The Benefits of Preventive Maintenance – Part 1

The essence of Preventive Maintenance lies within the old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (a special note of thanks to Benjamin Franklin for these words of wisdom).

WHAT IS PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE?

Preventive Maintenance is a method of conducting routine scheduled maintenance activities in an effort to prevent unexpected failures in the future. Simply put, it’s about “fixing things before they break” (IBM)

If the day-to-day operations of your company are reliant on machinery and equipment, you’ll understand how disruptive it is when these break down or don’t perform as they should. Preventive Maintenance therefore encourages the Managing teams of companies to implement precautionary care of their valuable IT assets. 

“Ultimately, taking certain precautions to ensure minimal risk to your business means that you and your staff can focus on improving what already works, instead of having to repair what is broken.”  (Coast)

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE?

Preventive Maintenance offers immense value to organisations by preventing the damage or destruction of important physical assets and reducing the chances of IT equipment failure and unplanned machine downtime – all of which can prove to be a costly misadventure for companies. 

• Prolonged life of company equipment: 
  
  According to IBM, Preventive Maintenance ensures that valuable physical assets achieve their full lifecycle and that warranties are kept up to date. 
  
  When one piece of IT equipment breaks down, it has the potential to halt or hinder an entire project or business unit, directly burdening an organisation with unnecessary costs that come with down-time.
  
  Such malfunctions and failures are, however, disruptions that companies can easily avoid by implementing a reliable and robust Preventive Maintenance schedule. 
  
  As mechanical parts are updated, assets perform at a steady and reliable rate of productivity throughout the year. MaintainX explains this reduces the degree and frequency of the capital expenditure that is needed to purchase new IT equipment.
  
  
• Less unplanned downtime caused by equipment failure:
  
  Implementing a Preventive Maintenance strategy helps to improve uptime and prevent the losses that are associated with unexpected mechanical downtime.
  
  According to IBM, a Preventive Maintenance schedule can “identify repairs earlier in the asset lifecycle for always-on operations that reduce downtime and optimise production.” 
  
  Another important advantage to note here is that when it comes to downtime and Preventive Maintenance, managers can plan this routine maintenance in such a manner that the company’s IT equipment is shut down during a time that coincides with productivity downtime, offering an invaluable degree of convenience (Fiix).
  
  Prior to the shutdown, any required spare parts, supplies and personnel can be gathered to minimise the time that is required for a repair. These proactive maintenance measures contribute to decreasing the total cost of maintenance activities, while simultaneously helping to prevent future losses that may result from periods of downtime caused by unplanned IT maintenance and repairs. 
  
  
• Fewer unnecessary maintenance and inspections:
  
  Equipment that undergoes routine Preventive Maintenance runs more efficiently and reliably, saving your organisation time and money in the here-and-now, as well as in the long-run. 
  
  This factor contributes to ensuring stable levels of production and productivity, too. Preventive Maintenance helps to ensure that the productivity of the company is not negatively impacted by unnecessary maintenance and inspections. It does this by keeping your company’s service and/or supply chains in motion and enabling teams to hit their targets and to stay on schedule.
  
  As reported by Deloitte, inadequate maintenance strategies can reduce an organisation’s production capacity by 20 percent.

Modern Preventive Maintenance solutions allow operational managers to digitise essential equipment details, assign recurring work orders, and review asset history from the convenience of their smartphones.

The benefits of Preventive Maintenance don’t end here! This approach to maintenance offers a plethora of advantages for companies. 

We’ll be posting Part 2 of our Blog to provide further insight into the advantages of Preventative Maintenance. Keep your eyes peeled for more, or get in touch with our team of experts today to discuss your preventive maintenance requirements.