Month: January 2020

Key Takeaways

• Condition-based maintenance (CbM) is a proactive maintenance technique that focuses on real-time asset performance
• CbM alerts employees when equipment is performing outside of its specified range, prompting maintenance intervention
• Assets with high repair and replacement costs are good candidates for condition-based maintenance
•  Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, like FTMaintenance, tracks maintenance activities related to condition-based maintenance

What is Condition-based Maintenance?

Condition-based maintenance (CbM) is a proactive maintenance technique that uses real-time data (collected through sensors) to identify when an asset’s performance or condition reaches an unsatisfactory level. By observing the state of an asset, a practice known as condition monitoring, maintenance professionals can identify when an asset is about to fail or has failed. With CbM, maintenance work is performed only when needed in response to the asset’s real condition, preventing unnecessary maintenance tasks.

Condition-based Maintenance (CbM) vs. Predictive Maintenance (PdM)

Though condition-based maintenance and predictive maintenance (PdM) have some overlap and are often used interchangeably, they are not technically the same. CbM focuses on real-time asset performance and conditions, and alerts you the exact moment monitored parameters are out of bounds. For example, a sensor reading taken from an oil pump may show a major drop in pressure, indicating that a component has failed.

Predictive maintenance utilizes real-time asset data, like CbM, in addition to predictive analysis to determine when an asset will fail in the future. To continue our previous example, sensor readings from an oil pump may be used to forecast when an issue will occur or is beginning to form. As you can see, while both CbM and PdM use condition monitoring, the key difference is timing – what is the condition of an asset right now (CbM) versus what might the condition of the asset be in the future (PdM).

How Condition-based Maintenance Works

Condition-based maintenance consists of three steps: 1) capturing sensor data, 2) communicating data, and 3) performing maintenance work.

Capturing Sensor Data

Condition-based maintenance monitors asset performance through non-destructive testing carried out by condition-monitoring sensors. These sensors check conditions, such as vibration, temperature, and pressure, while assets are in operation. They may be provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), be integral to the equipment, or purchased and retrofitted after initial installation. Common condition-monitoring sensors include:

• Accelerometers: Measure vibration, velocity, and displacement.
• Infrared Cameras: Detect heat and displays results on a thermal image.
• Fluid Condition Sensors: Observe the condition of a fluid such as oil.
• Tank Level Sensors: Monitor the level of fluid in a tank.
• Pressure Transducers: Measure the pressure of liquids and gases.
• Ammeters: Gauge the current running through a circuit.

Communicating Data

Trained maintenance technicians can view data captured by sensors to better understand an asset’s current condition before performing maintenance work.

Once a sensor has found that a monitored parameter is out of its normal operating range, it must communicate that information to a human employee who can provide a remedy. Notifications can take many forms. A programmable logic controller (PLC) that runs a machine may notify a technician that service is required in a variety of ways like, for example, turning on a stack light. A human-machine interface (HMI) or SCADA system may turn on a warning light, sound an alarm, display a message, or send a text or email notification. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software may auto-generate a work order.

Performing Maintenance Work

When a monitored condition creates an alarm or notification, the maintenance team is dispatched to fix the problem. Based on the resolution, the maintenance team will create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that provide technicians with step-by-step instructions on how to solve the issue. SOPs are then included on maintenance work orders generated by CMMS software, enabling technicians to respond faster and perform repairs with higher quality and consistency. Maintenance personnel also document their work in the CMMS once work is complete.

Advantages of Condition-based Maintenance

As part of an overall maintenance management strategy, condition-based maintenance provides the following advantages:

• Optimized Time Spent on Maintenance: Condition-based maintenance is performed as needed, maintenance teams can optimize the use of their time.
• Less Disruption of Production: Some issues identified by CbM can be corrected without shutting down equipment, ensuring higher availability for production.
• Lowered Chance of Catastrophic Failure: Condition-monitoring sensors catch problems the moment they happen, allowing technicians to respond quickly before more serious problems develop.
• Reduced Asset Downtime: When properly configured, CbM can be associated with specific failure modes. This allows the maintenance team to quickly diagnose possible causes, thereby increasing the speed of response times and reducing downtime.

