Predictive maintenance is a technique that takes into consideration the condition of your company’s equipment. Predictive maintenance regularly monitors machinery by analyzing the data collected from various sensors.
The main objective of predictive maintenance is to predict any failures in equipment. This is done so that the necessary repairs can be done just before the machinery fails.
Predictive maintenance is a very useful technique. Here are the ways by which large organizations use it to get the most out of their resources –
Reducing The Number Of Failures In Equipment
Predictive maintenance monitors your equipment periodically. It looks for any anomalies that might cause it to fail. If it does predict any failures, you can repair it before it eventually breaks down.
This decreases the number of failures in your equipment significantly. Without predictive maintenance, you will not have prior knowledge about any possible defects your equipment might have.
With the help of predictive maintenance, you repair the equipment at the right time. If your machines fail, you would need to perform corrective maintenance. Predictive maintenance saves you the expenses involved in corrective maintenance.
Reducing Downtime Of Equipment
Equipment downtime is the amount of time the equipment is not operational. It is suggested to keep it to its lowest possible value.
Predictive maintenance helps you anticipate the repairs needed in your equipment. When repairs are carried out before your machinery fails, you keep the downtime of the machines to a low value.
In big factories, where stoppages in work can hamper production, damages to equipment need to be taken care of efficiently. Long halts at work can affect your schedule and can lead to a waste of your time and the labor hired.
Lowering Maintenance Expenses
There are chances of sudden and fatal failures in your equipment. In those cases, the cost of repairs can be high. The demand for labor for repair work will also be high.
Predictive maintenance periodically monitors your equipment. Pieces of equipment are constantly observed for any signs of failure. If any arise, you can perform the repairs instantly.
Thus, with predictive maintenance, you save your maintenance costs and labor costs.
Increasing Lifetime Of Service Parts
By using predictive maintenance, you take care of any upcoming failures. You also make sure that your machinery is in its best shape. This is why it is wise to use predictive maintenance.
With the help of predictive maintenance, you get informed about any potential damages that might occur to your equipment. You take care of the repairs keeping the machinery running smoothly. This helps in increasing the lifetime of the service parts.
When you increase the lifetime of service parts, you ensure the production also increases.
Decreasing The Need For Stocking Spare Parts
If you haven’t opted for predictive maintenance, chances are that you keep stocks of spare parts. Stocking the spare parts is a good idea. However, it may not be the most efficient one.
Stocking is costly as you would also need to maintain the surplus supplies. You need much bigger spaces as well for stocking purposes.
With the help of predictive maintenance, you get information about when you might need to perform the repairs. So, it allows you to have ample time to order the parts needed and arrange for the labor required. Thus, it eliminates the need for stocking spare parts.
Ensuring A Safe Environment
A safe environment is a necessity for the industries. You must avoid any harm due to the malfunctioning of equipment. To ensure this, you need to carry out the required repairs before the equipment breaks down.
Malfunctioning of equipment can prove very dangerous as it can cause accidents. It can cause harm to the people working around the equipment. Predictive maintenance is very crucial as it guarantees that your machinery is error-free.
Increasing Production & Profits
Predictive maintenance helps keep your machinery in its best shape. When your equipment is operating smoothly, there is an increase in your plant’s efficiency. Thus, your production starts to increase.
Predictive maintenance helps keep your machine non-operational for the lowest possible time. A low downtime implies fewer halts at work. Fewer stoppages lead to lesser waste of time and labor and hence can increase your production.
An increase in production leads to an increase in profits. When your plants are operating efficiently, you will be able to meet your orders on time. You will also be able to use your time, resources, and labor efficiently to increase your gains.
Types Of Predictive Maintenance
Let’s take a look at some types of predictive maintenance –
Infrared Analysis
This type of analysis can be used on both high-speed and low-speed machines. This analysis is suitable for both electrical and mechanical type machines. The cost of this analysis is low. It is mostly used to identify problems regarding cooling and airflow.
Vibrational Analysis
This type of analysis is used on high-speed machines. It is used on mechanical type machines. This analysis is cost-effective since it has been around for some time. The vibrational analysis is used for detecting imbalance and misalignment.
Sonic Acoustical Analysis
This type of analysis can be used on both high-speed and low-speed machines. It is used on mechanical type machines. This analysis requires less money. The sonic acoustical analysis is used for lubrication measures.
Ultrasonic Acoustical Analysis
This type of analysis can be used on both high-speed and low-speed machines. This analysis is suitable for both electrical and mechanical type machines. The cost of this analysis is high. The ultrasonic acoustical analysis is used to predict the imminent breakdown of equipment.
OEE & Predictive Maintenance
OEE stands for Overall Equipment Effectiveness. It is a metric that measures the overall productivity of the equipment. Predictive maintenance can be scheduled by calculating the OEE of equipment.
The OEE is dependable on three factors – availability, performance, and quality. Availability indicates how frequently the equipment functions. Performance indicates the measure of production. Quality indicates the measure of defects in the production.
The overall equipment effectiveness calculation can be done by finding the equipment’s availability, performance, and quality.
In Conclusion
Predictive maintenance is a very useful strategy that can help you to get the most out of your resources. With predictive maintenance, the chances of catastrophic failures are low, cutting your high repair and maintenance costs.
With a low downtime of your equipment, due to predictive maintenance, fewer halts take place. So, the production isn’t hampered. You also save yourself valuable time due to this. Predictive maintenance is a very crucial strategy as it also ensures the safety of the operators.
With constant monitoring of your equipment for anomalies, predictive maintenance helps keep your machinery in its best shape. This leads to an efficient environment with the help of which, you increase production.
Predictive maintenance helps you to cut your losses, maintain your schedule, manage resources, and increase profits.
