The difference between preventive, predictive, and reactive maintenance

Proper maintenance planning is essential for any company looking to avoid unexpected downtime. From manufacturing and construction companies to energy utilities and transportation firms. Whether it's meeting mandatory inspection and revision deadlines, tracking equipment repairs, or keeping track of service costs, it's important to keep maintenance under control.

Maintenance Types:

• Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance involves regular checks and service interventions carried out according to a strictly defined schedule. The goal is to prevent problems before they occur. Intervals may be set not only in terms of time, but may also be determined based on operating hours, mileage, or data obtained from a sensor or meter.

Legal regulations often establish the minimum frequency of inspections for certain types of equipment, while manufacturers may stipulate additional regular checks as part of warranty conditions. This reduces the risk of unplanned downtime and costs for sudden repairs.

• Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance leverages the latest technologies, such as sensors, data analysis, and artificial intelligence, to forecast potential malfunctions based on real-time equipment condition monitoring. Service is performed only when truly necessary. This approach saves costs on parts and repairs that would otherwise be carried out unnecessarily often or at the wrong time.

Sensors monitor parameters such as vibrations, temperature, and pressure. If the system detects unusual signals, such as a sudden increase in temperature or vibrations, it automatically alerts the maintenance team to take action.

• Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance is carried out only after a fault or equipment failure occurs, based on specific repair requests reported by a user – an employee or client of the company. This type of maintenance requires an onsite technician's intervention at the moment the problem is detected and reported. The main drawback of reactive maintenance is that in critical operations, it may cause costly production interruptions, operational limitations, workplace hazards, and customer dissatisfaction.

Although a certain number of incidents requiring reactive maintenance are almost inevitable, organizations generally strive to minimize both their number and the average time needed for resolution.

Which Approach to Choose?

When selecting a maintenance strategy, it is advisable to consider the specifics of the equipment, potential risks, financial limits, and reliability requirements. For critical equipment where failure would have serious consequences, preventive or predictive maintenance, minimizing the risk of breakdown and allowing cost forecasting, is suitable. For less critical systems, reactive maintenance may be sufficient.

Inadequate maintenance can pose significant operational risks, including the possibility of accidents causing harm to health or property, production downtime, and hefty fines. Conversely, excessive servicing can be needlessly costly and may overburden both operations and the maintenance team.

What Does INSIO Offer?

INSIO provides solutions for building and facilities management, simplifying maintenance planning and tracking from any location. With features such as unified documentation, automated maintenance scheduling, object passports, and CAD/BIM model integration, the system facilitates property management and ensures clear technical document archiving. The software ensures compliance with all regulatory and contractual conditions.

Maintenance is essential for any business depending on technical equipment. When choosing between preventive, predictive, and reactive maintenance, companies should consider both short-term and long-term costs and benefits, as well as the specifics of their industry and equipment.