Published: July 10, 2014  Updated: March 20, 2025

Elevating Operational Excellence: Core Preventative Maintenance Practices

In the ongoing striving for industrial reliability, maintenance professionals have the continuous and demanding responsibility of ensuring the uninterrupted operation of complex equipment and extensive facilities. Their duties extend beyond simple day-to-day upkeep. They have the meticulous management of intricate maintenance plans, the effective supervision of skilled workers, the precise generation of detailed reports, and the seamless coordination with a network of vendors. In this article, we'll discuss core preventative maintenance that helps them achieve success in their operations. The following four preventative maintenance strategies will help to alleviate the daily burdens faced by these professionals and foster a culture of operational excellence.

Acting as an umbrella over all preventive maintenance tasks and better relations you’re your coworkers communications skills help bridge any unclear policies, procedures, and goals. You must develop proper communication skills for any preventive maintenance program to work. While this could fill an entire article by itself, it's good to have this foundational aspect upfront.

The Critical Importance of Regular Hands-On Inspections

Scheduled, in-person, hands-on inspections of both equipment and grounds form a cornerstone of effective preventative maintenance. While routine preventative maintenance schedules play a vital role in maintaining the smooth operation of equipment, unforeseen events and unpredictable circumstances do happen and can lead to unexpected breakdowns.

Regular, thorough inspections provide a crucial opportunity for the early detection of irregularities, such as unusual noises, vibrations, or smells emanating from machinery. These seemingly minor anomalies can often be indicative of underlying issues that, if left unaddressed, can escalate into major failures. Similarly, comprehensive inspections of critical facility areas, including roofs, plumbing fixtures, boilers, and HVAC units, enable the identification of potential problems at their nascent stages. Proactively addressing these issues before they escalate is paramount.

For example, in a large-scale chemical processing plant, a detailed vibration analysis conducted during a hands-on inspection of a critical reactor pump might reveal an impending bearing failure. This early detection allows for proactive replacement, preventing a potentially catastrophic and costly production halt.

In the aviation industry, rigorous visual inspections of aircraft components before each flight help ensure passenger safety. These inspections go beyond simple checklist verifications, involving detailed, hands-on evaluations that meticulously search for anomalies that automated systems might overlook. These inspections are not just to follow a checklist, but to utilize all senses in determining the health of the equipment.

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The Indispensable Role of Standardized Maintenance Checklists

The implementation of detailed, standardized checklists for similar equipment is indispensable for ensuring consistency. Sometimes jobs need to be completed in a certain order for safety and completeness. Over time, familiarity with routine tasks can lead to complacency, resulting in the unintentional omission of critical maintenance steps. Checklists help reduce the risk of human error.

For example, industrial maintenance has the potential for overlooked tasks. A well-structured checklist acts as a reliable guide, ensuring that technicians miss no critical steps. In a high-volume food processing plant, standardized sanitation checklists help prevent contamination and ensure product safety. These checklists give details on cleaning and sanitizing procedures that all personnel on all shifts can follow.

In the energy sector, power plants rely heavily on detailed checklists for the routine maintenance of complex equipment such as turbines and generators. When creating the checklists, supervisors can rely on manufacturers' specifications and recommendations. In this way, you reduce the risk of safety problems and increase efficiency. The level of detail within these checklists must be sufficient for any qualified technician to follow, regardless of experience level.

The Strategic Value of Systematic Maintenance System Reviews

Periodically conducting comprehensive reviews of preventative maintenance routines and the overall maintenance system helps foster a culture of continuous improvement. This process involves a thorough and objective assessment of existing practices, identifying both strengths and weaknesses and exploring opportunities for growth and refinement. A critical evaluation of established procedures, regardless of their historical effectiveness, promotes ongoing enhancement and helps keep the system aligned with evolving needs and best practices.

To gain an objective and unbiased perspective, consider inviting a respected maintenance manager from another department or organization to conduct an external review. This fresh set of eyes can provide invaluable insights and identify areas for improvement that might otherwise be overlooked.

Examples: A large transportation company might conduct a comprehensive review of its vehicle maintenance system to identify common failure points and adjust its preventative maintenance schedule accordingly. Similarly, a hospitality group might review its HVAC maintenance procedures across multiple properties to identify inefficiencies and implement best practices across its entire portfolio. These reviews should include an analysis of historical data, current performance metrics, and feedback from maintenance personnel.

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Leveraging the Power of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

The strategic implementation of a quality computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) offers a multitude of advantages for maintenance professionals. Maintenance software facilitates the efficient tracking and issuance of work orders, the centralized storage of vendor information, and the generation of comprehensive reports for analysis and decision-making.

It offers organized asset/inventory/work order management.

Assets need inventory and inventory needs purchasing. A CMMS helps with purchasing, receiving, and invoicing.

For preventive maintenance jobs, you create your list, assign each to an asset, attach required inventory, and assign labor duties. If you invest in a system with a scheduling calendar, you can convert those PMs into work orders, drop them into the calendar and the system dispatches them to the appropriate parties.

Transitioning from manual record-keeping methods to a sophisticated CMMS can significantly enhance maintenance operations and improve overall productivity. For instance, in a large hospital setting, a CMMS can be used to track the maintenance history of critical medical equipment, ensuring compliance with stringent regulatory requirements and minimizing downtime that could impact patient care.

In the municipal sector, a city's public works department can utilize a CMMS to effectively manage the maintenance of its diverse assets, including fleet vehicles, streetlights, and water infrastructure, thereby improving service delivery and reducing overall costs. A CMMS also provides powerful inventory management capabilities, enabling accurate tracking of spare parts and supplies, which allows for better forecasting and prevents unexpected downtime due to shortages.

Don't forget about the integration abilities. With help from the MMS provider, the system connects with other company systems like accounting.

Preventive Maintenance Keeps Your Operations Running Smooth

With these core preventive maintenance strategies, you'll keep your assets reliable as well as extend their lifecycle. You'll have fewer unplanned downtime incidents, reduce costs, increase the moral of employees, and reduce safety risks. Using a CMMS to organize your PM program means you have better control over your maintenance management. For a free demonstration of a superior CMMS, call 800-922-4336 and speak with a MAPCON representative. Call today!