No matter the manufacturing sector, breakdowns and equipment failures are a major challenge. Are there ways to reduce financial losses, delivery delays, the need for emergency response teams, and all the other complications associated with them? Although wear and tear on parts is inevitable, in recent years, manufacturers have been offered various types of maintenance that promise to minimize the inconvenience caused by breakdowns and failures.
Predictive, preventive, or corrective maintenance: how to make sense of it all — and, more importantly, how to choose?
What Do The Different Types Of Maintenance Consist Of?
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is certainly the most traditional method among those presented in this article. According to AFNOR, it is “maintenance performed at predetermined intervals or according to prescribed criteria, intended to reduce the likelihood of failure or deterioration in the performance of an asset.”
In other words, it is a method where prevention is achieved through periodic inspections, just as it is recommended to have your car inspected every 5,000 to 8,000 km.
Preventive maintenance can generally be divided into two types:
- Systematic: maintenance scheduled based on time or the number of units produced. For example: Part A is replaced every 4 months or after 10,000 units have been produced.
- Conditional: monitoring signs of wear or fatigue. For example: tires are replaced when wear reduces tread depth to X mm.
Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance (also known as proactive or anticipatory maintenance) aims to identify signs of deterioration before a component fails completely. It is based on the principle that every part, system, or component exhibits signs — whether visible or not — that foreshadow a failure, breakage, or malfunction. Using devices (most often smart sensors), at-risk components are monitored by measuring temperature, vibrations, pressure, decibels, etc., in order to predict a problem before it even occurs. In other words, by accumulating data, predictive maintenance seeks to avoid production downtime by promoting planned interventions.
Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance refers to all tasks performed to correct or repair malfunctioning equipment. The goal is simple: to restore systems that are broken or at the end of their useful life to working order.
This type of maintenance is, in most cases, unavoidable, as it is the logical next step following preventive and predictive maintenance. Indeed, corrective maintenance can be scheduled (when an inspection determines that a part is too worn) or unscheduled (due to an unexpected breakdown). It becomes a problem when this is the only method used, as it leads to costly downtime, losses, and delays. In fact, experts often refer to the “80-20” rule for maintenance: 80% preventive/predictive and 20% corrective.
How to Choose the Right Type of Maintenance?
Although every company is unique, the questions and considerations regarding maintenance decisions are very similar.
1 — What are the “hidden” costs of your current maintenance plan?
The first step is to take a realistic and honest look at all the costs involved in your current situation. Of course, you need to factor in the cost of replacement parts and the maintenance team’s labor costs, but it’s essential to highlight how much breakdowns and unplanned downtime are costing you:
- Employees are being paid even though the production line is down
- Loss of raw materials
- Delivery delays
- Loss of contracts
2 — What is your reality?
- Does your manufacturing business operate outside of the maintenance team’s working hours?
- Are replacement parts readily available?
- Is it possible to perform a visual inspection of all your equipment at any time?
- What recurring issues are you looking to resolve?
3 — How much does it cost?
The total cost varies depending on your specific needs. Soralink has found that companies consistently fall into one of three patterns:
Corrective maintenance only — highest total cost due to unplanned downtime and emergency labor:
Preventive maintenance — moderate cost, but carries the risk of replacing parts that are still functional:
Predictive maintenance — highest upfront visibility, lowest long-term cost. At Soralink, no upfront capital investment required (monthly subscription model):
4 — Choosing a maintenance plan
By combining the information from steps 1, 2, and 3, you can make your maintenance decision. The ultimate goal is to choose a method that fits your circumstances, your budget, and, above all, offers improvements over your current situation.
- Critical machines: Predictive is essential to guarantee operational continuity.
- Semi-critical machines: Preventive is often a good compromise.
- Non-critical machines: Corrective can be considered if it does not impact safety.
If you’d like to learn more about predictive maintenance, the experts at Soralink would be happy to discuss your challenges, your specific situation, and your needs. Contact us or book a demo.