Preventive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance at a Glance

Advantages

Generally cost effective.
Flexibility allows for periodic adjusting of maintenance.
Increased component lifespan.
Reduced equipment or process failure.
Estimated 12% to 18% cost savings compared to reactive maintenance.

Disadvantages

Catastrophic failures still possible.
Labor intensive.
Can include unneeded maintenance.
Potential for incidental damage due to unneeded maintenance.

Preventive maintenance aims to sustain and/or extend system lifespan through a set of actions that detect, preclude, or mitigate system degradation. These actions are based on either calendar time or machine run time.

Advantages

Federal agencies can greatly extend equipment reliability and lifespan by expending the necessary resources for regular maintenance. In most cases, the system designer and/or manufacturer outlines regular maintenance under a preventive strategy.

In addition to increased reliability and lifespan, budget is saved over the life of the system. Preventive maintenance programs can save as much as 12% to 18% in equipment repair and replacement.

Disadvantages

Preventive maintenance is more labor intensive because more maintenance and monitoring are needed for system components. The strategy also leads to system downtime for routine maintenance, which may (or may not) be absolutely needed. In addition, the potential exists for incidental damage to components caused by this unneeded maintenance.