Disadvantages of Condition-based Maintenance

Every maintenance approach has drawbacks. The following list outlines some of the challenges with CbM:

• High Sensor Costs: Cost of purchasing, installing, and maintaining condition-monitoring sensors and related software can exceed the total benefit of reduction on failures and downtime.
• Unpredictable Peak Times: Condition-based maintenance events are unplanned and may result in periods where multiple assets need attention at the same time.
• Difficulty in Choosing Sensors: Sensors come in many different types, sizes, and shapes, making it a challenge to select the right one.
• Reliability of Sensors: Sensors installed and used in harsh locations have the potential to become damaged, perform incorrectly, and provide faulty readings. Wireless sensors rely on the strength of the company’s Wi-Fi signal to consistently communicate data.
• Required Expertise: A high level of technical knowledge by staff is necessary to implement and maintain sensors, use related software, and interpret sensor data.

When to Use Condition-based Maintenance

The decision whether to use condition-based maintenance depends on the expected return on investment (ROI). Organizations must assess the amount of risk involved if an asset fails by asking questions like:

• How critical are potential failures?
• What does it cost to resolve failures?
• Are those failures likely to recur?

Highly critical production assets with high repair and replacement costs are usually the best candidates for a condition-based maintenance program. Typically, CbM is used in large, asset-intensive organizations including automotive suppliers, oil and gas, facilities with complex building automation systems, utilities, and organizations that rely on fleet vehicles.

Read On: Explore our Industries page to see how FTMaintenance supports your industry.

FTMaintenance Supports Condition-based Maintenance

Maintenance professionals track condition-based maintenance activities in CMMS software like FTMaintenance. FTMaintenance provides a single platform for documenting, managing, and tracking CbM work orders and maintenance resources. Schedule a demo today to discover how FTMaintenance can support your condition-based maintenance operation.

What is Predictive Maintenance?

Predictive maintenance (PdM) is a proactive maintenance technique that uses real-time asset data (collected through sensors), historical performance data, and advanced analytics to forecast when asset failure will occur. Using data collected by condition-monitoring devices during normal operation, predictive maintenance software uses advanced formulas (called algorithms) to compare real-time data against known measurements, and accurately predicts asset failure.

Advanced PdM techniques may also incorporate cutting edge technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). The result of PdM is that maintenance work can be scheduled and performed before an asset is expected to fail with minimal downtime.

Difference Between Preventive and Predictive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance (PdM) share a common goal – to stop asset failures before they happen. However, they differ in their approach.

In a typical PM program, maintenance activities are commonly scheduled according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Maintenance technicians can also identify the need for maintenance through regular inspections. While useful, these methods are only capable of identifying the most obvious problems based on one’s sense of sight, sound, touch, and smell. (For health reasons, we do not encourage anyone to diagnose equipment problems via taste.) Once issues are discovered, maintenance activities are usually scheduled on a strict, time-based or usage-based interval.

Predictive maintenance relies on sensors to identify the need for maintenance. Not only are sensors more accurate than human senses, but they can detect internal wear that cannot be directly observed, is too dangerous for humans to inspect, or would otherwise require equipment to be shut down and opened up. Maintenance events are then scheduled based on an asset’s real condition and performance, and performed only when needed. More about how predictive maintenance works is described in the following section.

How Predictive Maintenance Works

Think for a moment about the weather forecast provided by your local TV news station. To provide an accurate weather forecast, meteorologists collect and analyze weather data obtained from multiple sources, such as Doppler Radars, satellites, and surface-level weather stations. These devices measure conditions such as air temperature, wind speed, and barometric pressure, and send the data to a database. With the assistance of computer-based modeling and analytics tools, meteorologists are able to turn the stored data into a weather forecast presented to viewers.

Based on the forecast, viewers can prepare for the days ahead, including how to dress, what road conditions are expected, and how travel times may be affected. Predictive maintenance works in a similar way. Although you cannot control all events, with an accurate prediction you can often prevent asset failure. Predictive maintenance consists of 3 main components: 1) capturing sensor data, 2) communicating data, and 3) making predictions via data analysis.

