There are many types of maintenance strategies, and preventive maintenance is one of them. This involves caring for and servicing equipment throughout their lifespan to maintain its good shape and efficient performance. Throughout the period, inspections are done, observations noted down and preventive measures taken in order to correct the fault before the machine breaks down. Remember, preventive maintenance is different from Condition Based Maintenance.
Preventive maintenance is all about taking measures to prevent breakdown, while the latter involves monitoring the current condition of equipment to know which maintenance should be applied. The main reason for preventive maintenance is to prolong the performance of equipment before it is replaced. In this case, a plant depends on the reliability of equipment since there is the assurance it does not break down amidst operation.
The Main Advantages of Preventive Maintenance
There are various advantages of choosing this kind of maintenance. Here are the main ones:
- Improved productivity of machines
- Prolonged life of the equipment
- Safety of equipment
- Reduced equipment malfunction
How to Implement a Successful Preventive Maintenance Program
- Creating the Maintenance Plan
If you already have a program in place, it is vital to ensure you update it often. This will ensure you make the right changes and keep your preventive maintenance effective to achieve better results. You need to remember that inspections in this type of maintenance do not bring any interruptions to the production and performance of equipment. Some important things to include in the update are the predicted cost of breakdown for the company, the maintenance methods that need to be used to avoid breakdown, and the frequency of inspections.
If you do not have this plan already, you need to start developing one. Ensure you take into account all important details of your assets that will help you achieve the desired results. Make sure you consider three things in your plan; efficiency of the plan, applicability, and profitability. When creating this plan, you will also need to include the instructions from the manufacturer, the history of performance, and the reliability analysis. Another crucial thing to include in your plan is a list of the spare parts you need for maintenance. The list should indicate the parts that are often replaced during the maintenance process.
- Deploying CMMS to Assist in Scheduling Maintenance
Digital maintenance involves the incorporation of technology to make work efficient. All the information and maintenance data collected on each machine must be noted down. Manual operation is often tedious, and loss of data is common. With the advancement in technology, there is the use of barcodes combined with CMMS to label the inspected equipment and how much maintenance is required. They help in digitally identifying maintenance information of equipment and when preventive replacement should be done to prevent the cost of total breakdown. You can refer to the CMMS about the maintenance schedule and perform it on time before total breakdown.
There is also a need to analyze the condition of the assets to know what needs to be done. Some of the practices include vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, and non-destructive testing, among others. The data collected is kept and analyzed in the CMMS to schedule maintenance. This provides an inventory of the history of maintenance and the required spare parts for current maintenance. The data can also be labeled in barcodes to ensure everything is catered for when the time comes.
- Following the Basic Elements of Maintenance
Preventive maintenance involves seven major milestones. These are testing, calibration, servicing, inspection, alignment, adjustment, and installation. All team members on maintenance must be conversant with these elements and be able to apply them appropriately.
Conclusion
These are crucial details about preventive maintenance and how to develop a successful plan. The program is crucial for every business that uses machines to operate. The elements mentioned above help in maintaining the health and performance of equipment once they are incorporated into the maintenance program. They prevent the breakdown of equipment, thus increasing productivity and minimizing costs.
