What is corrective maintenance and what is its importance in asset management?

It is erroneous to still believe that we can eliminate preventive maintenance from the maintenance strategy of companies. Although the focus is on prevention, there are several day-to-day situations in which we will still need to resort to corrective maintenance. But, after all, what is it all about?

What is corrective maintenance?

Corrective maintenance refers to the set of technical tasks for the purpose of correcting faults with assets and equipment, whenever the need to repair or even replace them arises. It is one of the most widely used types of maintenance in asset management, which seeks to correct errors to restore assets to their desired state of operation.

Corrective maintenance operations are mostly unexpected, and it is therefore normal for some difficulties to arise in their execution, such as, for example, the lack of stock of replacement parts to carry them out.

However, despite being unavoidable, this type of maintenance has a major financial impact for companies, as it results in the prolonged unavailability of assets that can, for example, stop an entire production line. Moreover, a significant percentage of these equipment failures can be easily avoided with preventive maintenance strategies.

For example, when a technician repairs an HVAC system, it is a corrective maintenance operation. However, if the technician is carrying out a routine inspection and detects that the HVAC filters are partially clogged and submits a maintenance request to have them replaced soon, this is a preventive maintenance request. Thus, we realize that many requests for corrective maintenance arise during preventive maintenance operations.

How can you identify the need for corrective maintenance of assets?

As we explained above, most of the time, corrective maintenance needs arise during the performance of routine work. For example, while inspecting a machine, the technician identifies a fault that could compromise its operation. This problem will give rise to a maintenance request, which will subsequently be a corrective maintenance task, where the technician will repair or replace the equipment as required.

Examples of corrective maintenance

Corrective maintenance can be applied to a range of equipment, systems and processes. Below are some examples:

HVAC systems

During an emergency HVAC repair, the technician notices that the filters are partially clogged. In this case, a corrective maintenance request is generated to clean or replace filters soon in order to improve equipment efficiency.

Production line

When performing a preventive maintenance operation on a machine on the production line, the technician comes across a significantly worn part. Here, there is naturally a need to react and schedule a corrective maintenance work order for the purpose of repairing or replacing the part in question.

Public works

The technician is carrying out routine repairs on the road and notices some damage to road signs as a result of the weather conditions. Here again we are dealing with a situation that may generate a corrective maintenance work order to replace this signage at a later date.

For example, when a technician repairs an HVAC system, it is a corrective maintenance operation. However, if the technician is carrying out a routine inspection and detects that the HVAC filters are partially clogged and submits a maintenance request to have them replaced soon, this is a preventive maintenance request. Thus, we realize that many requests for corrective maintenance arise during preventive maintenance operations.

How can you identify the need for corrective maintenance of assets?

As we explained above, most of the time, corrective maintenance needs arise during the performance of routine work. For example, while inspecting a machine, the technician identifies a fault that could compromise its operation. This problem will give rise to a maintenance request, which will subsequently be a corrective maintenance task, where the technician will repair or replace the equipment as required.

Examples of corrective maintenance

Corrective maintenance can be applied to a range of equipment, systems and processes. Below are some examples:

HVAC systems

During an emergency HVAC repair, the technician notices that the filters are partially clogged. In this case, a corrective maintenance request is generated to clean or replace filters soon in order to improve equipment efficiency.

Production line

When performing a preventive maintenance operation on a machine on the production line, the technician comes across a significantly worn part. Here, there is naturally a need to react and schedule a corrective maintenance work order for the purpose of repairing or replacing the part in question.

Public works

The technician is carrying out routine repairs on the road and notices some damage to road signs as a result of the weather conditions. Here again we are dealing with a situation that may generate a corrective maintenance work order to replace this signage at a later date.

How to reduce corrective maintenance in asset management

Nowadays, companies try their best to reduce the percentage of corrective maintenance and try to be more proactive and less reactive. While in some situations it makes sense to simply repair a fault only when it occurs, in other cases, it is better to prevent problems than to repair them.

Below are some ways to reduce corrective maintenance in your company’s asset management:

Invest in technology

By implementing a maintenance management system (CMMS) solution in your company, you will have access to reports on the operations that can help you make better decisions and prioritise the most critical work orders to maximise production.

Train your staff on the tools

There is no point investing in technology if your company’s employees do not know how to use it and take advantage of its use. In addition, you should ensure that your team is technically prepared to recognise potential signs of failure and understands the reports while carrying out other maintenance tasks.

Prioritise and schedule tasks effectively

With the support of CMMS software, you can prioritise the most important tasks, as well as schedule technical interventions in an agile and effective manner. For example, you can easily group together all the corrective maintenance tasks for a particular installation and thus reduce time lost in travel.

Create a history for each asset

By acquiring maintenance software, you can ensure that all work performed, faults and other relevant information related to the equipment are recorded in the system and available for consultation. In this way, technicians can detect patterns and record problems that have recurred several times despite the work that has been carried out.

Importance of corrective maintenance in asset management

Given that the aim of corrective maintenance is to repair an asset so that it is fully functional again, it will never be possible to eliminate this type of maintenance completely.

Both corrective and preventive maintenance are important types of maintenance for any company’s maintenance strategy. However, it is critical to understand when corrective maintenance is beneficial and when it can lead to downtime and other productivity losses. While preventive maintenance helps identify potential equipment failures before they occur, corrective maintenance resolves both small faults and major breakdowns.

We conclude, therefore, that corrective maintenance will always be present and that it should be applied mainly to equipment with a low level of criticality, thus if it has failures, they do not interfere with the company’s productivity.

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