Capturing Sensor Data

As with condition-based maintenance (CbM), predictive maintenance utilizes sensors and nondestructive testing to evaluate an asset’s performance and condition. Condition-monitoring sensors can perform “spot checks” at regular intervals or continuously monitor assets while they are in normal operation. Common condition-monitoring technologies include:

• Infrared thermography: Detects temperature using infrared imaging.
• Acoustic monitoring: “Listens” for sonic and ultrasonic frequencies.
• Current analysis: Measures voltage and electrical current.
• Corona detection: Identifies electrical discharge.
• Vibration analysis: Monitors displacement, velocity, or acceleration to identify vibration patterns.
• Oil analysis: Checks lubrication of machinery and assesses oil condition.

Communicating Data

Once sensors have captured equipment condition and performance data, it must be stored and analyzed. One advanced communication technology is called the Internet of Things (IoT) where equipment sensors send and share information via a wired or wireless internet connection. Data is sent to, and stored in, a database where it awaits analysis.

Making Predictions

As its name implies, predictive maintenance is based on the ability to make assumptions about when an asset will fail. This capability is what sets PdM apart from CbM. Collected data is analyzed to identify trends and forecast when an asset is expected to fail. The algorithms use predetermined rules to compare an asset’s current performance against its expected performance, determine the level of deterioration, and estimate when maintenance will be needed. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software provides historical equipment data used in predictive algorithms, as well as creates and tracks maintenance work orders based on the predictive analysis.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Predictive Maintenance

Advantages of PdM

Remember that no maintenance technique should be used in a vacuum. A comprehensive maintenance strategy will include a variety of approaches and techniques. Below are some of the advantages of PdM:

• Improved Ease of Maintenance Scheduling: Since the need for service is known well before work is actually required, activities can be scheduled when equipment is available for maintenance.
• Increased Asset Uptime: Assets can remain in operation until maintenance is truly warranted. With other maintenance strategies, excessive downtime is created from too much, too little, or unscheduled maintenance work.
• Combined Benefits of Other Maintenance Techniques: PdM combines the preemptive repair or replacement concept of preventive maintenance with asset performance data collected with condition-based maintenance to help you optimize maintenance resources.
• Lower MRO Inventory Costs: An effective PdM program helps maintenance teams plan ahead, reducing the need for last-minute purchases of under-stocked parts, expedited shipping costs, or costs incurred by overstocking inventory.

Disadvantages of PdM

Even with all its benefits, be aware of some of the potential drawbacks of predictive maintenance.

• Large Upfront Cost: A predictive maintenance program requires a large investment in condition monitoring hardware, advanced analytical software, employee training, and man-hours to purchase and install.
• Required Expertise: Employees must be trained to use monitoring equipment, interpret the data received from sensors, and analyze reports generated by PdM software.
• Not Cost-Effective for All Assets: In facility-centric environments, other maintenance techniques are often cheaper and more effective than predictive maintenance. The cost of setting up PdM on low-value assets may outweigh any potential benefits.

When to Use Predictive Maintenance

The decision whether to use predictive maintenance depends on the return on investment (ROI), which is to say, will the money saved on a reduction in asset failures meaningfully exceed the costs of maintenance. Organizations should also consider an asset’s cost and criticality. It is most appropriate for manufacturing and production assets that are critical to the organization and assets with high repair and replacement costs. Organizations with remote or mobile assets, such as the oil and gas industry or those involved with fleet maintenance, can also benefit from predictive maintenance.

When Not to Use Predictive Maintenance

As we mentioned in the list of disadvantages, PdM is not suitable for some facility assets like buildings. For example, monitoring a roof for leaks would require numerous sensors to be installed without a guarantee that they will be located in areas where leaks will occur. In this case, preventive maintenance (e.g. periodic inspections) is a more appropriate option. Additionally, it is not cost-effective to set up a predictive maintenance program for equipment that is relatively cheap to replace in the event of catastrophic failure.

