To start with, why preventive maintenance is important?
Preventive maintenance is important because it extends the life of your equipment, lowers reactive maintenance requests, decreases downtime, assists you in managing compliance and inspection requirements, and averts the need for expensive emergency repairs.
For more information, continue reading.
Table of Contents
What Precisely Is Preventive Maintenance?
A technique used to extend the life of equipment and prevent unplanned repairs is preventive maintenance. This approach aims to minimize downtime while maintaining maximum machine performance. For the purpose of identifying potential issues before they arise, it uses predictive technologies like condition monitoring.
Preventive maintenance not only reduces the cost of repairs but also increases safety by lowering the possibility of equipment failure. Preventive maintenance can deal with problems before they significantly harm operations or interrupt them by spotting them early on. Preventive maintenance, when used effectively, can be a potent tool for extending equipment life and avoiding expensive downtime.
Importance Of Preventive Maintenance
The production line breakdown and time wastage are prevented by preventive maintenance. A crucial component of facilities management is preventive maintenance. The performance and safety of the machinery or equipment we use in any process are improved by the regular practice of preventive maintenance. Reactive Maintenance initially has low costs but eventually becomes a burdensome and expensive affair. At the same time, preventive maintenance addresses the cost issue from the very beginning of operations. Let us read about the importance of Preventive Maintenance in detail-
Operator Safety
Preventive Maintenance is most important for safety reasons. We all know that it is better to prevent problems than to try to fix them, so if we have chosen and planned for preventive maintenance, we can be confident that our operator is working in a controlled environment and that his life is safe. He is knowledgeable about all the standard safety operating procedures.
Machine Safety
Like the life of human beings is important, similarly, the machine’s life and condition are also important, so Preventive Maintenances keeps the machine and equipment under safe mode which means no sudden malfunctioning and no random downtimes
Time-saving
The time factor is crucial when determining the cost of each production unit, and proper preventive maintenance ensures that no additional costs are incurred as a result. The ability to produce at maximum capacity and finish jobs on time depends on there being no line breakdowns or obstructions.
Cost-effective
The second most important factor is cost savings or cost effectiveness, which will undoubtedly be attained because there won’t be any major issues, unexpected emergencies that require repairs, or other factors that necessitate the use of extra resources or outsourcing.
Reliability
When working on machines and equipment, preventive maintenance programs ensure the system as a whole is reliable.
Advantages Of Preventive Maintenance
Increase Efficiency
Equipment that receives regular preventive maintenance not only lasts longer, but also operates more effectively. Efficiency is gauged by the maintenance management KPI known as OEE, or overall equipment effectiveness. Three categories—availability, performance, and quality—are used by OEE to rank equipment.
Preventive maintenance results in overall improvements for a piece of machinery like an HVAC unit.
- Availability: Scheduled preventive maintenance results in more equipment uptime and availability. Reactive maintenance downtime is typically longer than scheduled preventive maintenance downtime.
- Performance: When HVAC systems are kept in good working order, they are better able to keep the air inside the space at a predetermined temperature and distribute it evenly.
- Air quality: An HVAC system that regularly has the air filter and coils cleaned will heat and cool more efficiently and produce cleaner, higher quality air.
Decrease Unplanned Downtime
Machine downtime is unavoidable when maintenance is being done, whether you decide to use reactive or preventive maintenance. But by pre-planning maintenance with a preventive maintenance strategy, downtime can be considerably decreased. Wait times to see specialized mechanics or the delivery of required parts may increase the machine’s downtime in the case of reactive maintenance repairs.
You have the option to schedule preventive maintenance at a time that is convenient for you and your facility (i.e. when occupants are out of the building or operations have concluded for the day), minimizing disruptions in production and efficiency.
Promote Health And Safety
Your facility’s health and safety can be enhanced by accurately tracking and carrying out preventive maintenance. In the context of preventive maintenance, health and safety are frequently considered to be primarily a concern in facilities with dangerous equipment, but health and safety are important in every facility, including office buildings and schools.
Utilizing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to track preventive maintenance will enable you to keep an eye on all of your facility’s equipment and keep vital safety data in one central location. A few clicks on a smartphone will give you access to the entire maintenance history and safety procedures for all pieces of equipment, which further simplifies safety audits when using CMMS software. Your facility can be prepared for fires with the help of preventive maintenance and CMMS software.
Boost Customer Satisfaction
Maintaining equipment as efficiently as possible not only results in cost savings and increased revenue but also strengthens the brand and increases customer satisfaction. Preventive maintenance is the practice of preventing breakdowns and maintaining the quality of the goods produced in facilities that manufacture goods for sale. This ensures that customers will be satisfied with the product, which in turn reinforces the brand’s reputation.
