Preventive Maintenance: Everything You Need to Know

Original Source - https://www.fogwing.io/blog/preventive-maintenance/

Prevention is always better than cure – and this golden rule also applies to maintenance. In today’s competitive corporate environment, organizations implement proactive measures to enhance asset reliability by minimizing downtime and optimizing asset performance.

Preventive maintenance (PM) ensures that your machines function efficiently and smoothly for as long as possible. But what exactly is PM? How do you go about it? And why should you invest in it? Fear not! We’ve got you covered with our comprehensive guide on everything you need about Preventive Maintenance – from the basics to expert tips.

So, let’s drive in!?

What is Preventive Maintenance?

Preventative maintenance (PM) is all about regularly scheduled inspections, tests, servicing, and replacements of wear-and-tear components to prevent degradation and avoid unplanned downtime.?

While the need for industrial preventive maintenance varies by equipment type and operating environment, the goal is to keep your equipment running at peak efficiency while avoiding or delaying significant repairs or replacements.?

A well-executed PM service can extend the life of your equipment, improve its performance, and minimize unscheduled downtime and associated costs. Implementing PM software can be as simple as tracking. It provides adequate details on the service history of the assets in your facility and maintains records of past services performed. More sophisticated programs may utilize computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) to keep track of the organization’s maintenance work orders, spare parts, and future work.?

Developing and sticking to a regular schedule is the key to any successful maintenance service. By inspecting and servicing your equipment regularly, you can determine possible issues early on and take action to fix them before they cause substantial damage or downtime.

The Types of Preventive Maintenance

There are four significant types of preventative maintenance: Periodic/Time-based preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, reliability-centered, and Condition-based preventive maintenance.

Periodic /?Time-Based Maintenance

This preventive maintenance program involves performing maintenance activities on a predetermined schedule. It could be based on calendar time, such as quarterly, annually, monthly, or the equipment usage time after the prementioned asset operating hours. Lubrication, regular inspections, filter replacements, and part replacements are examples of time-based asset maintenance. The maintenance action is initiated when the due date is scheduled for the maintenance approaches according to the work order created.

Predictive Maintenance

Advanced asset monitoring technologies and data analysis are utilized in maintenance scheduling to predict when an asset needs maintenance. It enables studying historical maintenance data, real-time sensor readings, and other indicators to anticipate equipment failures or performance degradations. The potential issues associated with the assets are expected to schedule maintenance tasks before the breakdown occurs.

Condition-Based Maintenance

This type of preventive maintenance focuses on monitoring the asset conditioning using various tools and technologies. Predictive maintenance software, data analysis, and sensors track parameters such as temperature, pressure, fluid levels, or vibration. The actions are taken by analyzing the environmental conditional data. This enables the organizations to conduct maintenance operations when needed rather than on a fixed schedule.

Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM)

RCM’s asset maintenance strategy aims to optimize maintenance-related activities according to the criticality and consequences of asset failures. The RCM analyzes every asset’s function and potential failure modes and determines the appropriate maintenance tasks and effective intervals: safety, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and operational impact influence prioritizing maintenance actions by RCM.

Importance of Preventive Maintenance

• Minimize unplanned asset downtime: PM service is crucial for businesses as it avoids unexpected asset breakdowns or failures, which can halt production or operations, resulting in a smooth workflow.?
• Enhanced equipment reliability: The regularly scheduled maintenance tasks such as inspections, lubrication, calibrations, and repairs improve equipment reliability by identifying potential problems before they become critical.?
• Extended asset lifespan: Proper maintenance practices like cleaning, timely replacements, and repairs, along with the pre-scheduled maintenance tasks, significantly expands the asset lifespan by reducing untimely equipment breakdowns and downtime.?
• Enhance Workspace Safety: Regular maintenance and inspections with preventive maintenance help the maintenance team identify and resolve potential safety hazards, creating a safer work environment for employees.?
• Safeguards compliance with regulations: preventative maintenance plan enables the organizations to meet regulatory requirements associated with safety, environmental standards, and asset performance.?

What Type of Assets Require Preventive Maintenance Service?

PM is regularly performed on all equipment and assets to keep them functioning correctly. It is performed on diverse equipment, including HVAC systems, vehicles, heavy machinery, and plumbing. However, some assets are more likely to require preventive maintenance than others.

Here are few examples of asset types that usually need industrial preventative maintenance :?

• HVAC systems: Regular heating, ventilation, and air conditioning maintenance extends their lifespan and improves efficiency.?
• Vehicles: Preventive maintenance technology can help prevent costly repairs and keep vehicles running smoothly.
• Heavy machinery: Regular maintenance is essential for keeping heavy machinery safe and productive.?
• Heavy machinery: Regular maintenance is essential for keeping heavy machinery safe and productive.?

Advantages of Preventive Maintenance

Reduce Ownership Cost

By implementing regular maintenance activities, businesses can identify and address minor issues early on, preventing them from escalating into significant problems that require costly repairs or complete equipment replacements. This proactive approach helps businesses avoid unexpected and expensive breakdowns, extend the lifespan of their assets, and minimize overall ownership costs.?

Reduce Production – Related Disruption

With early detection and addressing of potential issues with assets early on, with preventive maintenance technology, minimize the interruptions to production schedules, ensuring continuous workflow.?

Optimal Equipment Performance

By keeping the assets in optimal condition, organizations can ensure that it performs at their best, which leads to improved operational efficiency and higher productivity, and excellent output.