FTMaintenance Work Order Software

Predictive maintenance activities are best implemented with the help of CMMS software like FTMaintenance, which provides a single platform for documenting, managing, and tracking maintenance activities. FTMaintenance is comprehensive work order software that automates work order creation, notification and distribution, and closure. Mobile CMMS features allow you to manage work orders on-the-go. To see how FTMaintenance can help you improve your maintenance operations, schedule your demo today.

Key Takeaways:

• Facility management encompasses the management of physical workplaces, people, and support services
• Maintenance functions support the day-to-day and long-term operational goals of facilities
• Facilities maintenance teams greatly benefit from using computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, like FTMaintenance

Whether it is a manufacturing plant, a hospital, or an apartment complex, all types of facilities must be properly managed to stay functional. Though the concept of facility management is not new, its meaning has evolved as buildings have become more complex. This article provides a brief introduction to facility management.

What is Facility Management?

First, let’s define what is meant by “facility.” While many people associate the word facility with industrial buildings and factories, a facility can be simply defined as “a place for doing something.” Therefore, facilities include schools, hotels, hospitals, offices, and other spaces.

Now, we can define facility management. There are many definitions out there, including the following:

• From the International Facility Management Association (IFMA): “A profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process, and technology.”
• From the International Standards Organization (ISO): “An organizational function which integrates people, place, and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.”

While each of these definitions is correct, they are a bit technical. For this article, facility management (FM) is defined as the coordination of physical workplaces (facilities), people, and support services in order to support a business’s goals in the most cost effective way possible.

Why Facility Management is Important

Simply put, facility management adds value to a business by addressing many of its immediate and long-term needs. When properly done, facility management activities reduce maintenance costs, ensure the well-being of employees, and protect the business from liability. Continuity planning helps organizations prepare for growth and develop contingency plans for emergencies. Ultimately, facility management creates a productive environment that allows the organization to focus on its core mission and goals.

Components of Facility Management

The components of facility management are commonly divided into two groups, hard services and soft services, which are described in the following sections. Keep in mind that the scope of facility management covers a broad range of functions and activities. The mixture of responsibilities is unique to each organization, and not every one performs each function.

Hard Facilities Management Services

Hard services relate to the maintenance and management of any physical part of a building, including assets, space, and infrastructure. These services are typically required by law and are essential to the workplace. Hard facilities management services include:

• Management of planning, construction, design, and relocation projects
• Management of building systems including HVAC, electrical, and plumbing
• Real estate management and leasing
• Preventive maintenance (PM) on buildings, interiors, and assets
• Managing and responding to maintenance requests
• Other capital improvements

Soft Facilities Management Services

Soft services are services related to people, whether they are employees, customers, or tenants. These services make facilities more comfortable, satisfying, and secure. Soft facilities management services include:

• Building security
• Space planning
• Responding to environmental, health, and safety issues, including emergency planning and preparedness
• Catering and food services
• Cleaning, sanitation, and janitorial services
• Groundskeeping, landscaping, and pest control
• Educating others about regulations and compliancy requirements
• Mail management
• Waste management

Facilities Management Operations and Maintenance

With the countless number of assets to maintain throughout an facility, there’s no question that maintenance plays a key role in the facility management. Maintenance ensures that all moving parts of a facility’s operations are well-kept and remain functional. Not only that, but operations and maintenance work together to provide an engaging, productive environment.

Maintenance functions assist with both day-to-day and long-term facilities operations. During everyday operations, the maintenance team resolves unexpected issues, such as repairing a roof leak or fixing a jammed machine. Ideally, facility managers will be alerted of maintenance needs via a maintenance request system.

Facility management also considers long-term maintenance needs. Building systems, such as HVAC, electrical and lighting, plumbing, and security services are monitored through regular preventive maintenance. Repairs can be anticipated through predictive maintenance (PdM), although this type of maintenance is typically only possible in very large organizations.

