Preventive maintenance (PM) is a proactive approach to managing the upkeep of assets and equipment. It involves regularly carrying out maintenance activities that prevent unexpected breakdowns and their associated expenses. A well-designed PM program can help organizations reduce downtime, extend the life of their assets, and save money in the long run. In this article, we'll discuss the steps involved in creating an effective preventive maintenance program. The first step is to identify the critical tasks that need to be completed.
This includes making a list of all contracts related to asset maintenance, as they represent fixed costs and a good part of level 2 and 3 tasks. Managers should then assign each task a risk number, which is then added or multiplied by each category before obtaining a final RPN. Most organizations use a criticality score based on a rating of 0-6 or 0-10 for each category. This score helps them prioritize tasks and determine which ones should be completed first. Once the critical tasks have been identified, managers can create a preventive maintenance checklist and schedule. The next step is to work with the asset maintenance team to create a preventive maintenance plan.
This plan should include all of the tasks that need to be completed, as well as the frequency with which they should be completed. It's important to note that preventive maintenance plans should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are up-to-date and accurate. Once the preventive maintenance plan has been created, managers should track key performance indicators (KPIs) for preventive maintenance. This includes tracking metrics such as SMCP (number of overdue days plus length of maintenance cycle) ÷ Length of maintenance cycle x 100, PMC (number of PMs completed ÷ number of scheduled PMs x 100), and MTBF (mean time between failures).Managers should also track OEE (overall equipment effectiveness), which is calculated by multiplying availability, performance, and quality together. An asset with a 100% OEE does not suffer any unplanned downtime, produces as quickly as possible, and has no defects. It's also important to note that operator errors can account for up to 12% of unplanned downtime.
To ensure that your preventive maintenance program is successful, it's essential to involve the workers responsible for maintaining your assets. Finally, organizations should consider using a CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) to help manage their preventive maintenance program. A CMMS can help automate many of the tasks associated with preventive maintenance, such as automatically alerting the maintenance team when preventive maintenance is needed on a machine. Creating an effective preventive maintenance program requires organization, commitment, and teamwork over time. Organizations that switch from analog maintenance management methods can save 20 to 30 hours of operational management per week after switching to MaintainX. With the right resources and commitment, organizations can create an effective PM program that will help them reduce downtime and extend the life of their assets.
