Industrial machinery is often extremely expensive to replace and can make up a significant proportion of a company’s assets. Therefore, it is extremely important to look after it.
When it comes to looking after industrial machinery, it is definitely a case of prevention being better than cure. This is demonstrated by the widespread use of preventative maintenance plans.
Maintenance work on industrial machinery should only ever be undertaken by those who are qualified and competent to do the work.
Advantages of preventative maintenance
The first, and perhaps the most important benefit of preventative maintenance is the fact that it extends the lifespan of valuable assets. Keeping them in good condition wi
ll mean they last longer and that expensive total replacements are less frequent.
The second key benefit of preventive maintenance is that it reduces the risk of breakdown. If you wait until machines fail before you perform any maintenance, you risk your productivity and reputation. Most failures or breakdowns can be avoided with preventative maintenance.
Hydraulic power packs
A hydraulic power pack is a good example of equipment that benefits from planned maintenance. These are self-contained units that provide power for hydraulic machinery. They are convenient, portable, and efficient. Further information on HPPs is available from specialist firms, with significant resources available online such as the examples seen here www.hydraproducts.co.uk.
A third benefit is a reduction in unplanned downtime. Downtime can be significantly reduced using preventative or scheduled maintenance. By scheduling it, you can also carry it out at more convenient times.
Accurate tracking of condition, together with preventative maintenance, can also improve the health and safety record of a facility. It reduces the likelihood of accidents and of major outages or failures that could cause fires.
Another benefit of preventative maintenance is improved customer satisfaction and brand reputation. This is largely a result of increased reliability and the fact that customers will trust a proactive organisation more than a reactive one.
Conclusion
There are numerous reasons as to why preventative maintenance is the only sensible strategy, despite the apparent up-front expenditure. Many of the benefits outlined above ultimately result in significant cost savings. Unplanned emergency repairs cost significantly more than planned preventative maintenance (up to 9 times as much), and can also result in unexpected lost productivity and sales. In contrast, preventative maintenance preempts catastrophic and costly failures.
