The majority of organizations are aware of the value and advantages of preventative maintenance. But, many need to be more mired in the world of corrective maintenance. The concept of preventive maintenance may appeal to maintenance managers.
Frequent emergency repairs sometimes need more time and money. Yet, labor resources for such efforts are lacking in this area. Maintenance managers grow disappointed even when these resources are accessible. But, they do not know where to begin with preventive maintenance.
In this post, we go over the fundamental procedures, creating a maintenance program for businesses that are getting started.
What Is a Preventive Maintenance Plan?
A preventive maintenance plan is an organized strategy for maintaining the condition of a structure and other pieces of maintenance on equipment to address possible problems before they become more major repair or replacement demands. But, a preventative maintenance approach necessitates routine inspection and maintenance.
Reactive maintenance deals with equipment breakdowns as they happen and is the antithesis of preventive maintenance. It necessitates a thorough maintenance strategy, often known as proactive maintenance.
Moreover, to prevent failures, spare parts and other materials must be maintained on hand to handle issues as they emerge. So, through this, equipment reliability assessment can improve as it is crucial to raise an asset’s efficiency.
Also, it prolongs its lifespan while lowering the expense of emergency repairs. Plans for preventive maintenance may involve anything from routine visits by maintenance to comprehensive cleaning of ducts, floors, and walls.
Why Is Preventive Maintenance Important?
To cut unforeseen downtime and future expenditures, preventive maintenance is essential. Adopting preventative maintenance concepts also ensures good asset performance but lowers repair backlogs and increases safety.
An efficient computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is used to guarantee that these advantages can be met to the best extent possible. A CMMS streamlines the preparation of work orders. Also, it aids in the definition of preventative maintenance tasks besides keeping track of the labor hours.
Moreover, maintenance costs are associated with PM projects. In the end, CMMS implementation will enable a company to improve equipment dependability yet lessen operational hiccups brought on by unplanned faults.
How to Develop a Successful Preventive Maintenance Plan?
A preventive maintenance plan is nothing if it’s not effective. It’s imperative that companies employ a plan that is successful to ensure equipment in your facility is in top shape and that productivity is not affected in unexpected downtime.
Below are the ways to how:
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Make an Asset Inventory
You must first be aware of your assets before setting priorities or creating a thorough plan. The list of your important assets may be greater or shorter depending on the size of your company but it should include all your tangible assets that must routine upkeep. After all, the plan you will be making will be about those assets so it’s important that you have a complete inventory.
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Identify Your Priorities
Not every piece of equipment your business possesses categorizes as vital equipment, as not every asset is important to your daily operations. While a printer may be used, it is not as crucial as a forklift, which is used to move materials or items.
Examine your asset list more and decide which ones are most important. Prioritize these assets in your preventative maintenance schedule, as these are the ones which your operations are dependent on.
Yet, still don’t forget about your other equipment and machineries. They may not be a part of your day-to-day operations yet if they don’t perform to its maximum you may suffer in the long run.
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Set milestones for Long-Term Preventive Maintenance
Given how crucial it is to safeguard the most valuable assets at each site, this step deserves to stand alone. The value can be discussed here in reference to the asset’s direct book value. . The value it adds to the operation production or operational use.
Make careful to consider long-term planning milestones and significant decision points. such as significant equipment upgrades or obsolescence, while creating your strategy.
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Create an Ongoing Training Program
No matter how great your plan is, if your employees are not trained to implement them well, then it is for nothing. Regularly train your employees and staff so they may get around the ropes on your preventive maintenance plan. Also, this is to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
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Determine Maintenance Frequency
Each asset must receive routine maintenance when using preventive maintenance. For instance, time-based PM tasks could take place every day, every week, every month, and every quarter. Or even, every half-year, or every year.
On the other hand, usage-based frequencies may be determined by the runtime. Metrics such as miles traveled, output units, and hours of operation should be used in this type of equipment. For details on a task’s frequency, consult the sources specified in the preceding step.
It’s important that these factors need to be identified so you will know which set of equipment needs frequent maintenance. It also saves your company time and money because you will no longer need to conduct maintenance on equipment that doesn’t need as much.
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Choose Your Preventive Maintenance Program KPIs
Create key performance indicators (KPIs) that are in line. But, with the objectives of your maintenance program, these KPIs will help you assess the efficacy of your PM program. It is only possible to make steady development and achieve long-term success by identifying the strengths and flaws of your maintenance program.
Final Words
Although building your own maintenance program may seem like a difficult task, the advantages of preventive maintenance far more outweigh the initial work involved in strategy that exactly meets your business’s requirements. It enables you to schedule maintenance tasks under your demands and plan ahead. Your important assets are in the best condition to increase their lifespan and productivity.
The good thing about preventive maintenance is that it can save unplanned and expensive repairs, cut downtime, and save your company a ton of money.
