Maintaining equipment is critical to ensuring that it operates efficiently and safely over its lifespan. Without proper maintenance, equipment failure can lead to serious safety hazards and costly downtime. Good thing there are maintenance strategies that can help prevent these issues, and one of which is preventative maintenance.
What is preventative maintenance?
What is preventative maintenance?
Preventative maintenance refers to the regular and routine inspection, cleaning, repair, replacement, and servicing of equipment to prevent breakdowns or failures. This is a program that aims to extend the lifespan of equipment and ensure it remains in optimal condition. Undertaken independently of the current condition of equipment or its components, preventative maintenance is time-based and planned to prevent incipient failures from occurring.
How important is preventative maintenance?
How important is preventative maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is a critical aspect of equipment maintenance as it allows for the proper upkeep and early identification of potential issues before they become larger problems. Having well-maintained equipment and investing in scheduled preventative maintenance works will save you more in the end and ensure business continuity. Changing out parts towards the end of their expected life will be a lot more cost-effective than waiting for total failure and the possibility of causing more damage to surrounding assets.
Types of preventative maintenance
Types of preventative maintenance
To ensure the equipment is kept in an available and working condition throughout its service life, proper maintenance strategies must be employed. There are generally three types of preventive maintenance tasks:
1. Mandatory/Non-mandatory tasks
Mandatory tasks are essential and critical maintenance procedures that must be performed on a schedule to avoid equipment failure, while non-mandatory tasks can be carried out on a discretionary basis to supplement mandatory tasks. Both are important in maintaining the equipment and ensuring it continues to perform as intended.
2. Pyramiding/Non-pyramiding tasks
Overlaps happen when checks demand more time than is provided. If preventative maintenance is postponed as a result, a notation with the original due date is appended to the maintenance check's record. This kind of task is known as a pyramid. Non-pyramiding tasks are those for which the original job is not recorded and only the new due date is specified.
3. Inspection and Task-Oriented tasks
Preventative maintenance can also be categorised as inspection and task-oriented tasks. Inspection tasks involve regular monitoring and observation of the equipment to identify potential issues, while task-oriented maintenance involves specific actions designed to address the identified issues or potential problems observed upon inspection.
When is Preventive Maintenance Required?
When is Preventive Maintenance Required?
Preventative maintenance is required regularly and should be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations or industry standards to extend the lifespan of equipment, ensure its optimal performance, and avoid preventable failures. However, while it is essential to carry out regular preventative maintenance, the frequency will depend on the expected lifetime of the equipment.
Equipment with a shorter lifespan may require more frequent maintenance checks compared to equipment with a longer expected lifetime. In addition, the type of equipment and its usage will also determine when preventative maintenance is required. For instance, a piece of equipment that operates in harsh environments or experiences heavy usage may require more frequent maintenance checks as compared to similar equipment operating under normal conditions.
It is important to note that delaying or neglecting preventative maintenance can result in equipment failure, which could lead to production downtime and significant costs to repair or replace the equipment.
Bottomline
Bottomline
Overall, preventative maintenance is critical to ensuring the optimal functioning of equipment and reducing the risk of failures which can have significant financial implications for businesses. To ensure that preventative maintenance is carried out effectively, it is important to categorise the tasks based on their priority level and frequency to ensure you are making the most out of your time, labour, and resources.
