What is Predictive Maintenance?

Predictive maintenance is an advanced maintenance strategy that aims to anticipate and prevent equipment failures by monitoring and analyzing the actual condition of machinery and assets. Unlike traditional preventive maintenance, which relies on scheduled and routine tasks regardless of the equipment's real-time condition, predictive maintenance leverages data, sensors, and analytics to make maintenance decisions based on the current health and performance of the equipment. The goal is to identify potential issues before they lead to unplanned downtime or major failures. 

A crucial distinction between predictive maintenance and preventative maintenance is machine downtime. Predictive maintenance is performed while the machine is in operation. The machine is only shut down if the data indicates warning signs of wear and tear. Preventive maintenance typically involves the scheduled shutdown of machines to replace parts on a schedule, regardless of whether they require replacement due to wear and tear or not.