Equipment maintenance can be both inconvenient and costly for any facility. When machinery is malfunctioning, the downtime hinders productivity and may even bring operations to a complete halt. That, coupled with the cost and headache involved in repairing or replacing the equipment, makes it a situation to avoid if at all possible. Thankfully it is possible to avoid the vast majority of reactive maintenance through the proper practice of predictive maintenance.
What exactly is predictive maintenance?
Predictive maintenance, also known as preventative maintenance, is the practice of scheduling regular checkups on facility equipment and performing small fixes over time in order to prevent major problems from arising down the road. By knowing the state of your equipment and doing maintenance on a regular basis, you will be able to catch potential problems such as wear, corrosion, and errors in operation before they become an emergency situation. If you have the right technicians, they will also be able to identify common problems with the exact equipment you use and know when components are reaching their end of life and when replacements and modifications are most necessary.
Benefits in time and money
The most notable benefit to predictive maintenance is the time that it saves for the facility. If you can choose when a certain machine is down for maintenance to replace parts, you will clearly choose times when it would not be in operation, unlike if an emergency situation arises. This saves both time and productivity for staff. There is also a cost benefit to setting up a predictive maintenance plan, as small fixes will always be cheaper than major repairs or replacing the entire piece of equipment. Additionally, this cost can be spread out over time, thereby making it much easier to budget for, especially because it is much more predictable.
Predictive maintenance is a must-do practice for any facility manager in order to save time and money and ensure the longevity of equipment. If you are unsure how to set up a good plan or need the right team of technicians to help you maintain equipment in the long term, we at MaintenX are here to help. For more information about our predictive maintenance plans and emergency repair services, please call us any time at (855) 751-0075.