Proactive Maintenance Strategies for Continuous Industrial Operations
There’s one word in industrial manufacturing that every plant manager dreads: downtime. Downtime isn’t just an inconvenience – it’s a direct hit to productivity, profitability and customer trust. That’s why the most successful facilities schedule regular, proactive industrial maintenance services to keep their equipment running and operations moving.
What Is Proactive Maintenance and Why Does It Matter?
Proactive maintenance refers to services specifically executed to prevent equipment failure. Compared to reactive maintenance – which involves fixing machinery only after it breaks or fails (i.e., reacting to an event) – proactive industrial maintenance strategies help manufacturers avoid costly disruptions and downtime in the first place.
By acting proactively to stay a step ahead of potential failures, industrial facilities can extend the life of their equipment, reduce expensive repair costs and stick to production schedules.
Two key strategies in a proactive approach are preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance. These two may sound similar, but they aren’t quite the same. Let’s review each.
Preventive Maintenance to Keep Systems in Check
Preventive industrial maintenance services are about scheduling inspections on a regular basis, say quarterly, biannually or annually. The services and schedule can be tailored to each piece of equipment’s specifications, usage and age.
At Lee Contracting, our preventive maintenance services are designed to meet each of our client’s unique needs. From motors and HVAC systems to press lines and electrical systems, our team systematically services components to catch issues early and reduce the likelihood of breakdowns.
For example, a manufacturer with various hydraulic stamping presses schedules quarterly system checks, including pressure tests and seal replacements. In doing so, we can identify wear before it turns into failure.
By servicing your industrial equipment regularly, you increase its reliability, extend its lifespan and can avoid unexpected downtime.
Predictive Maintenance to Stay Ahead of Failures
Predictive maintenance helps manufacturers anticipate issues before they become full-blown failures. This can involve everything from monitoring data from equipment sensors to practical steps that enable facilities to act swiftly in the event of a breakdown.
At Lee Contracting, our predictive industrial maintenance services include building essential parts and components in advance, so clients can keep them readily available onsite when they’re needed. When machinery starts to wear or show signs of strain, a replacement part is already on the shelf, eliminating the need for long lead times or emergency fabrication.
For example: A facility runs high-volume production on machinery that uses components that are difficult to source. The fabrication team at Lee Contracting can make those parts in advance, so when wear is detected during a regular inspection, the part can be swapped out quickly with little to no downtime.
Compare this to waiting weeks (or paying hefty rush fees) while the part is being sourced, fabricated and shipped. Predictive maintenance helps manufacturers sidestep critical equipment downtime and ensures continuous operations.
Why Proactive Industrial Maintenance Pays Off
In industrial settings, equipment is the backbone of operations, and surprises that occur here are not the fun kind. Smart manufacturers avoid unwanted surprises by acting proactively to keep equipment in peak condition.
Regular equipment maintenance by an experienced team is less costly than emergency repairs. In addition, proactive maintenance helps avoid overtime labor, missed deadlines and unhappy customers.
And when it’s handled by a self-performing industrial contracting company like Lee Contracting, it also means expert guidance and reliable execution across multiple trades.
Whether you’re looking to extend the life of your machinery or reduce the risk of downtime, contact us to learn more about how we can safeguard your operations with proactive industrial maintenance services.
