Difference between periodic maintenance and corrective maintenance

Periodic maintenance and corrective maintenance are considered the main pillars of comprehensive productive maintenance. In this article, we will explain the most important fundamental differences between these two types of maintenance.

The difference between preventive and corrective maintenance:

Preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance are two different approaches to the management and maintenance of equipment, machinery, and devices. Below I will list the main differences between them:

• Orientation: Preventive maintenance is based on prevention and maintaining equipment performance at the highest possible level. While corrective maintenance focuses on repairing problems and malfunctions after they occur.
• Timing: Preventive maintenance is performed on a scheduled and regular basis and is based on a specific schedule. While corrective maintenance is performed in response to a malfunction or failure in the equipment and is usually unscheduled.
• Objective: The main objective of preventive maintenance is to avoid malfunctions and damage and reduce the chances of problems occurring in the future. The main objective of corrective maintenance is to repair problems and malfunctions that have already occurred.
• Cost: Preventive maintenance is usually more cost-effective in the long run, as emergency repair costs and production downtime are avoided. Corrective maintenance can be costly due to unplanned downtime and urgent repair costs.

Periodic Maintenance

Periodic preventive maintenance includes a set of activities and procedures carried out by the maintenance department to keep equipment in good operating condition. And try to avoid sudden breakdowns and malfunctions, by addressing any shortcomings, if any, before they reach a state of breakdown or failure. And keeping assets in good operating condition at all times, or returning them to their normal good condition when they break down. This is to maintain the continuity of their work on production lines, within a specific system and reasonable cost. So that they are ready for production according to the required specifications. In terms of quantity, quality and quality of products and occupational health and safety requirements. To protect workers and property from any dangers, and to preserve the environment.

This maintenance is carried out periodically and according to a set time plan determined by the machine manufacturers or by experienced technicians performing maintenance. Reviewing the condition of the equipment and checking it to allow it to continue working without being exposed to any sudden stoppage as much as possible. Comprehensive productive maintenance is concerned with carrying out periodic maintenance at the specified times and accurately.

The importance of periodic preventive maintenance:

Periodic preventive maintenance helps achieve the following:

• Increase the overall equipment effectiveness: Maintenance helps reduce the breakdowns of machines, equipment, and equipment and keep them to a minimum, ensures the overall effectiveness of equipment, maintains the quality of products, and keeps the outputs within the required quantities and low costs, thus making production processes more appropriate, more efficient and less expensive.
• Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty: Good preventive maintenance reduces downtime and interruption in production processes, which leads to the organization fulfilling its obligations towards customers in terms of transportation and delivery on time.
• High-Quality Products: Good preventive maintenance leads to an increase in the quality of the product by conforming to the specified specifications.
• Breakdown Avoidance: Continuous preventive maintenance works to prevent sudden major breakdowns that lead to work stoppages.
• Prolong Useful Life (life cycle): Good maintenance extends the productive life of the asset – machinery, equipment, and fixtures, optimizes their use, and reduces the company’s overall costs.

Types of Preventive Maintenance

There are different types of preventive maintenance that can be implemented, including the following:

• Time maintenance: It depends on a specific schedule for performing maintenance, where checks and preventive maintenance are carried out regularly according to specific dates in order to detect potential problems and perform the necessary maintenance.
• Maintenance based on the history of previous failures: This type of preventive maintenance is carried out based on analyzing previous failures that occurred in the past; where patterns of damage are identified and measures are taken to prevent their recurrence after analyzing past failures and problems.
• Technology-based maintenance: In this case, techniques such as vibration measurements and trend analysis are used to monitor the condition of the equipment and detect any suspicious changes. These techniques can be used to detect early wear and tear and take maintenance measures before major failures occur.
• Maintenance by replacing parts: It includes replacing components or parts based on expected life or number of operating hours, and specific replacement periods are determined for damaged or wear-prone parts to maintain equipment performance.

Challenges Facing Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance faces some challenges that must be faced and overcome to ensure its successful implementation. These challenges include:

• Cost: Preventive maintenance may cost companies and organizations, especially if they rely on the use of advanced technologies and expensive monitoring systems, and they may face difficulty in allocating the financial resources necessary to implement preventive maintenance in an integrated and effective manner.
• Planning and Scheduling: Preventive maintenance requires accurate planning and scheduling to ensure its timely implementation, and it may be difficult to coordinate maintenance schedules with current production and operations and may require careful adjustment and coordination with work teams and engineers.
• Lack of Information: It may be difficult to obtain accurate information about equipment, its performance, and appropriate preventive maintenance requirements. There may be a lack of equipment data and previous maintenance history, which results in difficulty in determining the best methods and timing for preventive maintenance.
• Organizational Culture: Preventive maintenance may face resistance in some companies due to the existing organizational culture. There may be a greater focus on corrective maintenance and response to failures only, rather than shifting to a preventive approach. Implementing preventive maintenance requires awareness of employees and changing the organizational culture to focus on prevention and regular maintenance.
• Management and organization: Implementing preventive maintenance requires effective management and good organization. Responsibilities and duties must be defined and efforts coordinated between different teams. Proper organization and coordination between departments and sections can be the challenge facing preventive maintenance.

Effective strategies for organizing preventive maintenance

Implementing preventive maintenance requires developing an effective strategy to ensure that it is implemented regularly and effectively. Here are some strategies for implementing preventive maintenance:

• Develop a maintenance schedule: Create a periodic maintenance schedule that specifies the dates and types of maintenance required for each piece of equipment or machine. The schedule should be specific and reliable, and should be updated based on past maintenance experiences, manufacturers’ recommendations, and industry standards.
• Reliability analysis: Analyze the reliability of equipment and systems to identify components that are most susceptible to failure or malfunction and require intensive preventive maintenance. Techniques such as fault analysis and early indicators can be used to anticipate and identify weak points in equipment.
• Use of technology: Use sensors to measure physical variables such as temperature, pressure, vibration, and electrical current, and help monitor equipment status and early detection of faults, or use applications that help manage maintenance such as the Manjiz platform.
• Team training: Train the team responsible for implementing preventive maintenance on the required methods and procedures. They must have the knowledge and skills necessary to diagnose potential problems and implement maintenance well and professionally.
• Documentation and evaluation: Document all preventive maintenance efforts implemented and record the results and recommendations; this information can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy and make the necessary improvements.
• Continuous improvement: Review and evaluate the strategy and preventive maintenance schedule regularly. Look for opportunities for improvement and update the strategy according to changes in equipment and technology needs and industry recommendations.