Predictive Maintenance vs. Preventative Maintenance, Explained
As companies increasingly rely on their machines and equipment to stay competitive, they are turning to predictive maintenance as a cost-effective way to reduce downtime and keep their operations running smoothly. Predictive maintenance (also known as condition monitoring) uses data and analytics to anticipate when a machine or other equipment will need maintenance, allowing for proactive repair and maintenance instead of the traditional reactive approach. This maintenance method is becoming increasingly popular as it has resulted in significant cost savings compared to the conventional preventative maintenance approach.
In the traditional preventative maintenance approach, machines, and equipment are inspected and serviced regularly, regardless of whether they need repairs. This approach requires significant labor, parts, and energy costs, even if the equipment functions properly. Additionally, this may require machines to be shut down more frequently than needed, leading to losses in machine productivity.
On the other hand, predictive maintenance uses sensors and analytics to detect subtle changes in the performance of the machine or equipment that may indicate that a repair is needed. This allows for the device or equipment to be serviced only when necessary, resulting in significant cost savings, increased operational uptime and efficiency, and enhanced human safety. Predictive maintenance can be used on critical and noncritical machines to improve the longevity and investment made in that equipment. Depending on the criticality of your machine, different solutions can be tailored to that machine's specific monitoring requirements. Connection Technology Center is the world leader in vibration analysis hardware utilized for predictive maintenance, offering the most extensive portfolio of sensors and related accessories for any application.
Overall, predictive maintenance is becoming increasingly popular amongst companies as it has resulted in significant cost savings compared to the traditional preventative maintenance approach. This approach can be used widely across all manufacturing sectors, including but not limited to Paper & Pulp, Auto, Steel, Mining, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Energy, and more, to lower downtime, increase efficiency and enhance the longevity of expensive equipment.
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