Walk through any manufacturing plant, and you’ll hear the steady hum of machines operating in perfect sync. But behind this harmony lies a critical factor: machine maintenance.
Unplanned downtime costs manufacturers $50 billion every year (Plant Engineering). The right machine maintenance strategy can significantly reduce these losses.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at:
- The five fundamental machine maintenance types every facility manager should know
- Best practices for machine maintenance
- How to choose the best maintenance plan
What is machine maintenance?
Machine maintenance means preserving equipment to keep it functional. It includes cleaning, lubricating, and repairing.
Also, it involves monitoring indicators like vibrations, temperature, and energy consumption. This approach helps businesses minimise downtime and extend their assets’ lifespan.
📖 A must-read: 10 most common machine maintenance myths
Types of machine maintenance
Preventive maintenance (PM)
See PM as changing your car’s oil every 5,000 miles. Similarly, preventive maintenance helps you avoid equipment failures through routine inspections.
Thus, you check machines at scheduled intervals. It could be weekly, monthly, or by usage hours. You replace weak parts and lubricate or tighten loose ones during this period.
📝 You may also like: 10 best preventive maintenance software
Predictive maintenance (PdM)
What if you could predict machine faults before they occur? That’s the goal of predictive maintenance. It uses technology to detect hidden faults before they cause disruption.
Industries with valuable equipment use PdM to reduce downtime. For example, airlines monitor temperature and fuel efficiency to ensure engines are safe before takeoff.
📍Learn the differences between preventive and predictive maintenance.
Condition-based maintenance (CBM)
You don’t repair what isn’t bad—unless it’s about to break. That’s the idea behind condition-based maintenance (CBM). Here, you track a machine’s condition and act when its performance drops.
You can gather this data through inspections, performance reports, or tests. Some machines even come with built-in sensors that continuously monitor their health.
📌Note: CBM is similar to PdM because both aim to prevent failures. However, they are not the same.
- CBM reacts to real-time performance changes.
- PdM analyses past and present data to predict failures before warning signs appear.
🧾Read more on Condition-based maintenance
See also the 9 condition monitoring techniques you must know
Corrective maintenance
Corrective maintenance is done when unexpected breakdowns happen.
Corrective maintenance is either planned or unplanned. It includes minor repairs after detecting an issue (planned). Or emergency fixes after a breakdown (unplanned).
Though it’s more expensive than predictive maintenance, it’s necessary.
Reactive Maintenance (Run-to-Failure Maintenance)
Here, you let the equipment spoil before repairing it. This method is a subset of corrective maintenance. It helps reduce maintenance costs.
Since failures are expected, only fix or replace parts when necessary.
Reactive maintenance is common in warehouses, where a spoilt light bulb won’t significantly affect operations.
📖You should also see why it’s called Run-to-failure maintenance
How to choose the best maintenance plan for every machine
Selecting the right maintenance strategy depends on several factors. These include equipment type, frequency, cost of downtime, and resources.
Here’s how to determine the best approach for your business:
Determine the equipment’s importance
Start by categorising your machines based on their importance. As yourself:
- Will the downtime cause production delays?
- Is the machine expensive to repair or replace?
- Does the machine have safety implications if it fails?
Predictive maintenance (PdM) or condition-based maintenance (CBM) helps prevent breakdowns for high-value machines. For low-cost equipment, a reactive maintenance approach is ok.
Consider the operating environment
Conditions like temperature, humidity, and contaminant exposure affect wear and tear.
In harsh environments (e.g., mining or manufacturing), preventive maintenance (PM) and CBM are crucial. If not, you can schedule maintenance based on performance monitoring rather than frequent inspections.
Evaluate maintenance cost vs. downtime impact
Every maintenance strategy involves costs. It’s best to strike a balance between expenses and potential downtime losses.
If failures lead to financial losses, implement predictive maintenance. But if repairs are fast and cheap, corrective maintenance is better.
Leverage technology
Advancements in IoT sensors, AI-driven analytics, and automated monitoring can improve your maintenance efficiency.
If you can access real-time data, CBM or PdM can help you make proactive decisions. However, preventive maintenance remains reliable if your business has limited technology.
⚙️Here’s how to create an asset maintenance strategy
Best practices for optimising machine maintenance
Create a maintenance schedule
Develop a structured plan based on manufacturer recommendations. This plan should also align with your operational needs. Stick to a consistent routine to prevent malfunctions.
📝Here’s how to draw up a preventive maintenance schedule
Train your maintenance team
A skilled maintenance team is your first line of defence against unexpected failures. A well-trained team can detect glitches early.
But are inefficiencies holding them back? Find out what’s restricting your maintenance team’s efficiency
Use data for informed decisions
Monitor performance metrics like temperature, vibration, and energy usage. Analysing these indicators helps you predict failures and improve efficiency.
✋Learn how to prevent data breaches in facility management
Keep spare parts readily available
Stock essential spare parts to minimise downtime during repair. Delays in sourcing parts can lead to prolonged disruptions.
Perform regular inspections
Conduct routine inspections to identify wear and tear. We advise you to perform visual and diagnostic tests.
Automate where possible
Implement IoT-based monitoring systems to track machine performance in real-time. Automation reduces your manual efforts and ensures accuracy.
👉 See how automation transforms maintenance.
Document maintenance activities
Lastly, keep detailed records of past maintenance work. This includes inspections, repairs, and replacement activities. Doing this helps you track trends and make better decisions for future maintenance plans.
Optimise maintenance with Infraspeak!
Keeping machines in peak condition requires a combination of strategies. These are preventive, predictive, condition-based maintenance, and others. While these methods help reduce failures and improve efficiency, managing them manually can be overwhelming.
Infraspeak simplifies the process.
With its innovative maintenance management system, you can customise and automate your maintenance strategy to match your unique needs.
Infraspeak adapts to changing machine conditions. Not only that, its user-friendly platform provides real-time insights, automated scheduling, and data-driven decision-making.
📌 Get a free demo today and experience the future of maintenance!
