Preventive Maintenance: How to Build a Plan That Gets Done
Contents
Short answer
Preventive maintenance is maintenance carried out on a fixed schedule or usage interval, before equipment fails. It reduces unplanned downtime and extends asset life. The plan only works if every task is done the same way and recorded. Actarion guides technicians through each PM task on a tablet or AR glasses and logs every check automatically.
Why does preventive maintenance slip?
- PM tasks get postponed when production is busy, then the breakdown comes anyway.
- The checklist says "inspect belt" and every technician inspects something different.
- Experienced technicians retire, and their routines leave with them.
- Signed checklists exist, but you cannot see what was actually measured.
What is preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance (PM) is planned work that keeps equipment in good condition before it fails. It sits between reactive maintenance (fix it when it breaks) and predictive maintenance (act on condition data such as vibration or temperature).
| Strategy | Trigger | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reactive | Failure | No planning effort | Unplanned downtime, safety risk |
| Preventive, time-based | Calendar interval | Simple to plan | May replace parts too early |
| Preventive, usage-based | Operating hours or cycles | Better fit to wear | Needs counters |
| Predictive / condition-based | Sensor data | Act only when needed | Needs sensors and analysis |
Most plants combine them. Preventive maintenance remains the backbone for most assets.
How do you set up a preventive maintenance plan in 6 steps?
- 1List your assets and rank them by criticality. What happens to safety, quality and output if this asset fails?
- 2Collect the requirements. Manufacturer manuals, legal inspections and your own failure history.
- 3Define tasks and intervals. Per asset: what, how often, by whom and how long it takes.
- 4Write each task as a step-by-step checklist. With values, tolerances and photos. Start with the preventive maintenance checklist.
- 5Schedule it. In your CMMS or maintenance planning, aligned with production windows.
- 6Record, review and adjust. Track completion and findings. Adjust intervals based on what you find.
Example
Monthly PM for a centrifugal pump in a water treatment plant:
- 1Check for leaks at the mechanical seal.
- 2Measure bearing temperature with an IR thermometer. Measure bearing temperature with an IR thermometer. Value, limit.
- 3Listen for abnormal noise and check vibration by hand or meter.
- 4Check coupling guard is in place and secured.
- 5Check oil level in the sight glass.
- 6Record findings and create a work order for any deviation.
Common mistakes
- Vague tasks. "Check pump" is not a task. Name the measurement and the limit.
- Intervals copied from the manual and never reviewed.
- No feedback from findings. If nothing is ever found, the interval may be too short.
- Paper checklists that are signed in bulk at the end of the week.
How do you measure success?
Measure before you change anything. Record a baseline for two to four weeks, then compare after the rollout using the same definitions. These KPIs are the most useful:
| KPI | What it tells you | How you measure it |
|---|---|---|
| PM compliance | Whether planned tasks happen on time | Share of PM tasks completed in their window |
| Unplanned downtime | Whether PM prevents failures | Hours of unplanned stops per month |
| Task completeness | Whether every step is done | Share of PM records with all checks and readings |
| Repeat failures | Whether root causes are fixed | Failures on the same asset within 30 days |
Keep the list short: three KPIs that the team leader reviews every week beat ten that nobody looks at. Agree on the definitions with quality and finance up front, so the results hold up in a business case.
How Actarion helps
- Guided PM tasks: each step on tablet or AR glasses, with the overlay on the right component.
- Values and photos per step: proof of what was measured, not just a signature.
- Deviations flagged immediately, so a work order can follow.
- Remote assistance: a specialist can join live when a technician finds something unusual.
- Pilot on critical assets first, with technology partner DeepSight.
See the preventive maintenance use case.
Get started
Download the free preventive maintenance checklist and standardize your next PM round.
Frequently asked questions
Preventive maintenance follows a fixed time or usage interval. Predictive maintenance acts on measured condition, such as vibration or temperature trends.
It depends on the asset, the manufacturer's advice, legal requirements and your failure history. Review intervals regularly.
Not to start, but it helps with scheduling and history. Digital checklists can link to it.
Technicians for complex tasks; operators can do simple checks and cleaning, often as part of autonomous maintenance in TPM.
