Preventive maintenance software: why it has become esssental
Unscheduled or unplanned downtime costs organisations some $50 billion per year, and 70% believe their maintenance strategies leave room for improvement.
Additionally, a majority still use run-to-fail maintenance processes, despite reactive maintenance costing 50% more than preventive measures.
One thing is for certain: organisations that upgrade their maintenance strategies unlock competitive advantages.
This asks the question, how do businesses go about organising preventative maintenance?
Preventive maintenance software is the answer
Preventive maintenance software streamlines maintenance processes by scheduling, tracking, and managing tasks associated with facilities, their systems and equipment.
The primary goal is to support the maintenance and repair of equipment and infrastructure before failure, reducing reliance on reactive maintenance.
It’s important to note that preventive maintenance is not condition-based. Instead, preventive maintenance can be:
Time-based
e.g. maintenance is scheduled every month, 6 months, or 5 years, etc.
Usage-based
e.g. maintenance is scheduled for every 100 uses of an asset, 10,000 hours of operation, etc.
Preventive maintenance tasks range from routine inspections to more complex repairs and upgrades.
Benefits of preventive maintenance software
Process optimisation is key to creating an effective maintenance strategy – and software is the answer to optimising those processes. Here are some of the benefits of preventive maintenance software:
Improved equipment reliability
Preventive maintenance software helps ensure that equipment is functioning optimally, reducing downtime and the risk of failure. Increases in equipment reliability were associated with a 25% increase in productivity, according to Deloitte.
Better record keeping
Preventive maintenance software helps maintenance managers keep detailed records of all maintenance work, including when it was performed, who performed it, the work carried out, etc. This information can be invaluable for tracking equipment history and reporting to regulatory agencies.
Enhanced regulatory compliance
Preventive maintenance software helps organisations maintain accurate records and adhere to a set of requirements. Accurate report-keeping is vital for internal and external auditing and accident and incident reporting.
Cost savings
Preventive maintenance software can help organisations avoid costly repairs or replacements by detecting potential issues before they develop.
This has a well-documented impact on costs. For example, an NHS report, Assets in Action, encourages preventative maintenance and collaboration between managers and maintenance teams to help the NHS overcome its £3.2bn maintenance backlog.
What to look for in preventive maintenance software
When selecting preventive maintenance software, consider the following essential features:
Compatibility with other systems and processes is paramount.
Maintenance varies from sector to sector. For example, facilities management in a manufacturing plant is different to managing assets like alarms and lifts in a hotel.
The most effective software offers robust core functionality adaptable to the each business’ unique needs. In addition, it should support interoperability with other systems for seamless integration.
The software should be intuitive, user-friendly, and capable of automating tasks like scheduling and prioritising maintenance work. It should also support the integration of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), to enhance equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Preventive maintenance software should be extensive but intuitive and easy to use.
The software should fulfil its purpose without overwhelming users with excessive features. Functions such as planned maintenance scheduling, cost tracking, work order management and task assignment should remain straightforward to use.
For instance, Infraspeak Gear™ makes advanced maintenance management intuitive by offering smart suggestions, automating tasks, and sending alerts.
This allows facility managers to focus on making informed decisions with minimal hassle.
It’s necessary to progress from non-intelligent maintenance software with limited scope for leveraging and transforming data.
Intelligent preventive maintenance software enables managers to:
- Prioritise assets and maintain schedules
- Organise work orders
- Assign tasks to technicians
- Track maintenance costs and other metrics
- Review and optimise maintenance processes based on findings
For example, Intelligent Maintenance Management Platforms (IMMP) offer opportunities to identify bottlenecks or issues within the maintenance pipeline. This can help organisations make strategic decisions, such as replacing a consistently challenging-to-maintain asset.
Additionally, IMMPs are extensible, allowing integration with apps and IoT sensors to create an intelligent maintenance ecosystem — a system of action.
IMMPs pave the way for more effective and efficient maintenance management.
Whta's next for preventative maintenance?
The future of preventive maintenance will likely involve IMMPs.
These platforms combine various maintenance management solutions, such as work order management, asset tracking, and predictive analytics, to provide a comprehensive and unified approach to maintenance.
Additionally, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into preventive maintenance further enhances performance. Analytics and real-time reporting enable asset managers to get under the skin of their data and unlock performance gains.
These advancements enable organisations to make data-driven decisions, predict equipment failures more accurately, and optimise maintenance processes.
Infraspeak offers a class-leading IMMP with advanced preventative maintenance features for asset tracking, work order management, compliance and more.
And better yet, it’s intuitive, accessible and scalable to any application in any industry.
To learn more about how our platform can help you, book a demo here.