Equipment maintenance management strategies

In general for process industries, downtime, breakdowns and managing maintenance costs are some of the biggest challenges to overcome. That is where maintenance management strategies come in, they are a critical aspect to ensuring your plant is consistently running at peak performance. A well-designed maintenance strategy allows you to collect, analyze, and act on a stream of asset data, which minimizes downtime and generates cost savings through improved equipment reliability all the way down to the instrument level.

The rise of digitalization offers a new dimension to equipment maintenance management for process industries. With new digitally enabled measurment intrumentation, you benefit from a continuous data stream on the condition of your devices, alerting you well before failure occurs. With many years of experience in process automation, Endress+Hauser is your reliable partner, supporting you on your journey to improve maintenance activities with our products, services and digital offerings. 

Planned equipment maintenance management strategies focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of problems before they escalate to failures and impact your operations. Within larger equipment you may have individual instruments that are considered process-critical. These instruments benefit the most from planned maintenance strategies and by adopting a planned maintenance approach, you can reduce downtime, which translates to increased productivity and lower costs.

There are two key types of planned maintenance:

Preventive maintenance

Aimed at preventing failures and breakdowns, preventive maintenance focuses on performing maintenance tasks, such as calibration, cleaning, lubrication, and inspections at regular intervals or on a set schedule based on manufacturers’ recommendations.

Predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance anticipates or predicts when potential failures or problems might occur and schedules maintenance accordingly, utilizing performance data provided via connected sensors.

Reactive equipment maintenance strategies work by addressing service disruptions, issues, or repairs as the equipment, or individual instrument, comes close to failure or has already failed, following a “run-to-failure” approach. Reactive strategies require rapid response systems and staff training for emergency repairs, utilizing tools such as computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), which track and document failures, identify trends and issue work orders as needed.

A common type of reactive maintenance is: 

Condition-based maintenance

Condition-based maintenance uses continuous monitoring of equipment condition (i.e. vibration, temperature or pressure, device maintenance status information) to detect early signs of equipment wear or even active failures, enabling scheduling of maintenance work only when necessary. 

Developing the correct equipment maintenance management strategy is key to extending the lifespan of both your equipment and individual field instruments, while securing the highest possible performance. A good equipment maintenance management strategy is not about choosing between predictive, preventive or reactive maintenance, but rather developing a strategy that encompasses a combination of them all. There is not one single best approach when it comes to maintenance, what might work for one plant may not work for another. Equipment maintenance strategies are individual to the plant and industry depending on risk, regulation and costs. 

The goal of equipment maintenance management is to reduce downtime, ensure reliability, and save costs. When implemented correctly, equipment maintenance management can significantly extend the lifespan of your measurement equipment. By adopting a combination approach to maintenance, including preventive, predictive and condition-based maintenance, you will have a holistic overview of the performance of your assets. Furthermore, by implementing a spare part management process and using high-quality parts, your assets can continue operating smoothly and efficiently.