A production stoppage rarely costs the price of the part that failed: it costs the hours of downtime. Preventive maintenance means intervening before the breakdown, on the basis of how the equipment is actually used rather than by chance.
Preventive, corrective, condition-based
Corrective maintenance repairs after the event. Scheduled preventive maintenance intervenes at fixed intervals (running hours, calendar). Condition-based maintenance triggers the intervention on a measured indicator: vibration, temperature, current draw. Most installations gain from combining all three according to the criticality of each item of equipment.
Prioritising by criticality
Not everything warrants the same attention. Rank equipment by the impact a stoppage would have on production, safety and compliance. A main low-voltage switchboard or an air handling unit serving a sensitive area justifies a tight plan; redundant, non-critical equipment can be left on a deliberate corrective-only basis.
Track it to manage it
Without a history, a maintenance plan goes out of date. Recording interventions, the parts replaced and any drift observed makes it possible to adjust frequencies, anticipate replacements and justify budgets. It is also what makes a maintenance contract verifiable.
Technical information article. It does not constitute a contractual commitment or a certification statement.
