Published: March 26, 2025  Updated: March 21, 2025

Planned Maintenance Optimization (PMO): Boost Efficiency & Reduce Costs

Companies look to succeed through increased efficiency, increased productivity, and reduced costs. Often, management looks at a maintenance department as a looming expense. Instead, they should view it as an investment and aid to further overall success.

However, maintenance supervisors and workers must review their own operations. Maintenance management success comes from scrutinizing the existing strategy and focusing on achieving the same goals as listed above. Part of this must concern planned maintenance optimization (PMO).

People often refer to planned maintenance as preventive maintenance. You look at routine tasks that focus on keeping assets at a baseline functionality. They include inspections, lubrication, cleaning, etc.

Who Benefits from Planned Maintenance Optimization?

All companies can use this. The primary benefits go to smaller to mid-size companies that have developed an outline of maintenance but haven't established systematic routines. They could be companies that adopted a reaction-based mindset. This means that you don't pay attention to assets until they develop issues, fail, or break down.

How Utilizing PMO Improves Maintenance Operations

One should understand the importance of a preventive maintenance program. The value of PMO includes:

Extending Asset Life with a PMO Strategy

You take care of your personal car with regular oil changes and tire rotations. Along with other tasks, these help keep the car functioning for many years. You don't want to purchase a car every two years because you haven't taken care of it.

The same holds for workplace assets. Time and usage will wear out a machine. PMs help keep that piece of equipment healthy for many years.

Discover how streamlined maintenance processes can elevate production. Learn more.

Reducing Downtime with PMO

While you can't completely eliminate unplanned downtime, PMO seeks to minimize those incidents. Prevention tasks can find issues before they evolve into major problems. It might be as simple as a regular cleaning to eliminate grit and build-up on gears. Replacement parts "refresh" the asset.

Enhancing Efficiency and Productivity

You see these in two places.

• The asset. With PMO, the machine runs smoother, to capacity, and produces better faster. You have the reliability factor working in your favor.
• The maintenance worker. With concise, clear, and detailed instructions, the technician works with more efficiency and effectiveness. Knowing the routine jobs helps him find better ways to complete the work orders.

Boosting Workplace Morale with a Proactive Maintenance Approach

One may not think of this benefit. However, with a reactive mindset and increased downtime, friction develops between production personnel and maintenance workers. One blames the other for problems.

Production thinks maintenance can't keep the equipment running. Maintenance faults production for not informing them of potential issues.

Part of PMO includes training for both sides. Maintenance, of course, learns the workings and mechanics of the assets. Production learns to spot trouble and submit a work request. Or maybe the operator can solve the issue himself with minor effort.

Cutting Costs by Optimizing Maintenance Planning

While you will purchase inventory to have available spare parts, you will learn proper management of that inventory. With PMO, you'll have enough of the right parts on hand. You won't under- or overstock. Both increase costs.

With PMO, you save money on buying replacement assets. You save money from having emergency parts purchases.

How to Implement PMO Effectively

Now that you have a definition and the benefits of PMO, what steps should you take to make it work for you?

1. Plan - Designate a team to list all the assets that need maintenance. From structural to equipment to vehicles.
• Learn how each asset functions.
• Study manufacturer and regulatory guidelines.
• Lay out the goals.
2. Communicate – Don't assume complete responsibility. Discuss options with your team, production, and management. Accept feedback. Make sure everyone understands the goals.
3. Create - List the relevant PMs for each asset. Prioritize each and note their cycles. Assign parts and supplies to each.
4. Train – Develop a skilled maintenance team. Train each member for the various PM tasks. Help production help maintenance.
5. Schedule – You'll need a work order calendar to place each work order.
6. Review – Periodically review operations for improvement. Shore up weak areas. Adjust the plan as the company grows and evolves. Leverage new technology and provide opportunities for further skills training.

Ready to revolutionize your maintenance department? Schedule a live demo today.

Achieving CMMS Success with Planned Maintenance Optimization

Let's review some of the previous points and see how a computerized maintenance management schedule can benefit. This software helps you organize your existing maintenance strategy. It'll give you a better focus on PMO.

1. Create – Create your assets list in the CMMS. Input any relevant information. Description. Location. Cost. Function. Manufacturer information.
2. Create – Your CMMS should have a place to list all of your PM tasks. Assign them to the asset records. Here you have ample data fields for:
• Type
• Priority
• Description
• Inventory
• Labor
• Cycles
• Attachments. Documents for video instruction or safety protocols.
3. Schedule – Your CMMS should have a scheduling calendar. You can call up a specified date range and view upcoming work orders.
4. Communicate – You should have a comment section for each work order. Again, discuss suggestions and feedback from technicians and production people.
5. Reports – To enhance and improve your PMO, use reports from the CMMS.
• Specific key performance indicator (KPI) reports show the progression of your plans.
• Cost reports keep you in tune with expenses.
• Inventory reports help you see quantities, costs, and how often parts move in and out of the stockroom.

Why PMO is Essential for Long-Term Success

To help your company achieve overall success in its mission statement, you need planned maintenance optimization. Put your PMs in order. Organize staff and operations. Maximize efficiency with proper scheduling.

Utilizing the versatility of a CMMS will help in all these areas. For the best in CMMS software, call Mapcon Technologies. 800-922-4336

Ask for a free demonstration and 30-day evaluation. Expert, U.S.-based support, customization, and scalability. Mapcon is powerful software priced right.