Search:
Engineer implementing compressed air system preventative maintenance plan

Finding an Optimal Preventative Maintenance Plan

A preventative maintenance program can help you save time and money by prolonging the service life of your systems and reducing unexpected downtime. However, just because your program works for you now doesn’t mean it will continue to serve you as your equipment ages and your business grows. Evaluating and optimizing your plan is key to ensuring you’re getting the most for your money and doing the best you can to keep your equipment clean and running efficiently. 

 

How to Determine If You Have an Optimal Preventative Maintenance Plan

You shouldn’t take a set-it-and-forget-it approach with your preventative maintenance plan. Instead, your program should be regularly reevaluated to ensure you’re performing the right services at the right time. There are a few key elements to consider:

  • Analyze the Ratio of Maintenance Costs vs. Repair Costs: If you’re spending more money on repairs than on maintenance, you have an opportunity to reduce your repairs (thereby reducing downtime and potentially expensive situations) and allot more of your budget toward maintenance. 
  • Evaluate Annual Runs: Compare the number of high-quality pieces to the number of defective pieces you produce. High-functioning equipment contributes to a defect-free production cycle. 
  • Evaluate Installed Environment: Are there any environmental factors that are causing undue wear and tear on your equipment? This could be related to temperature control, humidity, UV light, equipment spacing, and more. 
  • Ask Your Service Provider to Quantify Individual System Costs: It’s important to know the overall costs of each system individually. Optimizing your program may involve having a slightly different plan for each one, depending on its size, age, and workload.
  • Look Into Your Purchasing System to Review Each System’s Amounts: This is another method of analyzing maintenance vs. repair costs. Take a look at your purchase history and see where the money is being spent. 
  • Evaluate Redundancy: If you have a 150HP air compressor system with a 100HP air compressor as a backup, full redundancy is probably not an issue.
  • Analyze the Cost of Downtime: How much money are you losing when you stop production? Consider the products as well as the cost of labor for skilled employees who are being kept busy with tasks below their pay grade. 

 

Benefits of a Good Preventative Maintenance Plan

Having an optimized preventative maintenance plan in place offers a number of benefits:

  • Reduce Downtime: Keep your systems functioning optimally to reduce downtime and maintain productivity.
  • Save Money: If your equipment is broken down, you’re losing money due to lost production, labor, and the cost of repair.
  • Increase Efficiency: Well-maintained equipment works more efficiently, which can help you save money on energy while it reduces the wear and tear on your system.
  • Increase Profitability: Less downtime and more efficient equipment equals higher production. 
  • Increase Equipment Lifespan: Keeping your system in top shape will prolong its service life. 
  • Reduce Risk of Breakdown: When you fix the little problems before they turn into big ones, you’re less likely to experience an unexpected breakdown.
  • Improve Workplace Safety: Poorly maintained equipment can put workers at risk. For example, if something jams or stops and restarts suddenly, the unsuspecting employee could lose their balance or get hit, pinched, or burned, among other potential disasters. 

Simply put, you can’t afford not to have a preventative maintenance plan in place, and you can’t afford not to reevaluate it to ensure it’s still the right approach for you and your equipment. Airmatic Compressor is New Jersey’s compressed air specialist, supplying, installing and servicing air compressors, air dryers, and vacuum pumps. Our service plans are designed to keep your equipment running smoothly. With 24/7 on-site service and repair, it’s our goal to help you reduce downtime, increase productivity, and free you from the worry of an unexpected and costly breakdown.

Contact us to learn more about our range of compressed air products and services, or request a quote to get started on your own optimized preventative maintenance plan.