Preventive Maintenance Program: The Complete Guide

Implementing a preventive maintenance (PM) program is a step in the right direction for many companies. Regular maintenance can help extend the lifespan of equipment. Further, when properly matched with a company’s unique maintenance needs in terms of equipment type, criticality, and scale, it can help a company avoid expensive repairs, costly replacements, and operations downtime.

If you want to implement a new PM program or improve a current maintenance program, carefully consider your company’s maintenance needs, develop a comprehensive outline that defines all equipment and maintenance tasks, set maintenance scheduling, and follow through on each step of your plan. From setting program benchmarks, goals, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to leveraging the right supportive technology and training, each foundational step of preventive maintenance will ensure the success of your overall program.

So today, we’ll discuss the key steps in creating and implementing a preventive maintenance program, which can help your company plan ahead and reduce the risks of lost time and resources. Taking a planned and systematic approach to task and project management can result in significant improvements in outcomes.

What Is a Preventive Maintenance Program?

A preventive maintenance program’s main objective is to keep equipment operating at peak performance with regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs. Preventive maintenance, as opposed to corrective maintenance, is utilized to prevent issues from requiring later-stage reactionary maintenance, which can be costly and cause disruptions to daily operations.

To implement a preventive maintenance program, a company must first determine the project’s scope and requirements. These considerations are based on the number of machines or equipment that needs to be maintained, as well as their age, usage, operating environment, risk to operations, and manufacturer’s recommendations. Then, a program outline will be created that details the maintenance procedures, maintenance schedules, and required staff.

After implementation, the program can be tracked and measured over time to determine its success and identify areas for continuous improvement. 

Steps to Build a Preventive Maintenance Program

1. Identify Your Maintenance Needs	5. Set Performance Targets
2. Create a Maintenance Schedule	6. Training
3. Leverage CMMS	7. Monitoring and Improvement
4. Establish Maintenance Procedures

7 Steps to Build a Preventive Maintenance Program

If your company is considering implementing PM in the future, we’ve listed seven essential steps to help you build a comprehensive program. We’ve listed them below for further consideration. 

1. Identify Your Maintenance Needs

As a first step, determine the scope of your maintenance program and your company’s specific maintenance needs. It will be necessary to list all the equipment that needs maintenance and its importance to your business’s daily operations. This process can help your company decide how to use its resources effectively and set priorities.

2. Establish Maintenance Procedures

A detailed and comprehensive maintenance plan is essential for keeping equipment in good working order. This requires listing every maintenance task that needs to be performed to maintain company assets. By defining these procedures and distributing them, you will ensure your maintenance is on the same page, and working effectively to prevent equipment breakdowns and ensure peak performance.

3. Create a Maintenance Schedule

A maintenance schedule should be based on a variety of things, such as manufacturer recommendations, collected data, and professional advice. Refer to those sources, then develop a maintenance schedule that considers these factors. This process will minimize downtime and maintenance costs while ensuring that your equipment functions properly with regular maintenance.

4. Set Performance Targets

Setting benchmarks, objectives, and KPIs is crucial for the success of your program. This step entails establishing specific, attainable objectives for your maintenance program, as well as choosing the KPIs that will be used to monitor your program’s progress.

Equipment uptime, maintenance expenses, and mean time between failures (MTBF) are fairly standard preventive maintenance KPIs. Setting benchmarks, goals, and tracking KPIs will help you gauge the success of your preventive maintenance program and pinpoint areas for improvement. Additionally, having clearly defined KPIs can help you spot problems as they occur and move to mitigate those issues so that maintenance stays on track.

5. Leverage the Right Technology (CMMS)

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is software that can help organizations properly manage their maintenance program. CMMS solutions can make it easier to track maintenance tasks, schedule work orders, monitor equipment performance, and track KPIs.

LLumin’s CMMS+ software provides users access to advanced features, or; such as asset and work management, data collection and analysis, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) utility, risk management, and much more.

6. Train Your Maintenance Team

To ensure success, provide your maintenance team with the necessary training and support. Training should reinforce all daily maintenance tasks and responsibilities for better outcomes, including training on how to use a CMMS solution.

Provide training opportunities to ensure your team is equipped to handle any maintenance tasks that come their way on a daily basis and that they perform maintenance tasks quickly, efficiently, and with the highest level of skill. This frequently leads to better ROI on a new maintenance program and higher employee satisfaction.