Enhances Product Quality

Implementing preventative maintenance in organizations enhances product quality by maintaining consistent performances and detecting issues early on, reducing defects and rework. PM enables the business to optimize its production process and deliver products that meet customer satisfaction.?

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

Factories implementing preventative maintenance service reduce asset breakdowns and service interruptions, improve product quality, and ensure reliable and consistent service or product delivery to enhance customer satisfaction.?

Disadvantages of Preventive Equipment Maintenance?

PM software has its own set of disadvantages that cannot be ignored. They are as follows:?

1. High Initial Costs: The primary disadvantage is the high initial cost required for its implementation. The organization must invest in expensive tools, equipment, and training for the staff.?
2. Increased Downtime: Another drawback of preventative maintenance is that it can lead to increased downtime. The organization needs to shut down its operations to carry out maintenance activities.?
3. Less Flexibility: Preventive maintenance technologies also decrease the flexibility of an organization as the schedule of maintaining the equipment binds it.?

Software for Preventive Maintenance

There are many software options available in the market for preventative scheduling. Some of these software options include:?

Fogwing Asset+ CMMS Platform

Fogwing Asset+?is a smart CMMS and asset performance monitoring platform that supports preventive maintenance with real-time asset monitoring, optimizing the asset maintenance process while improving equipment reliability.?

Maintenance Connection

This software offers a web-based solution that helps organizations track and manage preventive maintenance programs. It includes work order management, asset tracking, and reporting features.?

Upkeep

This mobile app helps users track and manage PM tasks. It includes asset tracking, task scheduling, regular inspections, repairs, cleaning, servicing, and progress tracking to prevent deterioration and extend the lifespan of the asset, facilities, or systems.?

Asset Panda

This web-based solution helps organizations track and manage their assets and preventative maintenance programs. It includes asset tracking, work order management, and scheduled maintenance reminders.?

Asset Manager

This desktop application helps organizations track and manage their assets and maintenance schedules. It includes asset tracking, task scheduling, progress tracking, and reporting.?

SmartMaint

This web-based tool enables organizations to create and manage preventive maintenance schedules. It includes task scheduling, asset tracking, cost estimating, and reporting features.?

FASTrack PM

This software helps organizations track and manage preventative maintenance programs. It includes work order management, task scheduling, progress tracking, and reporting.

Learn More About these Software?Here

How to Choose the Best CMMS Solution

Ease of use

You want a system that is easy to use and navigate so that your team can get up and running with it quickly. The usability of a CMMS maintenance scheduling system is vital to ensure that the assets run smoothly. So, looking for a solution that offers an intuitive interface and easy navigation is essential. It enables the employees to utilize CMMS solutions effectively without extensive training or technical knowledge.?

Powerful features

A comprehensive CMMS platform should provide a range of features that address various aspects of maintenance management.?Look for a system with robust components such as asset management, work order management, inventory management, preventive maintenance scheduling, mobile accessibility, etc. These features will enable you to streamline maintenance processes, optimize work orders, and enhance operational efficiency.?

Flexibility

Ensure your chosen system is flexible enough to meet your business needs. It should allow for customization and configuration, enabling you to tailor the software that matches your specific workflows, terminologies, and industry standards. This flexibility ensures that the CMMS system aligns effortlessly with your existing processes and can accommodate future changes or expansions.?

Scalability

As your business grows, you’ll want a maintenance scheduling system that can scale quickly with you. Make sure that CMMS software can handle an increasing number of users, assets, parts, and locations without sacrificing performance or functionality. Scalability ensures a long-term investment and preventive maintenance that continues to meet your needs as your business expands.?

Customer support

Reliable customer support is essential if you have any problems with the CMMS system. If you encounter any issues or have questions regarding the software, you need reliable and responsive support from the provider. Connect with the software providers who offer various support channels like email, phone, or live chat. Responsive customer support provides timely assistance and helps you maximize the value of your CMMS solution.?

To Learn more, visit?How to choose the best CMMS for your company

Challenges in Implementing Preventive Maintenance Programs?

One of the first challenge organization faces while implementing a preventative maintenance service is to convince management and employees about its value and effectiveness. There is a need to understand PM and why it’s essential. Additionally, employees might resist changes and are used to the current working method.?

Another challenge is finding the right balance between preventive and reactive maintenance. Suppose preventative maintenance requires too much time and money to spend on. In that case, more funds will only be available when equipment breaks down, which might result in more downtime and cost associated with repairs.

It can also be challenging to create an effective PM service. There are many factors to consider, such as the type of equipment, its age, and operating conditions. Additionally, the availability of spare parts and trained personnel need to be considered.?

It’s essential to have a system in place to track the effectiveness of the preventive maintenance program. This includes monitoring statistics such as downtime, repair costs, and equipment reliability. With this data, improving the program over time is easy while implementing maintenance strategies.

Ready to Optimize your Preventive Maintenance Service?

Ready to take control of your preventive maintenance service? Investing in quality preventative maintenance software is the perfect first step towards optimization. Explore?Fogwing Asset+?and start taking control of your equipment maintenance.

Schedule a demo today?and see how Asset+ can streamline your maintenance operations, maximize equipment reliability, and reduce maintenance costs. Invest in your preventive maintenance program with the implementation of this innovative solution today !

Conclusion

In sum, preventive maintenance is a simple and effective way to keep your machines running at peak efficiency. Regularly scheduled check-ups are the key to catching problems before they become more prominent. Even if you know nothing about machine maintenance, this guide should provide enough information to get started on a good preventive plan for your equipment. With some practice and planning, you’ll be well on your way to ensuring your machines perform correctly and reliably.?