TABLE OF CONTENTS Preventive Maintenance is the foundation of the entire maintenance philosophy. Unless the PM program is effective, all subsequent maintenance activities will:
Cost more then they should to implement
Take longer than they should to implement
Have a higher probability of failure
The bottom line: Unless the PM program is successful, the rest of the maintenance functions will be sub-optimized.
Volume 1 in the Maintenance Strategy Series deals with the function of preventive maintenance, which is the starting point for developing a complete maintenance strategy. This function is one of the most basic for a maintenance organization; however, it is also the most ignored and underutilized function. As will be shown, this function is key to unlocking the financial benefits that can be provided by a comprehensive maintenance strategy.
Many organizations develop the "roller coaster" syndrome with preventive maintenance. They start at the bottom of the roller coaster ride when someone in the organization begins complaining about how the company's assets are performing. In the past, the company may have compensated for poor asset performance by purchasing more assets, resulting in redundant equipment. Or, the company may have decided to run additional shifts with the existing equipment, resulting in overtime charges or excess employees. In either case, the financial performance of the company would be trending downward.
Finally, someone proposes the development of a preventive maintenance program. In desperation, the organization decides that this is something they need to try. So with hard work, they hook...
