low speed (HVLS) fans – are able to move large volumes of air with minimal energy. By consistently providing large-scale airflow, HVLS fans can help regulate temperature, as well as prevent stagnant air, control moisture, and promote a cleaner work environment. Frequently turning over the air in particular eliminate toxic airborne chemicals at a much more rapid pace.
In addition to pollutants, HVLS fans can also control a facility’s moisture—specifically where it relates to condensation, which can form on the floor in between two different climate-controlled environments and present a significant safety hazard. Proper indoor air movement quickly dries this condensation to reduce fall risks, pollutants and bacteria associated with unchecked moisture.
Under OSHA law, employers are responsible for eliminating these known safety hazards, so making investments in environment-regulating solutions like industrial fans are not only a benefit but also a critical need.
Hunter worked with a Nashville, Tenn. region facility that relied on pedestal fans to keep their workforce cool in their small warehouse during the hot and humid Tennessee summers. They found the existing pedestal fans only provided relief for those employees working within the fans’ immediate vicinity. As a result, a facility manager fell sick from the heat and was not able to return to work. Along with that, the facility itself was forced to close its doors during the hottest portion of the summer.
Considering these challenges, Hunter Industrial installed two 14-foot industrial ceiling fans, which generated a consistent breeze throughout the warehouse. Since then, the warehouse has remained open all year-long with a constant rate of productivity, and workers have indicated the warehouse can
Improving productivity also improves the ROI data
Before investing in a facility upgrade throughout your facility, perhaps try making the upgrade in one part of the facility and measure the impacts compared to an area without the upgrade. Use employee satisfaction surveys to determine if the upgrade is worth the investment. Keep producing those employee satisfaction surveys every year and compare it with data like the number of sick leave days used, the number of calls being made or orders being processed.
Numerous studies have drawn the link between indoor air quality/temperature and productivity. By creating a more comfortable, healthier work environment, companies can experience reduced absenteeism and employee complaints, coupled with boosts in overall productivity.
In research conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, workplace performance increased when indoor temperatures were between 69.8 degrees and 71.6 degrees with the highest level of productivity at 71.6 degrees. When indoor air temperature dropped or rose above this range, the human body typically prioritized keeping warm over fueling the brain.
Aaron Bowersock, Project Manager for mechanical contracting firm The Comfort Group, lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee. The high temperatures of a summer in Nashville can often feel unbearable, especially when working in a sheet metal fabrication shop like The Comfort Group. Bowersock was determined to make his workplace more comfortable for everyone, so he installed a Hunter Titan HVLS fan for the shop.
“Some of the benefits I’ve noticed are in the comfort level –it pushes air throughout the whole shop,” Bowersock said. “We saw a reduced cost with the performance of the fan because we’re able to turn off our main HVAC unit system and rely solely on the fan.”
Impacting the financial ROI business plan
An industrial ceiling fan minimizes energy consumption per square foot with a cost savings of about $1 per day to operate. One industrial ceiling fan can replace as many as 10 to 20- floor flans or twelve 48-inch barrel fans, effectively creating upwards of a 10- to 12-degree perceived temperature difference in the warmer summer months.
Equally as important during the winter months, a quality HVLS fan solution will continually push warm air trapped at the ceiling level back down to the floor––evenly distributing warm air and allowing HVAC systems to work more efficiently which can save up to 30 percent on heating costs.
Saving on heating costs was a key reason the DeKalb Fire Station in northern Illinois installed two XP industrial ceiling fans from Hunter. The employees appreciated the ability to easily access the fan controls and change the fan direction. During the cold winters with the garages doors constantly opening when they leave on calls, it made the facility cold and the heaters run constantly. Since installing the XP industrial fans, Erikson said the heaters are running a lot less, making it a more productive environment.
“It’s getting that warm air around, which for us is effective especially in the winter time because we want to make sure that our equipment is at the ready,” he said, “When we have to wash and rinse off the rigs, we want to be cranking that heat up with the fan on and blowing the hot air around so it makes that rig dry that much faster and they’re not freezing up in the environment.”
Considering all these factors, industrial ceiling fans are a comprehensive solution to improve your ROI business plan. Choosing the right HVLS solution can both improve a company’s wellness standards while boosting productivity and the bottom line. Upgrade and save at your facility with a Hunter industrial ceiling fan.