7. Monitor and Improve Your Program

Once your preventive maintenance program is deployed, it is necessary to continuously monitor its performance and consistently identify areas for improvement. This process will ensure that your program stays aligned with your goals and KPIs and continues to produce outstanding results. 

This process of continuous improvement will require making necessary adjustments to increase effectiveness. Remember, a preventive maintenance program is an ongoing process, not a stopping point. And with the right approach, you can keep your equipment running at optimal levels for longer periods of time.

Preventive Maintenance Program FAQs

What Is a Preventive Maintenance Program?

A preventive maintenance program’s main objective is to keep equipment operating at peak performance with regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs. Preventive maintenance, as opposed to corrective maintenance, is utilized to prevent issues from requiring later-stage reactionary maintenance, which can be costly and cause disruptions to daily operations.A company must determine the project’s scope and requirements to implement a preventive maintenance program. These considerations are based on the number of machines or equipment that need to be maintained and their age, usage, operating environment, risk, and manufacturer’s recommendations. Then, a program outline will then be created that details the maintenance procedures, schedules, and required staff.After implementation, the program can be tracked and measured over time to determine its success and identify areas for continuous improvement.

What Are The Benefits of a Preventive Maintenance Program?

Preventive maintenance is a well-researched and trusted maintenance strategy that can deliver measurable benefits in cost savings, improved equipment reliability, reduced unexpected downtime, and increased equipment lifespan and efficiency. These benefits center on its unique approach to maintenance management.  Instead of waiting for equipment breakdowns to develop, preventive maintenance is performed proactively before issues occur. This prevents developing issues from spiraling out of control, resulting in emergency repairs, downtime, and high costs. It also results in well-maintained equipment that is higher performing and more reliable.

What Is The Difference Between Preventive and Predictive Maintenance?

Preventive and predictive maintenance are proactive strategies that address mechanical issues before they escalate into unexpected equipment breakdowns. However, predictive maintenance is a much more advanced maintenance strategy in terms of utilizing equipment data and advanced analytics to predict when maintenance, repairs, and replacements should occur. It accomplishes this by using Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

What Are The Types of Preventive Maintenance?

The two main types of preventive maintenance are time-based and usage-based. Time-based preventive maintenance schedules maintenance based on the manufacturer’s recommendations based on time intervals. Usage-based preventive maintenance is determined based on meter readings and actual usage rather than on time intervals.

How Can I Learn More About LLumin’s CMMS+?

The best way to learn more about LLumin’s CMMS+ would be to contact us, take a free software tour, or schedule a professional demo.

LLumin’s Cutting-Edge CMMS+ Preventive Maintenance Software and Your Company

LLumin’s CMMS+ Modules
Asset Management	Inventory & Stockroom Management
Work Management	Purchase Management
Data Collection	Advanced Inventory Control
Mobile Workforce Management	Telematics Interface
OEE Utility	Condition Monitoring
Risk Management	Financial Systems Interface

“LLumin’s CMMS+ software Provides Superior Benefits That Utilize a Rule-Based Engine That Incorporates Data From Operations, Personnel, and Machines.”

Utilizing the best CMMS software is essential for operations to run at peak efficiency while elevating the bottom line. 

LLumin’s Advanced CMMS+ Solution for Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance programs are crucial in achieving equipment reliability, reducing downtime, and extending equipment life while minimizing repair costs. However, the effective implementation and management of PM requires the right tools, training, and management.

With LLumin’s comprehensive CMMS+ solution, which is 100% HTML5 compliant, and mobile-friendly, implementing PM has never been easier. The software provides organizations with a complete view of their assets, including their maintenance history, warranty details, and current status. With access to centralized maintenance information and improved visibility, organizations can make data-driven decisions to optimize and improve their maintenance programs, predict and prevent equipment failures, and improve overall equipment efficiency.

LLumin also empowers organizations to schedule and prioritize maintenance tasks, assign work orders to the right technicians, and monitor progress in real-time. The software offers customization options for workflows, automated approvals, and streamlined communication between team members.

LLumin’s implementation team prioritizes excellent customer service, tailoring the software to meet each organization’s specific goals and business processes. Customers will receive a complete implementation plan and support throughout the digital transformation process.

If you are looking for a cutting-edge CMMS+ software with a seamless implementation process and expert customer support staff, LLumin is the perfect fit. Join the ranks of satisfied customers who have experienced the benefits of LLumin’s CMMS+ software today.