Every organization must decide how to maintain its equipment: fix things before they break, or wait until they fail? The answer has a direct impact on downtime, costs, safety, and asset lifespan. This guide compares preventive and reactive maintenance strategies to help you determine the right approach for your operations.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Preventive Maintenance | Reactive Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower total cost over time; planned expenses | Lower upfront but 3-5x higher emergency repair costs |
| Downtime | 30-50% less unplanned downtime | Frequent unexpected shutdowns |
| Equipment Life | Extended through regular servicing | Shortened by repeated stress failures |
| Safety | Hazards identified before they cause incidents | Risk of catastrophic failure and injury |
| Scheduling | Planned during low-production periods | Uncontrolled, often at the worst time |
| Parts Inventory | Ordered in advance at lower cost | Emergency orders at premium prices |
| Labor | Scheduled during normal hours | Overtime and after-hours call-outs |
| Data | Rich history for optimization | Minimal records, no trend analysis |
Understanding Reactive Maintenance
How Reactive Maintenance Works
Equipment runs until it breaks. When a failure occurs, maintenance teams diagnose the problem, source parts, and perform repairs. Operations are halted until the fix is complete.
Common in: Organizations without formal maintenance programs, budget-constrained operations, or for intentionally disposable assets.
Hidden Costs of Reactive Maintenance
Emergency parts: Rush shipping and premium pricing.
Cascade failures: One failure stresses adjacent equipment.
Lost production: Unplanned stops during peak demand.
Safety incidents: Unexpected failures can injure workers.
Shorter asset life: Running to failure accelerates wear.
Understanding Preventive Maintenance
How Preventive Maintenance Works
Maintenance tasks are scheduled based on time intervals (e.g., every 90 days) or usage metrics (e.g., every 500 operating hours). Tasks include inspections, lubrication, filter changes, calibration, and component replacement.
Software-driven: PM software automates scheduling, sends reminders, and tracks completion.
Benefits of Preventive Maintenance
Predictable costs: Planned budgets replace surprise expenses.
Extended asset life: Regular servicing prevents accelerated wear.
Compliance ready: Documented records for audits and regulators.
Improved safety: Hazards caught before they cause harm.
Better data: Historical trends guide smarter decisions.
When Reactive Maintenance Makes Sense
Reactive maintenance is not always wrong. It can be the right choice when:
- The asset is non-critical and its failure does not affect production or safety.
- Replacement cost is lower than the cost of regular PM inspections.
- The asset has no safety implications (e.g., decorative lighting, disposable filters).
- The asset's failure mode is random and not preventable through scheduled maintenance.
Making the Transition
Moving from reactive to preventive maintenance does not have to happen overnight. A phased approach works best:
Step 1: Identify Critical Assets
Rank equipment by impact on production, safety, and repair cost. Start PM programs with the assets where failure is most expensive or dangerous.
Step 2: Establish Baseline Schedules
Use manufacturer recommendations, industry standards, and your own failure history to set initial PM intervals. These will be refined over time as you gather data.
Step 3: Implement PM Software
Preventive maintenance software automates scheduling, tracks work orders, and provides dashboards to monitor your program's effective rate.
Step 4: Train Your Team
Ensure technicians understand both the PM tasks and how to use the software. Mobile access via the Ecesis mobile app makes this easier.
Step 5: Measure and Optimize
Track KPIs like PM compliance rate, MTBF, and MTTR. Adjust intervals based on actual performance data to continuously improve your program.
Ecesis Maintenance Software Solutions
Preventive Maintenance
Work orders, PM scheduling, and asset management
Inspection Software
Mobile inspections, checklists, and compliance tracking
Task Management
Corrective actions, assignments, and automated reminders
Document Management
Equipment manuals, SOPs, and safety procedures
Training Management
Track maintenance team certifications and competency
Mobile App
Access work orders and equipment data from anywhere
