Preventive Maintenance: Key Benefits and Best Practices

Most preventive maintenance practices fall into three primary categories: Regular, Predictive, and Prescriptive. Each has unique attributes that serve different needs

1. Regular Preventive Maintenance: Also called calendar-based maintenance, this type occurs at scheduled intervals (weekly, monthly, or yearly). Manufacturers often provide guidelines for annual preventive maintenance of equipment, with tasks like inspections, cleaning, and part replacements to keep machinery in peak condition.
2. Predictive Maintenance: Predictive maintenance takes things a step further by focusing on equipment conditions instead of a fixed schedule. It analyses wear, tear, and usage data to predict failures before they occur. Common predictive services in electrical maintenance include lubrication, adjustments, and real-time monitoring to detect anomalies.
3. Prescriptive Maintenance: By leveraging data from IoT and maintenance software, prescriptive maintenance suggests actions based on precise data about equipment performance. This type is valuable in preventive IT maintenance for critical systems where downtime would be highly disruptive.

A strong preventive maintenance plan has measurable advantages for both industrial and commercial facilities. Here’s why investing in maintenance and preventive maintenance is essential:

1. Improves Efficiency: With preventive and predictive maintenance practices in place, machines and systems are less prone to unexpected issues, reducing downtime and saving money. Preventive IT maintenance allows businesses to keep servers and networks optimized, enhancing overall productivity.
2. Enhances Safety: Aging or failing equipment presents safety risks to personnel. Regular equipment preventive maintenance detects wear that could lead to hazardous situations, especially in high-stakes environments like electrical maintenance and heavy manufacturing.
3. Extends Equipment Life: For manufacturing facilities, plant preventive maintenance ensures that machinery and infrastructure function longer, reducing the need for costly replacements. According to the IEEE Standards Association, well-maintained switchboards are 62% less likely to fail, proving the impact of regular upkeep.
4. Lowers Maintenance Costs: Preventive and breakdown maintenance cost comparisons reveal that preventive maintenance saves significant expenses over time. By implementing annual preventive maintenance, businesses can avoid high repair costs, create predictable budgets, and prevent unexpected financial strain.

To maximise the benefits of preventive maintenance, develop a comprehensive plan. Download our whitepaper, ‘Service Plans Enhance the Benefits of Preventive Maintenance Programs,’ to explore how a well-defined program can optimise your preventive and predictive maintenance strategies and improve your facility’s operational health.