by Maintenance that is conducted in order to prevent failure. Usually this maintenance is planned some time in advance and has to be conducted within a registered time frame during which the asset is in non-operating condition
Preventative is used to maximise an assets useful lifetime and minimise cost. Its purpose is to avoid unscheduled or unplanned breakdowns, where reactive maintenance is used.
Preventive maintenance strategies can be further divided into usage and condition based maintenance. Under usage based maintenance, the total usage of a part is measured and maintenance is conducted when a certain threshold level has been reached. The usage of parts can be measured in many ways depending on the nature of the equipment. Time in the field is perhaps the most common mean to measure usage.
For vehicles (e.g., rolling stock), mileage is a common measure of usage. The number of on-off cycles is a measure of usage for equipment that is mainly loaded at the end or beginning of on-off cycles. For example, the number of landings is a measure of usage for the landing gear of an aircraft. Since the usage of equipment is usually scheduled, the moment that maintenance is performed can also be scheduled. If there is a large set-up cost associated with maintenance, it can be beneficial to interchange several parts simultaneously (Block replacement and/or overhaul). Otherwise, maintenance can be performed on a single component (Component replacement and/or overhaul).
Advantages:
Less risk factor: Because the equipment and your building are being regularly checked, they are at less risk to breaking down without notice. Therefore, creating a safer working environment for employees.
Follows a schedule: By following a schedule, you are able to keep to a budget while maintaining your building. Also, you will be able to keep track of all your equipment and pin point times when you will need to replace your equipment.
Longer equipment/building life: When equipment is being checked and maintained, it will be kept in its best shape, therefore extending its lifetime. With routine check-ups on building parts such as pipes, boilers, and roofing you’ll extend the life of your building as well.
Money saving: Over time, you will see that less money is being spend because you will not have to replace equipment as much, as well as dealing with last minute break downs. While there still may be some unplanned maintenance needed, the likely hood will go down when the building and equipment are regularly checked. Property wise, you’ll be able to catch roof leaks before they escalate and quickly repair them before mould and debris occur.
Less energy wasting: In general when equipment is not kept in the best conditions possible, it will drain more energy, hiking up your utilities bill. With properly maintained equipment, it will be saving you energy and money. While regularly kept lighting and cooling/heating systems will also help reduce the energy bill.
Less disruptions: With regular checks, you won’t be surprised when something goes wrong. It will be a quick fix because you will know what needs to be done. There will not be problems when it comes to closing down your property and disrupting your workers, if a large problem were to occur.
Disadvantages:
More money upfront: When initially starting a preventative maintenance plan, it will cost you more to regularly maintain equipment and the building, than it would be if you waited for things to simply break down.
Over maintenance: Because there is a regular plan, sometimes items may not need to be checked as often as planned. If this is the case, you can change your maintenance plan to checking the specific equipment or areas less often, while still maintaining a schedule.
More workers: Preventative maintenance require more workers because regular checks are a must. When compared to reactive maintenance, you simply need to call someone in for a onetime fix. Instead this method requires workers to always be on site and perform daily works.
