The relevance of each strategy varies depending on your company’s budget, resources, experience, and overall goals.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance tasks (what’s preventive maintenance?) are scheduled tasks that aim to prolong an asset’s life span by preventing breakdowns. Different types of PM include schedule-based maintenance, calendar-based maintenance, and usage-based maintenance. Each type would require different levels of technology and expertise.

Corrective Maintenance

Also known as breakdown maintenance, corrective maintenance is reactive in nature. In this type of maintenance, tasks are carried out only after an issue has been identified. Issues typically arise from equipment breakdowns or routine inspections. Organizations ideally keep corrective maintenance activities at a minimum by trying to get ahead of failures before they occur. However, it is still common practice to prepare for unexpected events by keeping spares on hand. In the unlikely event that emergency action is needed, MRO stock should be ready to be used in service.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance can be thought of as a more advanced form of preventive maintenance. In predictive maintenance, activities are only carried out when specific conditions are met. Instead of relying on time-based maintenance schedules, tools and sensors are installed to provide information on an asset’s status. Based on this additional data, maintenance activities can be optimized to be performed only as needed.