Periodic maintenance is a strategy that takes seriously that old proverb “Timing is everything.” The maintenance department sets up time intervals for performing maintenance on assets and equipment, and because they’re planning out the work in advance, they avoid the failures that lead to costly downtime.
But what sets it apart from other maintenance strategies is that instead of waiting for clear signs of trouble or setting up periodic inspections to look for small ones, with periodic maintenance, you just do the tasks. When implemented for the right combinations of assets and equipment, it helps maintenance teams to more efficiently allocate resources across facilities at multiple locations.
What are examples of periodic maintenance?
Examples vary across industry, but there are some general ones, including:
- Changing lubricants
- Replacing filters
- Cleaning HVAC systems
- Replacing belts
In most of these cases, it’s easier to swap in new parts or materials than inspect the old one. For example, you could remove the filters on an HVAC system and send them off to a lab for tests related to airflow and microscopic patterns of wear and tear. Or, because it’s much cheaper and faster, you could estimate how long the filters are good for on average, and then change them out based on your set schedule.
What are the advantages of periodic maintenance?
With some maintenance strategies, you need sensors to capture data streams and crunch the data into accurate predictions about when to do maintenance. With periodic maintenance, things can be a lot simpler because all you need to do is look at the manufacturer’s recommendations and some of your own maintenance data to get a sense of what to do and how often to do it. So, the people who designed and manufactured an asset might recommend you change the oil once every three months. But, looking at your maintenance and repairs histories, including mean time between failures (MTBF), you decide to play it safe and go with every two and a half months.
Once the schedule is up and running, there are other benefits. Anytime you’re able to plan, you get more options. If you know you’re going to change out the oil on a motor next week, you have enough time to order in your favorite oil, check to see when the motor is already scheduled to be off so you can match the timing of your preventive maintenance work order (PM), and line up your best tech to do the work.
But if that motor suddenly fails, all those options disappear. Instead of getting to use your favorite parts and materials, now you use whatever is already in inventory. Or you need to spend a lot of money on rush deliveries. Before, you had the option of scheduling the PM for when you already knew the motor was going to be offline. Now, the techs do the work with a bunch of operators standing around impatiently watching them. You’ve even lost the option of who does the repairs. Instead of your best techs for the job, you assign whoever is onsite and available.
And because the planning is relatively simple, the team has more resources to invest in critical assets and equipment that deserve more time and attention. Once you have a simple, effective schedule for replacing the HVAC filters, for example, you can pay more attention to the compressors in the AC cooling the server room running mission-critical software. When you already have a set plan for the conveyor belts in the warehouse, you can take the time you saved and invest it in working with a third-party vendor on upgrading the fire suppression systems, keeping your facilities safe and compliant.
There are limitations to the strategy, though.
Just like everything else in maintenance, you need to make sure you’re using the right tool for the job. Generally, you need to limit periodic maintenance to assets that have a steady, predictable rate of use. And you can’t limit yourself to thinking in terms of asset classes.
A forklift in a warehouse likely has a steady rate of use. But a car in a fleet of rentals doesn’t. Because so many people are driving it for so many reasons, there’s no reliable rate of use.
Another issue is you run the risk of doing too much maintenance. One, you’re wasting resources, everything from the techs’ time to your inventory or parts and materials. Second, you’re increasing the chances of something going wrong during maintenance. Every time a tech opens an asset, there’s a chance they’re not going to close it back up properly. They might add lubricant to the wrong reservoir or leave behind an expensive tool.
Enterprise-level asset management platform for periodic maintenance
Unlike some other maintenance strategies, with periodic, all you need are the manufacturers’ recommendations plus your own reliable maintenance and repairs data.
Modern maintenance management software makes it much easier to capture, keep, and search reliable data, it gives you everything you need to set up and run a periodic maintenance schedule. Instead of having to wade through piles of paper or random spreadsheets, you can quickly access reliable records on all your assets. And with the built-in reports module, you can use the software to quickly crunch the data into actionable insights into your operations.
From there, you can use the software to schedule, assign, and track periodic maintenance work orders. And for each one, because you’re not limited by what you can put on a sheet of paper or manually type into a spreadsheet cell, you can include everything techs need to work fast and smart, including detailed instructions, lists of associated parts and materials, and even interactive site maps, and floor plans. Technicians move through the facility in straight lines, not circles, and arrive onsite with everything they need to work effectively and efficiently.
By Jonathan Davis
Jonathan writes about asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions in his role as a digital content creator at Eptura. He covers trends across industries, including fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, with a focus on delivering thought leadership with actionable insights. Earlier in his career, he wrote textbooks, edited NPC dialogue for video games, and taught English as a foreign language. He holds a master's degree in journalism.
