Preventive maintenance and breakdown maintenance are two common strategies for maintaining equipment and machinery. These two strategies differ significantly in their approach to preventing and addressing equipment failures.
- Maintenance approach
Preventive maintenance is a proactive strategy in which routine inspections, servicing, and part replacements are performed at scheduled intervals to prevent equipment failure. Breakdown maintenance is a reactive strategy in which maintenance is only performed when equipment has already failed. - Focus and objectives
The goal of preventive maintenance is to prevent equipment failure by focusing on maximizing reliability, safety, and longevity of equipment through regular care and upkeep. The goal of breakdown maintenance is to repair or restore equipment after it has failed or broken down by focusing on quickly restoring equipment to minimize the impact on operations, with less emphasis on preventing future issues. - Cost management
Preventive maintenance involves higher upfront costs due to regular servicing and part replacements, but it reduces the likelihood of expensive emergency repairs or major equipment failure. Breakdown maintenance involves unexpected breakdown that led to costly repairs and potential downtime losses. - Downtime
Preventive maintenance schedules downtime for maintenance, which helps reduce unscheduled outages and minimizing operational disruptions. Breakdown maintenance results in unplanned downtime, which can be unpredictable and more difficult to manage, often leading to extended production halts. - Risk and equipment life
Preventive maintenance lowers the risk of sudden equipment failure, extending the lifespan of machinery by keeping it in optimal working condition. Breakdown maintenance carries higher risk which result in more extensive damage and may shorten the overall lifespan of the equipment.
