There is a range of maintenance types that suit companies and even work best for different scenarios and needs.
In order to choose a successful maintenance strategy, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of maintenance management principles and practices, as well as the different types of maintenance that exist and the performance of assets and facilities. Although there is no perfect combination for choosing a maintenance strategy and obtaining the best results, most of the time the selection process encompasses a combination of the different types of maintenance, depending on the value and priority of each piece of equipment.
In summary, for a strategy to be effective, it must take into account increasing equipment performance and uptime while balancing the resources and costs associated with this process.
There are 4 major types of maintenance best known (and effective) to implement in a successful maintenance strategy:
The principle of corrective maintenance is relatively simple: repair equipment when it breaks down. Since repairs are not planned, it is a good method to use for equipment that is not essential for operations or has a lower cost.
On the other hand, if this type of maintenance is unused strategically, it can result in unforeseen stoppages when a critical piece of equipment fails. In other words, a strategy based solely on corrective maintenance means longer downtime and higher maintenance costs.
Preventive maintenance consists of the periodic inspection of equipment and planned maintenance operations at distinct intervals. The objective of this strategy is to extend the effective life of the assets and prevent the occurrence of failures and malfunctions.
Most organizations that operate this type of maintenance strategy use CMMS software to receive alerts about work orders when a preventive maintenance plan needs to be made. This procedure allows companies to automate most of the programming processes, which represent a key factor in this preventive approach. As the planning is done with due anticipation, it is easier to have the necessary parts and resources to complete each task.
Predictive maintenance consists of predicting failures before they occur so that maintenance is done at the right time. This type of maintenance uses data from machine sensors and intelligent technology to issue alerts to technical teams as soon as the equipment is at risk of failure. For example, a sensor can use vibration analysis to alert the team that a piece of equipment is about to fail, i.e. it must be inspected and repaired accordingly.
The use of CMMS software is the simplest way to implement a predictive maintenance strategy since this solution allows us to follow the meter readings. One of the great advantages of this maintenance strategy is the reduction of costs due to a greater perception of the performance and potential problems that can arise in the equipment. With access to sensor data, maintenance is determined by the actual state of the equipment and not by assumptions.
Failures are not always linear and reliability-centered maintenance addresses that. This type of maintenance analyzes all possible failure model for each piece of equipment and equally creates a customized maintenance plan for each piece of equipment. The key objective of reliability-centered maintenance is, as the name indicates, to increase the reliability or availability of the equipment so that a more effective predictive maintenance plan can be drawn up.
This strategy is considered a little more complex since it is necessary to analyze each piece of equipment to prioritize them based on their criticality. The most critical assets are those in which failures are more likely to occur or which will have greater consequences if this happens. As each piece of equipment is analyzed by itself, it may obtain as many different maintenance plans as it does equipment.
Reliability-centered maintenance is a sophisticated strategy in that it requires a maintenance team that dominates prevention, predictive maintenance, essential inspections, and that has access to reliable asset data.
As we have already mentioned, there is no one right approach to maintenance. To develop a strategy, you need to evaluate advantages and weigh the disadvantages of maintenance types and strategies, taking into account the type of assets in question and the impact of downtime on your organization’s facilities.
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