Even in facilities that don’t produce goods for sale, “customers” can be the staff or students working on site. It has been demonstrated that a comfortable environment increases productivity in work environments and classrooms; preventive maintenance can ensure that productivity is never lost due to a malfunctioning HVAC system.
Save Money
The ultimate benefit of preventive maintenance is that it saves money, for all the reasons mentioned above. Typically, unplanned maintenance costs 3 to 9 times as much as scheduled maintenance.
Emergency reactive maintenance must account for lost sales or productivity while the equipment isn’t in use, the cost of expedited shipping on essential machinery parts, and compensation for specialized technicians. Even worse, neglecting to properly implement preventive maintenance may necessitate the complete replacement of the equipment, which would result in skyrocketing costs.
When you first start performing preventive maintenance, the upfront costs may seem intimidating, especially if your facility is on a tight budget. But keeping your equipment in good shape is an investment in the future of your business.
Lengthen Asset Lifespan
The increased lifespan of assets is likely the most significant advantage of preventive maintenance. Maintaining your equipment will enable it to operate longer and cost less. MTBF, or the “mean time between failures,” is a frequent KPI that facilities leaders use to make knowledgeable maintenance decisions. You can schedule preventive maintenance at the ideal time and catch the equipment before it breaks down by keeping track of information like MTBF.
The effectiveness of a good downtime tracking system is so significant that 78% of businesses that track and use preventive maintenance report longer equipment lifespans.
Lower Risk Of Breakdowns
Another important benefit of preventive maintenance is lowered risk of failure. In actuality, a decreased risk of breakdown is the primary cause of the majority of the advantages listed here. Your facility runs the risk of losing productivity and developing a bad reputation if you put off maintenance until something breaks.
Only about 10% or less of industrial equipment ever truly wears out from proper use– this means that 90% of mechanical failures are due to preventable problems, avoidable with a good preventative maintenance plan in place. You can significantly reduce the likelihood that your equipment will fail by proactive maintenance planning, which will give you peace of mind as a facilities leader.
How Will Preventive Maintenance Alter How Businesses Run In The Future?
Future business operations will depend heavily on preventive maintenance. Organizations will be able to use their resources more effectively, operate more effectively, and spend less money. Data analytics can be used to forecast when equipment needs upkeep or repairs. Rather than having to deal with issues as they arise, businesses can budget for these activities in advance.
The effectiveness of preventive maintenance has already been established. Walmart, for instance, has saved over $2 billion over the last ten years by employing preventive maintenance methods. In the future, we can anticipate that additional companies and organizations will take a similar approach and enjoy comparable advantages.
Making the most of your preventive maintenance program can increase productivity, reduce costs, and have a positive impact on the environment. When putting such a program into place, there are a few obstacles you might encounter. You can overcome these difficulties and take advantage of all the advantages that preventive maintenance has to offer with the aid of Proteus CMMS.
To change, are you prepared? To arrange a free demo or to learn more, get in touch with us right away.
Preventive Maintenance Services
The system’s ability to handle machinery and equipment depends on it, so each piece of equipment needs to be inspected as soon as possible. Preventive maintenance services are a small investment that yields big benefits by extending system uptime and boosting output. The advantages and significance of preventive maintenance have already been covered in-depth in previous readings.
A cloud-based computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) will produce effective results, and preventive maintenance services are accessible twenty-four hours a day. Many organizations that offer the installation of the preventive maintenance program offer services similar to the ones listed below. The specific type of equipment in use, manufacturer recommendations, the machinery’s age, and the local environmental conditions all affect preventive maintenance services. Therefore, the following activities are all crucial: inspection, execution, recording, scheduling, and reporting.
- management of the reactive, preventive, and predictive maintenance of the specific equipment.
- scheduling, allocating, and following up on work orders to ensure their successful completion.
- Keeping track of consumption as well as the inventory of spare parts.
- Give the upcoming part orders the most recent notifications.
- Keeping track of performance at the organizational, regional, and plant levels.
- creates reporting infrastructure for managing compliance.
- analysis of maintenance activities to support data-driven decision-making.
- ensuring both before and after shifting that the machinery is free of debris
- removing dirt, lubricants, and other particles from the machinery’s surface every day.
- regularly check the sharpness of your tools.
- Replace any tools that are broken or worn.
- Examine the air filters and fluid levels in all machinery frequently.
- Every so often, calibrate the equipment.
- Twice a year, examine and maintain the effectiveness of the motor and other power sources.
