Maintenance is an essential part of any organization's operations. It helps to ensure that assets are in good condition and running efficiently. There are several types of maintenance, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we'll explore the different types of maintenance and how they can be used to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime.
The most common types of maintenance are preventive, default, execution to failure, condition-based, and predictive.
Preventive maintenance
is the practice of regularly inspecting and maintaining assets to detect and prevent problems before they occur. Default maintenance is following the manufacturer's recommendations for maintenance, including when to perform inspections and maintenance. Execution to failure is when an asset is allowed to run until it fails, then it is replaced or repaired.Condition-based maintenance uses sensors and special software to collect and analyze data from sensors installed directly on or near the asset. Predictive maintenance uses the data collected from condition-based maintenance to predict future failures before they occur. When choosing the right maintenance strategy for your organization, it's important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Preventive maintenance helps you detect problems early by scheduling inspections and tasks.
It also saves you money and frustration because you can plan everything in advance. Default maintenance is similar to preventive maintenance, except that you follow a schedule set by the manufacturer, not your department. Execution to failure is best used when things are difficult or impossible to maintain, cheap to carry in inventory, easy to replace, or not essential to your operations. Condition-based and predictive maintenance rely on sensors and special software to collect and analyze data from sensors installed directly on or near your assets. The most effective approach is often a combination of two or more types of maintenance.
For example, many organizations employ both preventive and predictive maintenance (76% use preventive, while 65% use predictive, according to a recent Reliable Plant survey). Automated sensors that can continuously monitor machinery are among the biggest improvements in state-based monitoring in the form of proactive and predictive maintenance. These sensors can be used for various types of maintenance and generate an enormous amount of data that can be analyzed and used to improve processes. Maintenance triggers can also be configured and used with various types of maintenance. Fault triggers are used with reactive maintenance or execution to failure plans.
Predictive maintenance uses elements such as time-based triggers in the form of alerts to try to prevent a failure from occurring. Usage-based activators are a great way to keep equipment subject to irregular schedules and are most often used with predictive or preventive maintenance programs. In the end, there is no perfect strategy for all time. You must choose the combination that best suits your assets and adjust your approach as your assets age and your department collects data. To get an in-depth look at the types of preventive maintenance, how to design a preventive maintenance program, preventive maintenance tools, and more, see the link at the beginning of this section.