Aside from maintaining and repairing assets, maintenance inspections are vital to facility operations. Through inspections, facility managers confirm that a workplace is up-to-code and meets regulatory requirements. Doing so keeps people and the environment healthy and safe.

Given all that goes in to facility maintenance, one can imagine the difficulty of tracking maintenance activities by hand. Many organizations track their maintenance activities in computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software.

CMMS for Facility Maintenance Management

Facility management professionals can greatly benefit from using CMMS software. A good CMMS stores all information about your equipment and facility assets, MRO inventory, and employees in one place. Listed below are other features and functionality that make CMMS an essential tool for managing facilities:

Automated Preventive Maintenance Scheduling

Though regular preventive maintenance is a high priority, it’s easy for work orders to fall through the cracks. CMMS software organizes and automates your master preventive maintenance plan. Automated work order scheduling and activation ensures that preventive maintenance activities are performed right on time, every time.

Maintenance Request System

It is important to keep an eye on the maintenance needs across the facility. A maintenance request system allows non-maintenance employees, tenants, and customers to submit requests directly to the maintenance department. Instead of inundating maintenance staff with emails, phone calls, and pages, users submit requests through a simple, online form. By using a single channel to receive requests, unexpected maintenance needs become much easier to manage.

Vendor and Contractor Management

Commonly, organizations outsource some aspect of their facilities management operations. For example, it may be more economical for an HVAC service provider to fix rooftop units instead of hiring a specialist full time. A CMMS tracks vendors that provide maintenance supplies, parts, and services. Some solutions even provide invoicing, inventory purchasing, and receiving functionality.

Mobile Access

Today’s maintenance technician is constantly on the go. It is inefficient, inconvenient, and at times, impossible for technicians to be tethered to a standard, desktop computer. Modern CMMS systems provide mobile accessibility that allows staff to access work orders and maintenance data on location from internet-connected devices.

Manage Your Facility with FTMaintenance

FTMaintenance CMMS software supports all industries that perform facility maintenance, such as manufacturing plants, government, hospitals, and property management. Learn more about how FTMaintenance facility maintenance software improves facility management.

Read Case Study: Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry

Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a high-level maintenance philosophy that has spawned much research and analysis from academics. Instead of doing a deep dive into all the tools, techniques, and methodologies involved in TPM, our goal is to introduce the main ideas of total productive maintenance in a simple, straightforward way.

What is Total Productive Maintenance?

Let’s start with a definition of total productive maintenance. Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a system of maintaining and improving the effectiveness of production through assets, employees, and processes that maximize equipment availability. To truly appreciate why TPM was developed, let’s add some context to our TPM definition.

TPM in Manufacturing

Manufacturing and other asset-centric organizations are highly dependent on equipment. In an ideal world, production would be perfect – you would produce high-quality, non-defective goods, as fast as possible, with zero downtime. In reality, there are production losses throughout the manufacturing process. Manufacturers want to reduce and control these losses as much as possible to achieve near-perfect production. (For organizations tracking Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), this means achieving an OEE value that is as close to 100% as possible.)

In order to achieve optimal production, assets must be available when needed for production. Whether automated and run continuously or manually operated and run periodically, money is lost when equipment is stopped. At first, you might think it makes sense to hire additional maintenance staff that can be ready at a moment’s notice. However, overstaffing or idling employees can be very costly as well. Now what?

What if everyone, not just the maintenance team, was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of production equipment? For instance, what if operators were trained to perform simple preventive maintenance activities on their equipment so the maintenance team could focus on more critical maintenance projects? Taking this idea a step further, what if engineers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) modified their designs to make them easier to use and maintain? These questions led to the invention of the concept of total productive maintenance.

Who Invented Total Productive Maintenance?

The idea of total productive maintenance was first developed in the 1950’s by Seiichi Nakajima, although the phrase wasn’t widely used until years later. Nakajima, a Japanese engineer, served as an interpreter for presentations on preventive maintenance given by American George Smith, someone at the forefront of maintenance improvement philosophy.

