What is preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is an established operation performed on a plant or machine before a failure occurs in order to protect them and prevent or eliminate any degradation in their operating conditions.
This is done by using measured trend parameters that allow a comparison of current parameters with historical data. From this comparison, qualified judgments can be made about the need for corrective action. It is good for those machines and facilities which their failure would cause serious production losses.
Why preventive maintenance needed?
The preventive maintenance program guarantees the continuity of the operation and reduces the danger of unplanned interruptions. The total cost of downtime and 24-hour emergency repairs can be amazing. Planned shutdowns occur during periods of inactivity or minimal use, and as a result, problems can be detected in the early stages and corrective actions taken before extensive damage occurs.
The factors that affect the efficiency of this type of maintenance:
- The proper planning and scheduling of PM programme.
- The ability to properly apply the PM programme.
- The required staff qualifications and skills, which can be gained through training.
- The need for required number of personnel in the maintenance department to perform this type of maintenance.
Advantages of preventive maintenance:
- It reduces unplanned and forced outages of the system to a large extent.
- Longtime major break down of the system is avoided.
- During preventive maintenance, the residual life of the equipment in the system can be estimated by non-destructive tests.
- It can be used to update modern facilities.
- It enables the system trouble-free, uninterrupted quality power supply to consumers.
- Allows adequate time to implement experts` advice and decision for improvement of the system.
