preventive vs reactive maintenance: what should you aim for?

Minimises downtime: Scheduled upkeep helps avoid unexpected breakdowns, reducing downtime and increasing overall productivity.

Improved equipment lifespan: Regular care and attention prolong the life of conveyor components, reducing replacement costs.

Enhanced safety: Ensuring that conveyor systems are in top condition reduces the risk of accidents and injuries.

Cost-effective: Investing in preventive maintenance can be more cost-effective in the long run than costly repairs after significant breakdowns.

Initial cost: Establishing a preventive maintenance program requires an upfront investment in time, resources, training and planning.

Over-maintenance: Performing excessive care can lead to unnecessary expenses and downtime of a conveyor system.

Lower upfront costs: Reactive maintenance requires fewer upfront investments in servicing planning and scheduling.

Appropriate for less critical equipment: Not all systems have the same importance, and reactive maintenance can be acceptable for non-vital systems.

Simplicity: Reactive maintenance is straightforward since restoration activities are triggered only by equipment failures.

Increased Downtime: Waiting for machines to fail can lead to extended periods of downtime, significantly affecting production and efficiency. It is crucial to consider the costs associated with such events, including lost production, impacts on the company's reputation, and the wastage of money on available employees who don't have any work to do.

Safety risks: Unplanned failures can lead to accidents, posing risks to personnel and equipment.

Higher long-term costs: Frequent breakdowns can lead to higher overall repair costs.

Push the system to its limits: It decreases the equipment's lifespan and reliability, negatively impacting productivity and increasing the risk of critical failures.

A well-balanced approach combining preventive and reactive maintenance yields the best results. However, preventative maintenance stands out as the most cost-effective option, as it ensures the system operates at its peak, sidestepping productivity losses and unpleasant surprises.

Moreover, regular preventive maintenance is essential for critical components and systems. This practice guarantees optimal performance and extends their lifespan, which is particularly vital for high-traffic and crucial conveyor lines.

On the other hand, reactive maintenance can be employed for less critical systems or ageing equipment that requires replacement. Nevertheless, it should not be the primary strategy for crucial components, as it can result in excessive downtime and pose safety risks.

Regularly reviewing and adjusting the upkeep strategy based on performance data and industry best practices further enhances overall efficiency.

Our process comprises four steps: understand, plan, maintain, and review.

Understand: The first phase is to thoroughly understand the requirements, goals, and challenges related to the servicing of your conveyor system. We gather essential information about your system's components, usage patterns, and historical care records. Additionally, we work closely with you to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and benchmarks to measure the success of our efforts.

Plan: The next step is to develop a well-thought-out upkeep plan. This program outlines the specific tasks, schedules, and resources required for preventive and reactive maintenance activities. We consider equipment criticality, care priorities, and potential risks to your operation.

Maintain: This includes regular inspections, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, and replacements as needed. Consistent and thorough servicing practices are essential to keeping your system in optimal condition and maximising its reliability.

Review: The final step is to review and assess the effectiveness of our work regularly. It involves analysing maintenance data, KPIs, and performance metrics to evaluate the health of your system and the efficiency of our plan. By reviewing the data, we can identify trends, pinpoint recurring issues, and make data-driven decisions for process improvement. We further adjust and optimise the program based on the outcomes to enhance your system's performance and longevity.

The iterative nature of our four-step process ensures that maintenance activities are continually refined and aligned with the evolving needs of your conveyor system.

Don't wait for unpleasant surprises or downtime to strike. Take control of your conveyor system's performance and reliability with Joloda Conveyor Service's pre-planned maintenance. Contact us now to schedule a free assessment and secure the optimal operation of your system.