PM vs PE: What’s the Difference?

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is the proactive approach to maintaining assets, equipment, and facilities to prevent potential problems or breakdowns. In other words, a PM is associated with a piece of equipment.

Preventive maintenance typically follows a predetermined schedule or cadence based on manufacturer recommendations, industry best practices, or previously collected data. It often includes tasks like routine inspections, lubrication, filter replacements, calibration, cleaning, and minor repairs.

Preventative maintenance helps identify any signs of wear and tear, address minor issues promptly before they become major, and ensure that the equipment or facilities continue to function efficiently and safely.

Planned Event

A planned event can be any one of many things including fire drills, school assemblies, parent-teacher conferences, sports events, or facility rentals. These events may involve setting up temporary infrastructure, rearranging furniture, organizing equipment, and ensuring adequate staff support.

A planned event is a scheduled activity that requires specific preparations or arrangements. These activities are usually known in advance and require coordination, logistics, and specific actions to ensure they run smoothly.

What’s the Difference?

While a planned event may require some level of maintenance preparation, it is distinctly different from preventative maintenance. The focus of a planned event is on managing the activity itself and ensuring its successful execution. In contrast, preventative maintenance is centered around maintaining facility assets and equipment to prevent failures or breakdowns.