How well you maintain your operating equipment has a tremendous impact on upkeep expenditures and how smooth the business runs. Predictive maintenance is one of the most efficient ways to monitor the health of equipment, but also requires spending money that not every business has on hand.

Types

Most of the benefits of using predictive maintenance are cost savings or producing a better quality product or work environment, reports the U.S. Department of Energy. Predictive maintenance usually solves problems before equipment breaks, increasing equipment lifespan and reducing work stoppage.

Misconceptions

Predictive maintenance and preventative maintenance are not the same thing, reports the U.S. DOE. Preventative maintenance adheres to a strict schedule, such as changing tires every 10,000 miles.

Disadvantages

While predictive maintenance has several benefits that appear over the long term, implementing a predictive program requires investing capital in new equipment to evaluate problems (usually around $50,000) and employee training, reports the U.S. DOE.

Considerations

Predictive maintenance benefits are most readily seen when used in conjunction with another standard maintenance system, such as preventative maintenance, reports "An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance."

Fun Fact

The U.S. DOE projects that predictive maintenance saves the average operation about 8 to 12 percent over other types of maintenance systems.

Source:

U.S. Department of Energy: Predictive Maintenance

An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance; Mobley, R. Keith; 2002