Inspired by Smith, Nakajima combined concepts from American preventive maintenance with other maintenance practices such as reliability engineering, quality management, and operator-assisted maintenance into a new process called total productive maintenance (TPM). This early version of TPM was founded on 5S, a workplace organization methodology which includes the following steps: 1) sort, 2) set in order, 3) shine (clean and organize), 4) standardize, and 5) sustain.

The 8 Pillars of TPM

Going beyond the 5S framework set by Nakajima, the Japanese Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) further enhanced his idea by incorporating lessons from lean manufacturing. This led to the development of the 8 pillars of TPM, focusing on proactive and preventive maintenance techniques. Let’s briefly describe each pillar:

1. Autonomous maintenance: The responsibility for simple preventive maintenance tasks is placed in the hands of equipment operators.
2. Focused improvement: Small groups work together to identify and eliminate equipment-related losses.
3. Planned maintenance: Scheduled preventive maintenance is based on predicted or measured failure rates.
4. Quality maintenance: Spot checks, inspections, and root cause analysis (RCA) are used to identify and eliminate the causes of defective products.
5. Early equipment management: Changes to equipment design are informed by the knowledge and experience of the people most familiar with it.
6. Training and education: Operators, maintenance staff, and managers are cross-trained in order to fill in knowledge gaps between departments.
7. Safety, health, and environment: Safety-oriented tasks are performed in order to maintain a safe and healthy work environment.
8. Administrative TPM: Improvements are made to administrative functions and office spaces to reduce process losses and eliminate waste.

Who Uses Total Productive Maintenance?

In the 1960’s, Japanese automotive parts supplier Nippondenso (now Denso) was one of the first organizations recognized for employing total productive maintenance, although the components of TPM have changed over time. Today, TPM strategies are still primarily used in the automotive production and supply industry, although elements of total productive maintenance may be used elsewhere in manufacturing and beyond.

Benefits of TPM

Less Unplanned Downtime

As machine operators become more familiar with their equipment, they can more easily recognize when things seem out of the ordinary. Because they are on the front lines and able to spot problems sooner, operators can alert the maintenance team before equipment breaks down. Maintenance can then be planned for a time when it will not interrupt production.

Acknowledges the Importance of Maintenance to the Organization

For too long, maintenance has been viewed as a cost center that does not provide value to the organization. Thankfully, times are changing. With approaches like TPM and reliability centered maintenance (RCM), maintenance is now viewed as vitally important to the business. TPM’s maintenance-oriented approach helps to reinforce the perception that maintenance is something that adds value to the organization.

Safer Work Environment

TPM also brings focus to workplace safety. Introducing or improving safety-related maintenance tasks means that employees are able to work in low-risk environments. When accidents are reduced and potentially dangerous situations are avoided, employees’ attitudes become more positive, which can improve job satisfaction and productivity.

Reduced Backlog

With everyone contributing to maintenance, less pressure is placed on the maintenance team. Over time, the backlog of preventive maintenance jobs and maintenance requests will shrink, freeing up the maintenance team to work on capital improvements and other projects.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Unplanned downtime is costly. TPM’s focus on proactive and preventive maintenance reduces maintenance costs in many ways. For example, equipment that is regularly cleaned, lubricated, and inspected should experience fewer unexpected breakdowns, requiring less maintenance resources.

Predictable maintenance activities allow for better control over MRO inventory stocking levels, ensuring less overstock or expedited inventory purchases. Operators can identify emerging problems with their equipment before they become major failures, resulting in potentially low-cost, less significant repairs.

TPM can also help lower production costs. When equipment is not available, there is a domino effect that can result in stopped production, defective product, idle employees, and employee overtime, not to mention the increased stress of “catching up” when the problem is fixed. When maintenance is viewed as a team effort, production losses due to poor maintenance can be minimized.

Learn more about the advantages of preventive maintenance.

FTMaintenance Supports Total Productive Maintenance

In order for TPM to be successful, you must have a system for tracking maintenance activities. FTMaintenance is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that supports any maintenance strategy by providing a single platform for documenting and tracking maintenance activities. See how FTMaintenance can help you improve your maintenance operations by scheduling your demo today.

