Prevention is better than a cure when it comes to maintaining business-critical technology.
Good maintenance practices can be the difference between costly unplanned downtime and keeping assets running.
It's tough figuring out where to start. Whatever the scale or scope of your maintenance needs, here are 10 best practices you need to know:
- Prioritize Critical Assets
Identify and focus on maintaining assets critical to operations and prevent costly downtime.
Your most expensive machinery, or the asset(s) most closely tied to your output, should be at the top of this list.
Prioritize equipment inspections that are essential to production and safety.
Ensure the parts you need to maintain critical assets are consistently on hand or easily obtainable. - Develop a Comprehensive Maintenance Plan
Create a structured plan outlining maintenance tasks, schedules, and responsible personnel to ensure consistency and accountability.
Detail the priority or order in which tasks should be carried out and a timeline for completion.
If appropriate, assign maintenance tasks to your in-house team in accordance with their skills. If not, source external support and schedule regular visits by technicians.
Critical assets should be prioritized, but a truly comprehensive plan will include all company assets. - Train and Empower Maintenance Staff
Invest in regular training programs to keep your maintenance team informed on best practices and emerging technologies.
Having capable technicians on-site means your team can tackle problems before they disrupt operations.
Empowering your team to take responsibility for maintenance drives efficiency, too — compared with calling for external support, in-house inspections and maintenance save you time, money, and hassle. - Conduct Regular Audits and Inspections
Perform routine audits to identify areas of improvement and ensure adherence to maintenance protocols.
Getting ahead of problems rather than simply reacting to breakdowns reduces unplanned downtime and maintenance labor hours.
Create a work environment where staff proactively look for potential issues and have the time and support to address them before they become urgent. - Implement Preventive Maintenance Strategies
Implement preventive maintenance strategies to address potential issues before they escalate, improving equipment longevity and reliability.
Preventive maintenance means scheduling regular checks by staff or technicians to prevent assets from falling into disrepair or breaking down.
Preventive strategies include keeping impeccable records, regularly monitoring data and equipment, and employing digital diagnostic tools. - Leverage Technology and CMMS Tools
Utilize a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to streamline maintenance processes, track work orders, and effectively manage assets.
A CMMS can significantly improve equipment lifespan. It can integrate with enterprise resource planning software and production data.
The best CMMS platforms can connect with condition monitoring sensors and software, enabling alerts the moment an asset requires maintenance.
Additionally, it allows you to schedule and assign maintenance tasks, demonstrate compliance for regulatory inspections, and collaborate across teams. - Monitor and Analyze Maintenance Metrics
Whether you are practicing preventive or predictive maintenance, it's important to collect metrics.
Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) to assess maintenance effectiveness.
You can track KPIs by manually collecting data, or installing sensors or performance monitoring software for automated collection. Then, you manage collected data via a CMMS.
Collecting and analyzing metrics increases efficiency, enables off-site monitoring, provides data-supported evidence for proactive maintenance, and centralizes management.
Keep detailed records of maintenance activities, inspections, and repairs to inform future decisions and comply with regulatory requirements. - Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Encourage feedback and innovation within the maintenance team to continually refine processes and adopt best practices.
As leaders, creating a collaborative environment where all are valued means being able to learn and improve across all skill levels.
Offering continuous training and development opportunities benefits your entire organization by ensuring team members are equipped with the most current info and best practices.
Getting technicians, engineers, mechanics, and other staff together regularly means people can ask questions and learn from one another.
A core staff with an excellent knowledge base will be more reliable and know your business and equipment better than an external team. - Establish Clear Communication Channels
Ensure seamless communication between maintenance teams and other departments to coordinate efforts and share critical information.
When a timely response and a bigger-picture understanding are the difference between an asset functioning or failing, communication matters.
Part of your comprehensive maintenance plan should include a way to reach maintenance professionals outside of working hours or during an emergency.
Regular check-ins on equipment status and a collaborative culture mean questions and issues are aired and explored before they become critical. - Learn From History
Instilling excellent maintenance processes, including regular audits, keeping records, and using preventive techniques, means you have a wealth of information to analyze.
When looking ahead, review what has worked and what hasn't, and set aside a time to update your comprehensive plan. Reference your past performance and maintenance data when making predictions about future needs.
Accurate records and thorough analysis are the ideal foundation of a preventive maintenance strategy, and can inform the installation of sensors and other tools for predictive maintenance.
Looking honestly at historic maintenance requirements will improve efficiency, reduce resource wastage, and offer insight for effective decision-making.