Why are more and more companies using software to manage their preventive maintenance? Because it works!
Developing preventive maintenance is the number one goal of many maintenance managers. If they have difficulties in setting up preventive maintenance routines or plans, it is often because they do not have the right tools.
By using a CMMS software to manage preventive maintenance, the company increases its profitability by limiting the number of production stops and improving the availability rate and the life span of its equipment.
Preventive maintenance: definition and benefits
Definition of preventive maintenance
Preventive (or preventative) maintenance refers to any type of routine carried out on a piece of equipment or a machine in operation and aimed at avoiding unforeseen stoppages. It aims to limit production downtime and reduce the costs of emergency repairs.
Examples of preventive maintenance actions
Here are some examples of preventive maintenance actions:
- general inspection of a machine;
- cleaning;
- lubrication;
- draining;
- replacement of worn parts.
Preventive maintenance also means keeping a history of all the interventions performed, in order to adapt the frequency of interventions according to the technicians’ observations. For example, analysis of the preventive maintenance history may show that a belt could be replaced only every 6 months rather than every 3 months.
Types of preventive maintenance
There are 2 main types of preventive maintenance:
- time-based maintenance: this approach schedules preventive maintenance on a time basis (for example every month);
- usage-based maintenance: maintenance interventions are triggered according to a certain benchmark (for example every 1000 hours of operation or every 1000 km);
- condition-based preventive maintenance: this particular form of preventive maintenance is based on the monitoring of the condition of an asset, and is scheduled only when certain indicators show a possible upcoming failure or signs of decreasing performance.
What are the benefits of preventive maintenance?
The implementation of a preventive maintenance strategy has many advantages for companies:
- reduction of the number of breakdowns and therefore of production stops;
- increase in the life span of equipment;
- improved safety;
- reduced costs related to urgent repairs;
- history of interventions to facilitate audits and inspections.
What software should I use a CMMS for preventive maintenance?
To manage the planning and follow-up of preventive maintenance interventions, the use of a specialized software is strongly recommended.
What is preventive maintenance software?
A preventive maintenance software is a computer program specially designed to make the planning and execution of preventive maintenance tasks easier and more efficient. It is usually a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) including a “maintenance plans” functionality.
What are the benefits of using a CMMS for preventive maintenance?
The use of preventive maintenance software can save on operating costs and promote operational efficiency, which improves the company’s profitability. In addition to the general benefits of preventive maintenance outlined above, preventive maintenance software can:
- create a maintenance schedule, or maintenance plan, for each piece of equipment: a calendar of all planned tasks;
- record intervention reports for each task, to allow a detailed follow-up of the interventions and to identify the points to be improved;
- integrate checklists: technicians who perform preventive maintenance tasks have easy access to the list of all actions they must perform during their preventive maintenance routine, so they don’t forget anything;
- have access to all this information on a smartphone or tablet, thanks to a mobile application: this makes the technicians’ work much easier and avoids forgetting and losing information, while saving them time.
How to manage preventive maintenance with a CMMS?
The preparation of a maintenance plan must first be based on the recommendations of the equipment manufacturer and on any regulatory standards, which must be completed by the observations of the maintenance technicians and the analysis of the history of interventions if it exists.
Then, creating a maintenance plan in the Mobility Work CMMS is very simple. Simply go to the “maintenance plans” tab and fill in the required fields:
- equipment concerned by the plan;
- description of the task to be performed;
- technician(s) assigned to the maintenance plan;
- periodicity of the the task to be performed.
It is also possible to indicate if the maintenance plan is regulatory or not, and to attach a checklist detailing all the actions to be performed.
Then, the technician(s) concerned are informed in their schedule of the tasks to be carried out in the framework of each maintenance plan.
If you also want to develop preventive maintenance in your company with a CMMS software for preventive maintenance, do not hesitate to watch our demo video and contact us!
