Proactive maintenance anticipates and addresses machine problems before they occur, saving money and preventing lost productivity. It differs from preventative maintenance by taking regular evaluations and readings to identify potential problems, while reactive maintenance only fixes problems after they occur.
Proactive maintenance is a practice in the manufacturing industry that primarily focuses on determining the root causes of machine failures and addressing those problems before they occur. This concept has extended to other professions and industries, where it could be applied to computer hardware and similar devices. Proactive practices are often seen as saving money as they allow a business to avoid machine breakdowns and fix problems before they become problems. In contrast to this practice, reactive and preventative maintenance often rely on fixing problems that have already occurred or using routine repair and service to try to avoid some problems.
The purpose of proactive maintenance is to look at machine breakdowns and similar problems as something that can be anticipated and addressed before they happen. For example, through research it can be determined that a particular machine is more likely to fail due to contaminants in the lubricating fluid. Once this is understood, several proactive methods can be used to ensure that the fluid is clean in the beginning and stays clean during operation. If contaminants are found within the lubricant, it can be discarded and replaced with clean fluid which helps prevent machine breakdowns.
While this type of proactive maintenance may resemble preventative measures, there are some distinct differences between the two methods. Preventive maintenance is typically based on establishing conditions for potential machine breakdowns or failures and the use of regularly scheduled maintenance to avoid them. In the example above, preventive measures could be taken such as changing the lubricating fluid once a year, regardless of the actual needs of the machine. Proactive maintenance procedures are more likely to take regular readings and evaluations of the lubricant to determine if a replacement is needed sooner and to look for potential signs of developing problems.
This type of proactive maintenance is in stark contrast to reactive maintenance, which is about fixing devices and hardware only after a problem has occurred. Once a machine begins to leak oil or exhibit internal wear due to misalignment shifts or other problems, reactive steps can be taken to address these issues. However, this is often quite costly for a business, as the damage has already been done and fixing a problem could be much more work than preventing it in the first place. Proper use of proactive procedures also helps prevent lost productivity due to broken or malfunctioning machines, which can also save a business a great deal of money.
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