An expensive piece of equipment had just failed. Immediately you call the maintenance department, but you know that this might take a while, as the failure could mean you have to replace the part completely. Your staff can’t procure the new part, from a supplier until they have checked availability from their various other facilities. It is even more frustrating if none of the facilities have the part and you must escalate the purchase.

There must be a better way to manage my equipment, right?

There is indeed a way to prevent your current, uncomfortably expensive situation in the future, with a practice called preventive maintenance. 

What is preventive maintenance? 

Preventive maintenance refers to routine maintenance, done consistently, to prevent equipment from failing. In other words, maintenance is done before the equipment has failed, and while it is still in operational condition. This may consist of simple tasks such as cleaning filters and merely inspecting equipment or more complex tasks such as intricate investigations to see what the condition of parts are beneath the surface. 

By implementing a preventive maintenance strategy, an organization is adopting a proactive culture and moving away from an outdated, reactive one, where emergency maintenance is often required.  

Through the adoption of a proactive culture, an organization can ensure that equipment is kept in working order, preventing unexpected deterioration. It also ensures an organization is not faced with unplanned down-time of everyday operations and unexpected costs, which are unwanted aspects that are usually central to a run-to-failure maintenance strategy.

Types of preventive maintenance

There are two types of preventive maintenance, namely, usage-based, and time-based. 

Usage-based

Equipment requires maintenance after a certain number of hours, production cycles, or miles. 

For example, “lubricate machines after 5000 cycles.” 

Time-based

Equipment maintenance is based on a calendar that outlines a schedule for every piece of equipment. Also called ‘scheduled maintenance’. 

For example, “inspect a runway once in every two weeks.” 

Benefits of preventive maintenance

  • Increased lifespan of organizational equipment
  • Decreased amount of down-time 
  • Increased productivity
  • Reduction in large repairs
  • Prevention of ill-timed breakdowns
  • Saving money through life-extension of equipment
  • Improved reliability of equipment

How can CMMS help with preventive maintenance?

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), such as Eagle’s Proteus, allows you to schedule work orders and maintenance requirements to ensure your organization’s equipment is checked consistently. This means no one (because we are only human after all) will have this huge responsibility of keeping track of every piece of equipment and its preventive maintenance requirements.  

Using Proteus MMX with integrated software applications and web services you will be able to receive notifications when certain environmental issues occur in or around buildings and equipment. These notifications will trigger your CMMS system, which will create a work order and delegate it to the correct technician, meaning, the problem is detected, corrected, and prevented in no time.  

The old saying: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”, accompanied by a reactive maintenance culture, is not good enough anymore in a world where CMMS software exists. By implementing preventive maintenance and detecting minor issues before they cause equipment failure, you do not only increase your organization’s productivity but also decrease your organizational costs.

Proteus MMX allows you to manage multi-location inventory, purchasing, service requests, and work order management. To find out how Proteus MMX can help your preventive maintenance strategy call Eagle at 262-241-3845 or send us an email or schedule a demo.