Impact of Predictive Maintenance on Industry

By Sthitaprajnya Panigrahi Tuesday, 26 November 2019

All machines are prone to wear and tear and in the long run eventually either break down or start malfunctioning. In the manufacturing environment, failures and downtime is a common thing which can eventually affect the productivity and efficiency of the company. One of the major reasons for the degradation of the company’s stature, the undesirable situation can be achieved by the implementation of productive maintenance in the organization. Analyzing the operational data and patterns, predictive maintenance monitors the performance of the equipment to prevent failures at crucial times. With the advancement of technological innovations such as industrial IoT (Internet of Things), machine data can be utilized to enhance operational performance and efficiency. This availability of IoT to supervise the continuation capabilities of machines is often termed as Predictive maintenance. A priceless practice for building an inclusive management unit, predictive maintenance will minimize the frequency of untimely failures along with ensuring the improvement of equipment through a constant inspection.

Some of the major benefits of predictive maintenance which will strengthen the necessity of the practice in the current industrial scenario are mentioned below:

  1. Decline in maintenance costs: Sometimes the maintenance of the pieces of equipment costs a fortune. Predicting the efficiency of the parts of the machines will give ample time to repair the machines. This practice can reduce the spending of extra money during the repair of the hardware.
  2. Fewer Instances of machine failures: Machine failures can lead to the cease of production. Halting the progress of work, this will again lead to lots of economic crisis for the company. Taking preventive measures by the proper check-up of the machines can certainly cut down the instances of machine failures.
  3. Reduction in downtime repairs: Regular monitoring can also cause in the reduction of downtime repairs. Often termed as an unavoidable crisis, downtime repairs not only hinder productivity but also cause time and financial losses for the company. Analyzing the operational time of the machinery their downtime can be estimated and preventive measures can be taken accordingly.
  4. Increase in the life expectancy of equipment: Regularly exposed to check-ups and monitoring, the equipment will run and perform for a longer period of time. Removing, repairing or replacing the defective parts can enhance the service life of the machines.
  5. Lessens the stock of spare parts: Reserving and maintaining the spare parts to use them in the time of failure costs a lot. Knowing about the current status of the machines can reduce the need for storing the spare parts in advance and can be purchased as per the time and requirement.
  6. Enhanced Production: Adopting Predictive maintenance can give an insight to forecast the working of equipment in the future as per their ability. This preventive measure to remain safe from any mechanical or financial crisis due to the failure of machines can boost the production process of the organization.
  7. Ensures Safety of Machinist: Early warnings about the machines can also reduce the risks of any hazards or accidents that can happen due to the sudden failure of the equipment. This benefit has been supported by many insurance companies as well.

Due to a lack of proper planning and implementation, the practice of Predictive maintenance remains an estranged one. Adopting this maintenance management program will not only be beneficial for the company but will also substantially improve the efficiency of the organization.

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