Key Takeaways

• Time-based maintenance (TBM) is performed at fixed intervals.
• Time-based maintenance is a beneficial part of a larger maintenance strategy, but should not be used by itself
• Safety-related assets or assets with seasonal maintenance needs are good candidates for time-based maintenance.

What is Time-based Maintenance?

Time-based maintenance (TbM), also called periodic maintenance, refers to routine maintenance tasks performed on an asset at fixed time intervals, regardless of its condition. As a type of preventive maintenance (PM), the goal of time-based maintenance is to prevent failures before they happen and improve asset performance. However, because TbM may be performed whether it is needed or not, it does not always strike a balance between risk and reward.

For example, changing the oil in your car every 1,000 miles as opposed to the manufacturer-recommended 3,000 miles may lead to fewer problems, but comes at a cost. While a lower risk of failure may be a reward in itself, money and time are wasted performing the oil change more often than recommended.

Time-Based Maintenance Examples

Periodic, time-based maintenance is required to keep assets in proper operating condition. Examples include:

• Tuning up a furnace every year before winter
• Clearing debris out of a gutter every 6 months
• Visually inspecting fire extinguishers each month
• Changing an air filter every quarter
• Lubricating pumps every 6 weeks

Advantages and Disadvantages of Time-based Maintenance

Advantages of TbM

Like other types of maintenance, TbM can be beneficial when used as part of a larger maintenance management strategy.

• Minimal Training: Time-based tasks are relatively simple and usually don’t require extensive training to learn.
• Lower Long-term Cost: Compared to breakdown or corrective maintenance (CM), time-based maintenance is relatively inexpensive.
• Easy to Implement: Unlike predictive maintenance (PdM) or condition-based monitoring, time-based maintenance does not require additional sensors or equipment to decide when assets require service.
• Predictable Schedule: Since time-based maintenance follows a set time interval, maintenance schedules are consistent and predictable.
• Effective for Continuously Running Assets: Wear and tear is more predictable for assets that run continuously, allowing maintenance work to be scheduled at regular intervals.

Disadvantages TbM

Organizations that rely heavily on time-based maintenance can face some challenges:

• Ignores Other Causes of Failure: Time-based maintenance assumes that failures are age-related and does not take into account the actual condition of assets. As many maintenance professionals know, many breakdowns and failures do not occur at regular, predictable intervals.
• Too Frequent Schedule Introduces Risk: A maintenance activity may introduce a risk of incorrect re-assembly, misalignment, or other errors. A too frequent maintenance schedule heightens this risk.
• Too Infrequent Schedule Leads to Excessive Failures: A too infrequent maintenance schedule risks preventing predictable asset failures.
• Ineffective for Assets Run Occasionally: Assets that are used occasionally will not wear down at the same rate as assets that are used continuously. Therefore, TbM is not optimal for all assets, but can be used as part of a larger preventive maintenance strategy.
• Increased Costs from Excessive Maintenance: Performing maintenance on assets that don’t need it leads to unnecessary downtime, labor, and consumable part costs.

When to Use Time-based Maintenance

As with other preventive maintenance activities, time-based maintenance should be used to prevent failures on assets that are critical to the organization. Using asset management KPIs such as mean time between Failure (MTBF), historical maintenance data, manufacturer recommendations, and one’s own experience, the ideal interval for time-based maintenance activities can be identified.

Safety-related activities, such as fire extinguisher inspections and smoke alarm tests, are well-suited for time-based maintenance because the cost of asset failure is high, the cost of maintenance is very low, and condition-based maintenance (CbM) is either impossible or costly. HVAC units, furnaces, and other assets that require seasonal attention are also great candidates for time-based maintenance activities.

Effectively Manage Maintenance with FTMaintenance

Time-based maintenance activities are best scheduled and tracked through computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, like FTMaintenance. FTMaintenance is preventive maintenance software for scheduling and managing maintenance activities. It allows you to easily track your historical maintenance data and create insightful maintenance reports for better decision-making. Learn more about how FTMaintenance can help you by exploring our maintenance management software features.