Preventive Maintenance in Action: Practical Examples
Preventive maintenance is an effective and widely used approach in the industrial and commercial sectors that ensures the longevity of assets, seamless work operations, increased performance, lower risks of breakdowns, and reduced downtime.
It is a complex approach having its own technicalities and complexities, but no worries, we have got you! Read the blog to understand preventive maintenance in the light of practical examples, its importance, and tips.
What is Preventive Maintenance?
As the name suggests, preventive maintenance is literally decoded as the process or series of steps to prevent something from getting damaged, and this is exactly the core concept of preventive maintenance.
It is a scheduled procedure that is designed specifically to protect industrial equipment from getting damaged, maintain its efficiency, and encounter any potential threat before it becomes a significant issue.
The tasks involved in preventive maintenance may vary from industry to industry. For example, in the IT industry, preventive maintenance may include regular checking of the data. Look for any bugs in the system and do system updates or hardware inspections. On the other hand, in the automobile manufacturing industry, it may include tasks like regular machine monitoring, equipment efficiency, data analysis, checking the production rate and other tasks.
Let's dig into some practical examples to understand preventive maintenance in detail:
Practical Examples of Preventive Maintenance
As discussed above, different sectors require different plans of action for effective preventive maintenance. Since it's hard to cover all of them here so, we have covered some major industries and their required course of action for preventive maintenace. These examples will help you get a more clear concept of preventive maintenance and how it works:
Preventive Maintenance for Construction Equipment
Preventive maintenance is a frequently adopted strategy in the construction equipment industry as it saves them from costly repairs and reduces downtime. It includes:
Check the age of the battery, acid ratio, and voltage retention
Inspect the equipment's body and look for any decolouration, damage, loose nuts, or rust
Periodic inspection of coolants
Regularly inspect the voltages, fuses, and cables
Clean the filters for fuel, oil, and air and replace them if necessary
Regular fluid analysis, i.e., engine oil, hydraulic oils, transmission fluids
Injector cleaning and replacement
Frequently lubricating the parts
Check the suspension, security features, steering, tyres, and other technical specs.
Preventive Maintenance for Residences
To ensure your residential operations are running smoothly, you need a preventive maintenance plan that may include:
Replace filters of air conditioners and furnaces
Monthly or annual roof inspections
Gutter inspection and repairs
Look for leaks, moulds, or any sign of water damage
Flush water heaters
Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
HVAC system maintenance
Remove tile grout caulk around showers
Electrical fault-finding inspections
CCTV inspections
Preventive Maintenance for Generators
For a seamlessly running generator and its preventive maintenance, you need to ensure the following tasks:
Assessing the electrical system and wiring
Changing the oil and oil filters regularly
Check the overall fluid levels
Cleaning the generator
Inspecting the air intake system
Look for any signs of oil leaks, rodent, insect or other pest infestation
Observe alarms or warning lights
Observe the appearance of the generator
Performing a function and load bank testing test
Preventive Maintenance for Vehicles
For maximum engine efficiency, smooth running, and longevity of vehicles, i.e., cars, buses, trucks, and bikes following preventive maintenance measures are included:
Check the tyre rotation and pressure
Inspect spark plugs
Wires assessment and replacement
Inspect and clean the throttle body and fuel injectors
Look for signs of leaks, friction, drum, rotor thickness
Check the suspension and look for lube looseness or leaks
Check the engine and cabin air filters
Test the battery and brakes
Look for engine oil and change when required
Test the lights and brake pads
Check the exhaust system
Preventive Maintenance for the Hospitality Sector
The hospitality industry includes spaces where there is usually high public traffic, like restaurants and hotels, so it requires a strict preventive maintenance plan that may include tasks like:
Timely plumbing repairs
Frequent drain and sewer cleaning
Maintain optimum water pressure
Regular maintenance of HVAC system
Inspecting and cleaning filters
Look for signs of insect infestation
Observe any signs of water leaks
Polishing and maintaining furniture
Inspect the kitchen equipment like refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers
Inspect bathroom accessories like fixtures, faucets, showerheads and get repairs if required
Circuit breakers and panels servicing
Check emergency alarms
Importance of Preventive Maintenance
The importance of preventive maintenance is undeniable, especially in the industrial domain, where expensive machinery and equipment are the backbone of generating revenue for the industries. But many people often take preventive measure services as an extra expense and avoid taking professional help. However, here are a few points highlighting the importance of preventive maintenance:
PM increases the efficiency of the equipment and increases the longevity.
90% of the mechanical failures can be reduced by taking preventive measures.
It reduces the downtime of equipment; hence, it is a time-efficient approach.
PM maintains or improves the output quality like in HVAC systems, electrical appliances and others.
It mitigates the chances of unexpected repairs or unforeseen situations. This way, you can save a hefty amount of money on repairs.
Ensures the equipment complies with safety and legal regulations.
It helps to boost the overall productivity.
A well-planned PM helps you predict the expected downtime, preparing you to make required arrangements for timely repairs. Hence, it increases the repair speed.
The PM ensures the system's efficiency, which in turn consumes less energy. Resultantly, you get reduced energy bills making it an energy-efficient approach.
Important Tips for Preventive Maintenance
PDCA Model: To make an effective PM strategy, try to integrate the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) model. According to this model, use the existing data, repair histories and operational patterns to make a plan followed by consistent execution. Then, take the feedback, observe the results, and analyze them to revise and improve the strategy again.
Integrate Software: You can take assistance from various software like CMMS and even AI to boost overall efficiency and automate some operations.
Hire Experts: You can seek professional help from companies like Rildov LLC, who are offering a wide range of preventive maintenance, CMMS implementation, outsourced maintenance, and other reliable services that can help you see visible benefits and business growth over time.