PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE 101: HOW TO IMPLEMENT A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM

If you're a facility manager, you've probably heard some variation of the phrase "If it's not broken, don't fix it." This mentality may work in the short term, but constant reactive maintenance can actually waste thousands of dollars each year due to lack of consistent, proactive repairs. Unplanned asset failure is stressful and time-consuming for a facilities team to fix.

If your team still operates on a reactive approach to maintenance, it's time for a change. A strong preventive maintenance plan is the key to keeping your equipment in safe, operable condition. Use this guide to preventive maintenance as your one-stop shop for understanding and implementing a successful program of your own this year. 

WHAT IS PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE?

Preventive maintenance (also called “preventative” maintenance) is a systematic approach to building operations that aims to predict and prevent catastrophic equipment failures before they occur. To accomplish this goal, facilities personnel conduct routine inspections, maintenance and repairs on assets to ensure they work as the manufacturer intended. Functional equipment allows facilities staff members to focus less on maintenance planning and scheduling and more on upcoming maintenance tasks or time-sensitive work orders.   

As a rule of thumb, it's better to  prevent  issues than  react  to them. Preventive maintenance reduces the likelihood of unexpected issues by promoting optimal equipment performance. The following list features a few ways facilities teams can stay on top of preventive maintenance in their departments:

• Schedule and perform regular inspections of equipment

• Conduct regular cleaning of buildings, grounds and assets 

• Lubricate moving parts to reduce wear-and-tear

• Adjust controls for optimal performance and energy efficiency

• Repair and replace any defective equipment parts