Facility managers everywhere know the struggle of unexpected downtime. Having a piece of equipment out of commission leads to loss of operational hours, interrupts facility management workflow, and can cause significant damage that can result in early asset loss. The good news is that unexpected equipment breakdowns can be reduced and controlled. Managing assets with preventative and corrective maintenance increases preparedness and decreases downtime.
Preventative maintenance is the planned and executed routine maintenance of assets to prevent them from breaking down. This can include tasks such as predictive maintenance, where a single part is replaced when it reaches the end of its usefulness as well as utilizing a facility management software program to identify potential problems before they become serious.
Corrective maintenance is the maintenance done to repair assets when they break down. A corrective maintenance plan includes budgeting for unexpected equipment repairs, preparing staff with knowledge and tools as well having a process for quickly diagnosing and repairing issues. An effective corrective maintenance plan helps keep significant damage and the need for replacements to a minimum.
While preventative and corrective maintenance both offer benefits separately, they are much more impactful when utilized together. Preventative maintenance tasks help members of a maintenance team catch problems before they reach the point of breakdown or expensive repair. However, if a piece of equipment does need repair, corrective maintenance can be used to effectively diagnose and solve the problem.
Together, these maintenance methods can have a huge impact on facility management departments and organizations as a whole. Preventative maintenance protects workers, liability, assets, and finances and makes corrective maintenance a dependable backup plan.