Preventive Maintenance (PM) is a time-based maintenance function which relies on OEM recommendations or past history to routinely maintain machinery even if no there are now known reasons, while predictive maintenance uses PdM technologies to evaluate the current condition of machinery to determine when maintenance is required. Whenever possible, it is always beneficial to replace PM with PdM. Preventive maintenance cannot compare with the effectiveness and cost-conscious application of predictive maintenance.

With predictive maintenance, repairs are made as needed, based on the current state of equipment.  On the other hand, preventive maintenance relies on a heavily-regimented schedule to routinely inspect and replace parts. In many cases, preventive maintenance results in unneeded repairs as well as costly equipment shutdowns.

Predictive maintenance allows operators to know how their equipment is running and to make decisions on what to repair. PdM qualified engineers, like those on MTI’s staff, produce detailed reports indicating what machinery is in immediate need of repair, as well as what should be addressed in the near- and long- term. Due to the detailed diagnosis of applicable PdM technologies, MTI’s Reliability Engineers can identify trouble spots early, before they become a problem.

The economical, budgetary and scheduling advantages of predictive maintenance are well know in maintenance circles. More and more maintenance professionals are turning to predictive maintenance to ensure the reliability of their operations.