What type of spot check is used to validate preventive maintenance that has been completed?

Learn about corrective maintenance vs preventive maintenance, types of corrective maintenance with examples, and how to perform corrective maintenance efficiently.

Preventative Maintenance (PM) is planned maintenance that prolongs the lifespan of company assets, equipment, and infrastructure. Also spelled as “preventive,” PM includes adjustments, cleaning, lubrication, repairs, and replacements. 

Equipment failures cannot be eliminated—they will happen. However, preventive maintenance programs have been proven to reduce breakdowns, keep workers safe, and save big bucks in unnecessary expenses. 

In this guide, you will learn how preventive maintenance can save money, decrease downtime, and enhance safety for businesses of all sizes and types. 

We’ll also cover how to create a preventive maintenance plan, determine which type of PM system is right for your facility, and evaluate computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) for streamlined automation. 

1. What Is Preventive / Preventative Maintenance?

Preventive maintenance means fixing small problems before they become big ones.  The primary goals of preventive maintenance programs are to a) maximize an asset’s useful life and b) avoid unplanned downtimes.

Downtime is the amount of time a system, machine, or piece of equipment remains inoperable. Thus, condition monitoring is a key component of preventive maintenance programs. Condition monitoring is the evaluation of specific machine behavioral indications—temperatures, vibrations, oil levels—to check for impending failure. 

For example, technicians must replace machine bearings after so many hours because they aren’t designed to last forever. The following three characteristics define the scope of PM tasks across industries. 

The 3 Elements of Preventative Maintenance 

1. Systematic
2. Performed routinely
3. Aimed at reducing or minimizing failures

The 5 Components of PM

1. Replace worn components before they fail
2. Clean and restore components before performance degrades
3. Avoid the consequences of component or system failure
4. Improve reliability and predictability
5. Train experts on proper procedure and techniques

Where We Are Now

As previously mentioned, nearly half of the world’s companies now practice some form of preventive maintenance. Recent CMMS technologies have catapulted the possibilities of streamlining complex asset databases and preventive maintenance schedules from exclusively being in the hands of premier companies to SMBs today. 

In other words, it’s never been easier to make PM work for you—no matter the size of your organization. Next, we’ll take a closer look at preventive maintenance subcategories before delving into some tactical tips: 

7. Types of Preventive Maintenance 

PM tasks are completed to anticipate and prevent equipment breakdown. These precautionary tasks should be performed on all parts and components with age-related failure patterns. 

It’s important to recognize that no one type of preventive maintenance is better than the other. Stick with manual and manufacturer recommendations when determining the type of PM your equipment needs. With that said, preventive maintenance falls into four primary categories.

We’ve included simplified explanations in the paragraphs below. 

Periodic Maintenance

9. How to Create a Preventative Maintenance Checklist 

The preventive maintenance workflow is the cornerstone of every proactive operations organization. A successful workflow provides a roadmap of how and when to maintain assets. Unsurprisingly, there is no “right” way to begin. 

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But MaintainX is completely free to download from the app store, and all Premium Features are free for 30 days. Our platform includes everything you need to begin creating work orders, communicating with staff, and tracking assets today.