Preventive maintenance as a strategic function: understand more about this subject

Productivity is increasingly important for industries to achieve a level of excellence. It is not enough to rely on technological solutions and qualified employees to achieve expressive results. The focus on maintenance as a strategic function should also be taken into account. As a company considerably reduces the possibility of unforeseen service outages, the smaller the chances of suffering from problems related to production delays. This is undoubtedly a very positive aspect to consolidate profits and a good image in front of the target audience. In this article, we will point out several elements that justify having a broad view of how properly structured maintenance can contribute to sustainable growth. Check out! 

The need to define maintenance strategies in the industry 

Maintenance as a strategic function is characterized by the analysis of the current moment of the company. That is, in it, managers have a global view of how the assets are and what should be done to the progress of the work is the best possible. There is no point in investing in the best machines if they are not used intelligently. It is essential to have a planning that allows the use of equipment according to the best practices of the market. And for this to be implemented, a company must have control over the models adopted for the maintenance of resources. Of course, it is very bad to be left with unused equipment because of lack of spare parts. This problem can be perfectly avoided as long as there is correct management of the current state of the machines. It is quite natural that, over time, assets have greater risks of suffering problems and need repairs to continue to be productive. This point cannot be ignored under any circumstances. Otherwise, the industry will suffer losses related to the fall in income and competitiveness.  

Optimization 

In a scenario of fierce competition, companies need maintenance as a strategic function to optimize resources. As much as the machines perform well, it is essential to make them have as long as possible life adding value to the business. For this to be achieved, it is necessary that there is a maintenance schedule that avoids, as much as possible, unexpected outages. A company cannot afford to keep unused equipment for a long period. Moreover, it is not feasible, in many cases, to acquire new technological resources in the short term. It is crucial that there is responsible budget management, so that an organization is more structured to live with market fluctuations. This initiative becomes much easier when focusing on results is put into practice through the proper use of available resources.  

Preventive x predictive and corrective maintenance: understand the differences 

If a company is really willing to perform maintenance as a strategic function, it has to differentiate the modalities of procedures to keep the assets functioning in an exemplary way.  If this is not done, productivity and revenue will have significant falls, which is undeniably very negative for a company to consolidate in the market. In order to contribute to the smarter use of machines, we will describe the three types of maintenance most employed. Follow! 

Predictive 

This modality stands out because there is a periodic analysis of equipment through inspections. The information obtained is evaluated to verify that the assets really require some repair. One of the objectives of predictive maintenance is to extend the life span of parts and machines. Of course, this should be done also taking into account the ability to rely on resources that help the industry manage demand correctly. It's no use keeping equipment for a long time if they don't have a productivity that helps a company keep up with market trends in the short term.  With predictive maintenance, machines can be better used, because there will rarely be a need for emergency repairs, which typically force activities to be stopped in a given sector, negatively impacting productivity.  

Preventive 

As its name says, the main goal is to prevent any failures that may occur in an asset. In this way, a company has a more favorable environment to carry out deliveries on time combined with customers.  This, combined with good logistics, is paramount to achieving remarkable results. If a company really wants to have maintenance as a strategic function, it needs to adopt good practices for resources to be made the most of. This action becomes perfectly feasible when there is a planning that takes into account the demand and the correct use of equipment. With repair activities set out on a schedule, a company greatly reduces the risks of not delivering items on the agreed time frame. In addition, it shows that it has responsibility and focus on keeping jobs at a high level of productivity. It is not enough to offer differentiated products and for a fair value, because availability in supply is a very important element for success. With preventive maintenance, it is possible to adopt a series of initiatives aimed at the good performance of the machines, such as: 

• Periodically lubricate assets; 
• Systematically review the most used items; 
• To make measurement plans and calibration of instruments; 
• Implement inspection plans; 
• Follow manufacturers' recommendations to keep resources running full. 

Preventive maintenance plays a very valuable role in the industry and needs to have the planning reviewed periodically, in order to provide good results.  

Corrective 

Even if a company prioritizes planning to maintain good asset performance, it is sometimes necessary to rely on corrective maintenance, which is intended to repair failures that occur unforeseen. It is essential to have extremely qualified support for this type of maintenance to be done in an agile and efficient way. This is crucial for an industry to be less subject to long periods of work disruption. After all, not having a production within expectations is certainly synonymous with financial losses and, depending on the case, even customers. It is worth noting that corrective maintenance is also performed when the risk of a serious failure on a machine is detected in the short term. In this case, the repair is done in a planned way to minimize the impacts on the work. Maintenance as a strategic function should be implemented considering the risks of an equipment presenting a serious and unexpected failure. Otherwise, an industry will struggle to keep performance within expectations.  

The PCM and the relationship with planning phases 

Good management has ceased to be a luxury to become an obligation in the corporate world. In the industrial sector, this trend has contributed to the implementation of Maintenance Planning and Control (PCM), which consists of a set of practices to monitor the execution of processes from start to finish. This procedure is essential for a company to adopt maintenance as a strategic function in an exemplary manner. One of the reasons is to make repair work feasible, which helps a lot to keep the assets running within the forecast. There are many benefits of employing PCM, such as optimizing machine repair time, increasing productivity, expanding the level of equipment availability through scheduled stops, and achieving good results with corrective plans. Undeniably, it is an asset management practice that helps industries focus on continuous improvement.  

Learn about the advantages of maintenance as a strategic function 

Adopting the best principles for equipment maintenance is a key part for a company to be more competitive and able to meet the expectations of the target audience. With the intention of ratifying this clearly, we will present some advantages of implementing initiatives focused on maintaining resources with a high degree of productivity. Check out! 

More availability 

It is not good to have a machine with a large production capacity if it is not available according to demand. To avoid this problem, a relevant action is to follow a repair schedule that allows you to strategically leverage the potential of this asset. The fewer unforeseen interruptions in a factory, the greater the conditions to achieve excellent performance. This factor undeniably proves the decisive role of an adequate planning of maintenance work. 

High security 

Accidents at work are one of the biggest concerns in industries. On the other hand, good practices can significantly reduce them. One of them includes keeping the equipment in a good state of conservation, which requires repair activities following a strict schedule. With a close look at the performance of each machine, a company creates a favorable scenario to give more security to employees. This contributes not only to increase engagement, but also to the quality of services. 

Resource optimization 

Cutting spending is more than a must for organizations, which have as one of the main objectives to improve budget management. Therefore, minimizing unforeseen maintenance costs is a highly valued measure in the current context. Efficient planning to keep equipment running fully is essential to increase billing and decrease the likelihood of problems related to delays in deliveries to customers. Maintenance as a strategic function plays a key role in cutting expenses and raising profits. For this to become a reality, a good alternative is to rely on the San Mobile tool that helps automate several maintenance-related steps. If you want to use technological advancement in favor of your industry, contact us right now! We are on hand to make managing your company smarter and smarter!