Preventive Maintenance Software
Work orders for preventive maintenance can be efficiently created and scheduled using preventive maintenance software.
You can spend less time manually tracking down defective systems and equipment with the aid of these programs.
Many companies that offer preventive maintenance software are quite affordable and can help you keep track of all your maintenance history in one location.
Your commercial facility will benefit from implementing preventive maintenance software, as these programs will enable you to create and submit digital work order forms via one streamlined system and allow you to modify completed or in-progress repairs and maintenance.
Some of these programs free up the technicians’ time from administrative duties so they can concentrate on inspecting and maintaining the equipment.
Additionally, preventive maintenance software gives technicians quick access to all the work orders they need to complete and sends notifications and reminders when the subsequent inspection is approaching.
Preventive maintenance software allows you to track work orders through their entire process from beginning to end and gives you access to data and trends that show operational downtime, repair costs, and problem causes.
CMMS Software
It is crucial to make sure that preventive maintenance is one of the available tools or components when using CMMS software for it.
This program distinguishes between functional machines and ones that require repair, and I cannot overstate how important that distinction is.
The preventive maintenance tool is integrated into a simple to use interface that is simple to read and comprehend.
The overall goal of the software would be defeated if it had inherent complexity because it would deter technicians and employees from using it.
The overall cost of using CMMS software with an easy-to-use preventive maintenance tool is a disadvantage.
Despite the fact that over the long term, the results would speak for themselves, during the purchase phase, the capital investment appears substantial.
The component’s overall operation sounds complex even in text, which it actually is.
When equipment repair, which can be avoided, becomes a significant expense, especially when we’re talking about a lot of equipment, there is typically more to gain than lose when looking at the big picture.
Creating An Effective Preventive Maintenance Plan For Your Facility
For facilities management, preventive maintenance is crucial.
Establishing consistent practices to enhance the efficiency and safety of the equipment on your property is the aim of a successful preventive maintenance program.
Equipment that is maintained proactively will last longer and require less maintenance overall.
Collaboration between all parties is essential for a preventive maintenance program to be successful.
A preventive maintenance checklist will serve as a direction for monitoring, servicing, repairing, and replacing equipment parts to reduce the risk of equipment failures.
When drafting a preventative maintenance schedule for your facility, you should think about the following actions.
Develop The End Goal
List your organizational objectives; this will help you select the best preventative maintenance strategy for your facility.
The chosen plan will include work histories, labor tracking, and scheduled maintenance.
Select Preventive Maintenance Software
There are numerous preventive maintenance software applications in use, so picking the best one for your facility is essential.
When selecting preventive maintenance software, there are some things to think about.
Usefulness, web-based accessibility, reporting capabilities, and real-time cost are a few of these elements.
Identify Assets And Equipment Hierarchy
You can determine the PM tasks you should prioritize by clearly defining the relationship between the largest pieces of equipment and the smaller units in your facility.
It is essential to follow the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) guidelines regarding service intervals and the range of work.
Create Job And Labor Resources
A list of prescriptive maintenance tasks that must be carried out is part of a preventive maintenance plan.
Your maintenance staff will have plenty of time to schedule the appropriate skills, materials, and equipment if you give them details on the job’s scope and time frame.
How Much Does It Cost To Implement Preventive Maintenance?
Preventive maintenance expenses will vary depending on the number of machines and utilities you need to protect or improve, as well as labor costs (for large facilities and staff).
It’s crucial to keep your business’s budget in check when performing preventive maintenance.
In order to prevent future losses to your company brought on by avoidable accidents, you should take all reasonable steps.
It can be as easy and affordable as manually sanitizing a ventilation system, increasing the frequency of lubricating machinery, or investing an hour in teaching staff how to operate specific equipment safely and effectively.
To determine how much of your budget should be allocated to preventive maintenance, you should:
- Add up the total cost of your reactive maintenance for the past year;
- Think about the total cost of your equipment.
Along with the savings you’ll get from extending the life of your equipment, this will give you a good idea of how much you might save on reactive maintenance.
Whatever your budgetary constraints, there’s usually something you can do to better protect your company and your employees—and you won’t need to spend a fortune doing it!
Conclusion
The value of preventive maintenance has demonstrated its potential advantages. Preventive maintenance prevents unneeded production losses and violations of health and safety. gives users more operational control and aids in the future prevention of known problems. The manufacturer’s recommendations, the age of the equipment, the type of equipment in use, and the environmental conditions in the area are just a few of the factors that influence the preventive maintenance program. Therefore, the Preventive Maintenance program’s inspection, execution, recording, scheduling, and reporting are all vital tasks.
I appreciate you reading.
