Maintenance types (preventive, predictive, and corrective)

Maintenance Types

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is a proactive form of maintenance carried out on a regular basis to keep the equipment in the best possible condition.
Benefits of preventive maintenance include increased equipment efficiency, reduced breakdown likelihood, and less unexpected downtime.
Typically involves routine checks, inspections, and servicing of equipment on a pre-determined schedule.
The schedule may be time-based (e.g., monthly) or usage-based (e.g., after a certain number of operations).
Might include tasks such as cleaning, lubricating, and replacing worn-out parts.
Although frequently more costly in the short term, can save substantial costs (and time) in the future by avoiding major breakdowns or failures.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance uses monitoring tools, analytics, and testing to predict when equipment may fail or need intervention.
It typically employs sophisticated systems, like sensors and advanced software, to monitor and analyse the condition and performance of equipment in real-time.
It’s a condition-oriented strategy that aims to predict and prevent equipment failures before they happen.
This strategy helps to extend the lifetime of the asset, mitigate serious damage, and optimize the efficiency and sustainability of operations.
Key tools might include vibration analysis, infrared thermography, and oil analysis.
It necessarily requires a more significant initial investment but can lead to substantial long-term savings.

Corrective Maintenance

Corrective maintenance involves the repair or replacement of parts or equipment when a failure or malfunction has occurred.
It is often described as a “reactive” approach, as it occurs after an issue has already occurred rather than trying to prevent it.
The main aim of corrective maintenance is to restore normal system operation as quickly as possible.
Tasks might include repairing components, replacing parts, or in extreme cases, replacing whole systems.
Although this can sometimes be an essential approach if preventive or predictive maintenance fails, it can be more costly and risky due to potential system downtime and unforeseen issues.
The unplanned nature of this maintenance can also lead to safety risks, so ensuring to follow all safety precautions and procedures is vital.