What is preventive maintenance?

What Is Preventive Maintenance?

Preventive maintenance is a systematic approach involving regularly scheduled inspections, servicing, and repairs of equipment to prevent unexpected failures and extend asset life. PM activities are performed on a time-based (calendar) or usage-based (runtime) schedule, rather than waiting for equipment to break down. The methodology includes tasks such as cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, and part replacements, all designed to detect and mitigate degradation before it leads to costly failures.

Major Benefits of Preventive Maintenance

1. Extended Equipment Lifespan

• Regular PM reduces wear and tear, helping assets last longer and deferring costly replacements. According to Plant Engineering, organizations that implement preventive maintenance programs can extend equipment life by up to 40%.

2. Cost Savings

• Preventive maintenance reduces emergency repairs and unplanned downtime, which are often 3-5 times more expensive than planned maintenance activities5. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that PM can deliver 12-18% cost savings over reactive maintenance strategies, primarily by minimizing catastrophic failures and optimizing resource allocation.

3. Increased Productivity and Uptime

• Facilities with robust PM programs experience less unplanned downtime, leading to higher operational efficiency. Industry research shows that preventive maintenance can reduce downtime by up to 30-50%, directly boosting productivity and output.

Implementation Examples Across Industries

• Manufacturing: Weekly cleaning and lubrication of machinery, monthly inspections of electrical systems, and scheduled replacement of filters are standard PM practices. These routines prevent unexpected breakdowns and maintain production flow.
• Facilities Management: Seasonal HVAC servicing, quarterly fire alarm testing, and routine elevator inspections ensure building systems operate safely and efficiently.
• Energy Sector: Wind farms use vibration sensors and remote monitoring to schedule maintenance during low-demand periods, minimizing lost production. Oil and gas companies leverage predictive analytics to prevent failures that could cost hundreds of thousands per hour in downtime.
• Healthcare: Hospitals perform scheduled sterilization and calibration of critical medical devices, reducing the risk of equipment failure during patient care.

Steps to Establish an Effective Preventive Maintenance Program

1. Asset Inventory and Criticality Assessment
2. Catalog all assets and rank them by operational impact and failure risk.
3. Develop Maintenance Schedules
4. Use manufacturer recommendations, historical data, and regulatory requirements to set time- or usage-based intervals for each asset.
5. Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
6. Document step-by-step PM tasks, including inspection points, lubrication, adjustments, and parts replacement.
7. Assign Responsibilities and Train Staff
8. Ensure maintenance teams are trained and clear on their roles.
9. Implement a Work Order System
10. Track scheduled tasks, completion rates, and findings from inspections.
11. Monitor Performance with Metrics
12. Use KPIs such as % proactive work, mean time between failures (MTBF), and maintenance cost per unit of production to assess program effectiveness.
13. Continuous Improvement
14. Analyze failures and PM results to refine schedules and procedures.

Technology Tools That Enhance Preventive Maintenance

Modern technology is transforming preventive maintenance through automation, data analytics, and mobile accessibility:

• Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS):
• Automate scheduling, track work orders, manage spare parts, and provide real-time reporting on PM compliance and asset health.
• Mobile Maintenance Apps:
• Allow technicians to access checklists, log work, and capture photos directly from the field, improving accuracy and accountability.
• IoT Sensors and Predictive Analytics:
• Sensors monitor vibration, temperature, and other parameters, alerting teams to emerging issues and enabling a shift toward predictive maintenance.
• Asset Performance Management (APM) Platforms:
• Integrate data from multiple sources to optimize maintenance strategies and prioritize high-risk assets.

Conclusion

Preventive maintenance is a proven strategy for overcoming common maintenance challenges such as unplanned downtime, high repair costs, and short asset lifespans. By adopting a structured PM program-supported by technology and industry best practices-maintenance professionals can ensure operational reliability, maximize asset value, and drive measurable business results. Whether you are new to maintenance or an experienced manager, embracing preventive maintenance is essential for achieving world-class facility and asset performance.

Ready to implement preventive maintenance for your team? Check out Prevent, our newest product here, or if you're looking to implement predictive maintenance, check out Predict here.