The overall goals of preventive maintenance are to enhance asset lifespan, reduce critical breakdowns and minimize production loss, according to the experts at CheckProof. Traditionally, you’d have to choose between running the machine to failure or replacing potentially healthy parts earlier than necessary to achieve said goals.
But both methods can be ineffective, time-consuming and costly. Running an asset to failure leads to irreparable damage and safety risks, while frequently replacing parts turns into increased replacement costs and more planned downtime.
The definition of preventive maintenance is the practice of routinely inspecting and proactively maintaining your equipment to detect minor issues and fix them before they turn into machine failure.
For example, setting a preventive maintenance schedule based on calendar dates or triggers, such as operating hours or running time. This way, you rarely run a machine to failure or replace parts before you need to – a core benefit of using a preventive maintenance system.
Why is preventive maintenance important? Many facilities still apply the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy to their industrial maintenance practice. But this simply doesn’t do the trick anymore. Relying on reactive maintenance puts your whole business at risk.
Did you know retroactively fixing broken equipment costs you 10 times as much as implementing regular maintenance routines? Preventive maintenance checks and services keep your assets in optimal condition for production, reduce unplanned downtime and minimize repair costs.
Here are the five most beneficial outcomes:
1. Improved asset lifespan. The more operating hours you can get from an asset, the more efficient your production will be. And it goes without saying that an asset in good condition will run longer than one that isn’t. If you fix a piece of equipment only after it breaks down, it’ll experience significant wear and tear. This, in turn, leads to other malfunctions that ultimately impede its longevity and cause premature failure.
By keeping track of your assets’ upkeep history with preventive maintenance software, you can identify trends in erosion and make informed decisions.
2. Minimized risk of breakdowns. Most benefits listed here occur primarily because of a lowered risk of breakdowns, making it one of the most valuable outcomes of a preventive maintenance program. Hence, delaying servicing until machine failure indirectly impacts your facility’s total productivity.
3. Increased efficiency and optimizing resources. Assets kept in optimal condition will operate at optimal efficiency. The best way to measure a piece of equipment’s efficiency is by using Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) as a KPI for your preventive maintenance program. OEE measures assets in three categories: performance, quality, and availability.
- Availability – Choosing preventive over reactive maintenance leads to less overall downtime and increased availability.
- Performance – Performance is maximized when your asset runs at its designed capacity.
- Quality – The state of your assets is in direct correlation with their quality throughput. An asset in better condition will yield more qualitative products.
4. Decreased unplanned downtime. Maintenance will always be a necessity in heavy industries. Therefore, a certain amount of downtime is unavoidable. You can, however, reduce it by proactively scheduling preventive maintenance in accordance with the needs of your operations. When you act reactively, downtime comes unannounced and might thus be drawn out by waiting for specialized equipment or mechanics.
In other words, it’s best to schedule downtime in line with your needs instead of your equipment scheduling it for you.
5. Elevated health and safety and regulatory compliance. There is significant risk associated with operating faulty equipment, which means that preventing machine failure is synonymous with preventing accidents. Therefore, working proactively is a fundamental part of your ongoing HSE efforts.
To solidify your preventive maintenance program, you can use a preventive maintenance system, such as a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to oversee the assets in your facility through one digital hub. A preventive maintenance system will also help you track the state of your equipment and its maintenance data, allowing you to make better and more informed preventive decisions.
Checkproof, www.checkproof.com/maintenance/preventive-maintenance