1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour Book a demo Login Maintenance strategies: 4 approaches to asset management Last Updated: February 1, 2019 Greg Arbour 5 min read Back to blog Maintenance strategies: Which one should you choose? If you spend any time reading about industry trends, you’ll know that predictive maintenance is getting more popular every day. The rise of the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is making it possible for organizations to use intelligent maintenance software to collect data and integrate with connected devices to get smarter about manufacturing. While this particular type of maintenance has been gaining popularity, it’s far from the only solution available to equipment-heavy organizations. There are a host of other maintenance types that work well for all kinds of organizations, from small shops drowning in paper work orders to datadriven enterprise operations for whom predictive maintenance is a reality. Let’s compare these types of maintenance to see which ones work best for di erent scenarios. Table of contents 1 Types of maintenance a Run-to-failure (breakdown maintenance) https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 1/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix b Preventive (scheduled) maintenance Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company c Predictive maintenance (PdM) d Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) Free tour Book a demo Login 2 Comparing maintenance management strategies We spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of preventive maintenance, but it’s far from the only maintenance strategy out there. There are many di erent approaches that you can mix and match, depending on your assets, your industry, and the size and experience of your maintenance team. Today we’re going to compare the four most common types of maintenance strategies, their pros and cons, and when they are most e ective. This article covers the most common strategies, but it’s hardly an exhaustive list. For more ideas, head over to our maintenance strategies and planning resources page. The journey to modern maintenance Types of maintenance 1. Reactive maintenance (breakdown maintenance) Also known as breakdown or run-to-failure, reactive maintenance is pretty simple: x things when they break. Since repairs are not planned, it’s a good method to employ for equipment that is not essential for operations or has a low cost (think anything that’s rarely used or duplicates the function of other equipment). For example, think of a $1000 belt feeder, whose lifetime value can be extended by 10% by servicing it every 3 months. How hard are you willing to work to save $100? For a non-critical piece of machinery, the answer should be “not hard”.” https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 2/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix While it requires minimal planning, the drawbacks of reactive Productcan Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company maintenance be substantial if it’s not carried out correctly. If the Free tour approach is used for all equipment, there can be huge delays in production when a critical piece of equipment fails. Further, if you don’t have the right parts and supplies on hand, the costs for rushed shipping can become signi cant. In short, reactive maintenance often means more downtime and higher maintenance costs when it’s not used strategically. Book a demo Login Learn how to build a balanced maintenance strategy Read more 2. Preventive maintenance (scheduled) Also known as proactive maintenance, this method involves periodically taking assets o ine and inspecting or repairing them at predetermined intervals (usually time or event-based triggers). The goal of this approach is to extend the useful life of an asset and prevent breakdowns from occurring. Many organizations employing preventive maintenance use CMMS software to trigger work orders when a PM is due. This allows a facility to automate much of its scheduling e orts, which is a key ingredient of this preventive approach. Because planning is done in advance, it’s much easier to have the right parts and resources on hand to complete each task. As with all maintenance types, there are potential drawbacks to relying solely on preventive maintenance. If the PM schedule isn’t regularly https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 3/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix monitored, audited, and improved, “PM creep” can occur. This is when Product Pricing down Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour technicians getbogged byunnecessary tasks and cost the organization time and money. Book a demo Login Similarly, performing too many PMs can open the door for post-PM breakdowns. There are a number of ways to prevent this, but the risk gets higher as PMs get more frequent. The bottom line is, if a preventive maintenance program is used, it should go hand in hand with PM optimization. 3. Predictive maintenance (PdM) Predictive maintenance (PdM) aims to predict failures before they happen so maintenance can occur at just the right time. PdM uses data from machine sensors and smart technology to alert the maintenance team when a piece of equipment is at risk of failing. For example, a sensor may use vibration analysis to alert the maintenance team that a piece of equipment is at risk of failing, at which point it will be taken o ine, inspected, and repaired accordingly. It is possible to carry out PdM via visual inspections of equipment, but the easiest way to establish a predictive maintenance strategy is by using a CMMS to track meter readings. The advantage of PdM (over PM) is the potential for cost savings from reduced man-hours spent on maintenance, and more insight as to the performance and potential issues arising with the machine. Additionally, a reliance on data and sensor information means maintenance is determined by the actual condition of equipment, rather than a best-guess schedule or gut feel. Of course, relying so heavily on data means that there is a higher upfront cost to ensuring this maintenance approach can thrive. Another thing to keep in mind with predictive maintenance is that you have to walk before you can run. For an organization coming from a pen-andpaper or Excel-based maintenance program, you have to rst build on the processes and insights that preventive maintenance provides in order to build an e ective predictive maintenance plan. https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 4/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour Book a demo Login 4. Reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) addresses the fact that failure is not always linear. RCM is a highly-involved process that seeks to analyze all the possible failure modes for each piece of equipment and customize a maintenance plan for each individual machine. The ultimate goal of RCM is to increase equipment availability or reliability. RCM is considered complex because each individual asset must be analyzed and prioritized based on criticality. The most critical assets are those that are likely to fail often or will result in large consequences in the event of failure. Because each piece of equipment is analyzed on its own, it’s possible that the end result of embarking on an RCM e ort is having as many di erent maintenance plans as you do pieces of equipment. RCM is very sophisticated, to the extent where it is not a realistic or necessary technique for every organization. It’s requires a very mature maintenance team that has mastered prevention, basic inspections, predictive maintenance, and has access to lots of existing data on their assets. https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 5/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour Book a demo Login What is the backbone of RCM? Read more Maintenance management strategies comparison chart Need a quick comparison of these four strategies? Check out the chart below for a quick rundown of each approach. Maintenance strategy comparison chart Strategy Summary Cost to Implement Pros Cons Reactive Fix it when it breaks Low Ideal for lowpriority equipment Can lead to runaway repair costs Preventive Maintenance on a predetermined schedule Average Best strategy to implement without expertise Without optimization, “PM creep” can occur Predictive Conditionbased monitoring triggering work orders High Timely and informed monitoring. More insight into causes of breakdowns Can be expensive to set up RCM Investigation of failure modes to determine best maintenance strategy Highest If executed properly, provides the most e cient maintenance schedule Requires time, skill and nancial resources to be e ective https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 6/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix The bottom line: There is no “one size ts all” approach to Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour maintenance Book a demo Login As you can see, each type of maintenance has its own unique bene ts and shortcomings, depending on which asset we’re talking about, what stage of the reliability journey your organization is at, and the impact of downtime at your facility. Our recommendation is to start at the place that makes sense for your set of circumstances and keep growing from there. Eventually, you’ll get to a place where you can use a balanced maintenance program that takes all methods into account. Share this article: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Back to blog Modernize your maintenance Get the Executive's Guide to Digital Transformation and nd out how. Get the guide https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/evaluating-maintenance-strategies-select-model-asset-management/ 7/9 1/2/2020 Maintenance Strategies: 4 Approaches to Asset Management | Fiix Product Pricing Solutions Resources Services Company Free tour Book a demo Login Subscribe to the Fiix newsletter. Join over 14,000 maintenance professionals who get monthly CMMS tips, industry news, and updates. 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