Proactive maintenance is a forward-thinking maintenance strategy focused on identifying and addressing the root causes of failures to avoid breakdowns. The goal of proactive maintenance is to improve machine reliability, reduce downtime, and extend asset lifespan. Proactive maintenance is an umbrella term that includes preventive, condition-based, and predictive maintenance strategies.
This type of maintenance program empowers organizations to:
- Extend the life of machinery
- Reduce downtime caused by machine failure
- Identify the root causes of machine failure
- Resolve problems before they become failures
Collecting data, tracking ongoing trends, and using those trends to determine when to take action are the cornerstones of proactive maintenance strategies. Many teams support their proactive maintenance programs with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
Types of Proactive Maintenance With Examples
Proactive maintenance involves taking action and performing maintenance before failure occurs. There are three maintenance strategies that fall under the category of proactive maintenance:
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance (PM) is a type of proactive maintenance based on the calendar, mileage, or usage of equipment, regardless of the equipment’s actual condition. Maintenance tasks like changing a filter once a month, lubricating a bearing after a certain number of hours of machine runtime, or changing the oil in a vehicle after a certain number of miles driven are all examples of preventive maintenance.
Condition-Based Maintenance
Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is maintenance based on the actual condition of a machine. Teams collect data with condition monitoring procedures and tools like oil analysis, infrared thermography, IIoT sensors, or vibration monitoring. For example, instead of changing the oil on a regular calendar interval, organizations using condition-based maintenance will change the oil when an analysis reveals contaminants or excess particles in the oil.
Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance is another type of proactive maintenance. It takes condition-based maintenance a step further by using data trends and artificial intelligence (AI) to predict when a failure will occur. Organizations can use this data to plan maintenance before a machine needs it, taking advantage of planned downtime to perform inspections and repairs that will help avoid sudden failures in the future.
Rather than a single program, proactive maintenance is an overarching approach that brings these three strategies together into a unified framework. When implemented effectively, a proactive maintenance plan helps organizations optimize their maintenance activities, reduce unnecessary costs, and minimize the risks of unplanned downtime.
Proactive Maintenance vs. Reactive Maintenance
While proactive maintenance tries to prevent breakdowns by performing maintenance in advance, reactive maintenance happens after a machine already breaks down.
Reactive maintenance will always be necessary in some capacity, since it’s always possible for even well-maintained machines to break down without warning. But while it can’t be completely avoided, the costs add up quickly for organizations that rely exclusively on reactive maintenance as their complete maintenance strategy. It often involves increased labor costs due to overtime or holiday labor, poor production due to unplanned downtime, and higher parts costs due to expedited shipping in emergencies.
Instead, most organizations use a combination of reactive and proactive maintenance methods to ensure the highest level of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Top-performing organizations with world-class maintenance programs typically have programs that are less than 10% reactive, between 25% and 35% preventive, and between 45% and 55% predictive maintenance.
Even though proactive maintenance methods require more of an upfront investment in time and money, the results are typically more cost-effective and efficient than relying on reactive maintenance alone.
Key Benefits of Proactive Maintenance
Shifting from a reactive maintenance to a proactive maintenance approach brings both short-term and long-term advantages. Some of the most important benefits include:
- Reduced unplanned downtime
Proactive maintenance minimizes surprise breakdowns by identifying and addressing issues early. This helps keep production lines, equipment, and facilities running smoothly with fewer costly interruptions. In fact, a recent studyshowed that companies that adopted preventive and predictive maintenance achieved a 30-50% reduction in machine failures while reducing maintenance costs.
- Extended asset lifespan
Well-maintained machines operate under less stress and wear. Preventing small problems from escalating into major failures extends the usable life of assets, delaying replacement costs.
- Lower maintenance costs
Although proactive maintenance may involve upfront investment in planning, monitoring tools, or inspections, it saves money in the long run. Catching issues early typically costs far less than emergency repairs, overtime labor, or lost production.
- Improved safety and compliance
Regular, proactive care helps eliminate conditions that could pose safety hazards to employees. It also supports compliance with industry regulations and standards, reducing the risk of penalties or liability.
- Increased operational efficiency
Equipment performs at peak efficiency when it’s properly maintained. Proactive maintenance reduces energy waste, improves output quality, and ensures more effective use of maintenance resources.
Best Practices for Implementing a Proactive Maintenance Program
Building a successful proactive maintenance program requires more than just scheduling tasks. It takes planning, the right tools, and a cultural shift toward prevention. Here are the steps organizations can take to implement proactive maintenance effectively:
- Assess asset criticality
Not every piece of equipment needs the same level of attention. An asset criticality analysis can help you rank assets based on their impact on safety, production, and costs. Focus proactive maintenance efforts on the assets most critical to your organization.
- Develop a comprehensive maintenance plan
Create a clear plan that outlines preventive, condition-based, and predictive maintenance tasks. Define responsibilities, timelines, and procedures to ensure maintenance is consistent and aligned with organizational goals.
- Leverage technology and data
Use tools such as a CMMS, condition monitoring devices, and sensors to track performance and automate scheduling. Data-driven insights make it easier to anticipate problems and fine-tune maintenance intervals for your proactive maintenance program.
- Train and engage your team
Technicians and operators need to understand not just what tasks to perform, but why proactive maintenance matters. Ongoing training and communication encourage adoption and build a culture of reliability.
- Monitor results and adjust
A proactive maintenance program should evolve over time. Track KPIs such as mean time between failures (MTBF),maintenance costs, and downtime. Use these results to refine your strategy and improve outcomes.
- Start small and scale
Implementing proactive maintenance doesn’t have to happen all at once. Begin with a pilot program on a small set of critical assets and then expand across your operations. Using CMMS software that scales with your operation can make this process even smoother.
How a CMMS Can Help With Proactive Maintenance
Managing a proactive maintenance program for dozens to hundreds of assets presents a variety of logistical challenges, but a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can make it easier. A CMMS centralizes maintenance activities and makes it easier to plan and optimize proactive strategies.
With a CMMS, organizations can:
- Automate work order scheduling, ensuring they complete proactive maintenance tasks at the right time.
- Track asset history to identify recurring issues and target root causes.
- Streamline work orders so technicians have clear instructions, parts lists, and documentation in one place.
- Use parts inventory management software so technicians can easily see what parts are on hand and where they’re located.
- Integrate condition-monitoring data from sensors, enabling a smooth transition to proactive maintenance strategies like condition-based and predictive maintenance.
- Measure performance with KPIs, such as downtime, mean time between failures (MTBF), and maintenance costs, to continuously improve.
Using a CMMS like eMaint lets companies move beyond reactive fixes and gives them the structure needed to fully implement proactive maintenance. To learn more about the importance of proactive maintenance and how eMaint can help, contact us to speak with a specialist.
