Most people think of maintenance in one dimension: it’s the service for fixing things. For most facility managers and tenants, the only time maintenance is given a second thought is when something goes wrong, or a piece of equipment starts to fail. However, maintenance is happening all the time, and should rather be considered a part of regular operations at any commercial facility.
There are several different strategies of maintenance that can be implemented at different levels of operations. Some pieces of equipment will need very little maintenance, while others will require more attention by your MaintenX team. Below are some of the ways in which we group maintenance tasks and strategies for our clients’ services:
Reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance is the most typical maintenance tool, simply because it requires no prior planning. When you call your maintenance technician after a piece of machinery has started to fail, you are reacting to the problem rather than preventing it. For very simple processes and pieces of equipment this is sufficient, but for most commercial facility systems a bit of forethought will serve you much more.
Run-to-fail maintenance
Run-to-fail maintenance (RTF) is similar to reactive maintenance in that assets are left untouched until they begin to fail. The difference between RTF and reactive maintenance is that RTF includes a plan or strategy for when the asset begins to fail. RTF includes a checklist to diagnose an issue, or a plan to either fix or replace the asset as soon as a problem occurs. This is a step above reactive maintenance, but is not as efficient as other strategies.
Routine maintenance
Routine maintenance includes all of the required maintenance tasks that are performed to keep a piece of machinery in working order. For example, changing the air filters in an HVAC system is considered routine. It does not require a diagnosis, but prevents problems from occurring in the future. These tasks should be planned according to the equipment’s manufacturer recommendations or by your MaintenX technician’s suggestion.
Preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance is a maintenance strategy aimed at preventing failures and extending the service life of facility equipment. This includes monitoring equipment performance over time, optimizing routine maintenance tasks, diagnosing potential issues, and planning for possible breakdowns before they occur. Using preventative maintenance, you can reduce downtime at your facility and reduce the expensive costs associated with reactive maintenance.
To learn more about your maintenance plan and options, contact your MaintenX team today! We are happy to discuss preventative maintenance scheduling or to provide a quote for an upcoming service.
