In part one of this series on the evolution of maintenance, we explored the many ways the Ekho software for operational performance management (OPM) can enhance your preventive maintenance strategy and allow for more informed decision-making through streamlined data collection and automatic tracking of reliability KPIs.  

We also discussed how traditional reactive and preventive maintenance methods — although seemingly outdated — are still acceptable to use if the priority and cost of the assets are relatively low or when more advanced technologies are simply not available.  

In part two of this series, we will discuss how a preventive maintenance program can be extended to incorporate condition-based maintenance (CBM) and how the right OPM software can support this approach. 

Condition-Based Maintenance:

CBM is a proactive approach that monitors equipment condition and spots upcoming failures, so maintenance can be scheduled when needed (and not before), reducing unnecessary maintenance and associated costs.

For example, as equipment ages, rotating machinery can develop greater vibration, affecting performance, durability, and safety. Vibration may worsen before a breakdown or hazardous situation emerges. Analyzing vibration can detect problems early, preventing additional issues or harm.  

CBM also uses visual checks, spot readings, and automated tests with sensors or specialized tools to detect an issue or a decline in performance — indicated by things like wear, usage, and number of incidents. This information helps maintenance teams plan the best time to perform maintenance — ideally well before a failure occurs or performance takes a hit. And since CBM is non-invasive, measurements can be taken without shutting down the machine or altering the way it operates.  

Another advantage of CBM is its extended P-F (Potential Failure) interval when compared to traditional preventive maintenance, as shown in the diagram below. This interval marks the time between the point where a potential failure is detectable (P) and the moment when that failure would likely occur (F).

This means more time to get the right parts for maintenance, reducing the Mean Time To Repair (MTTR). The result? Downtime is minimized, and operations can resume.  

Benefits of CBM: 

1. Maintenance is performed only when needed 
2. Extended P-F (Potential Failure) interval, reducing MTTR 
3. Less expensive and less time-consuming than preventive maintenance 
4. Suitable for assets that need to run continuously — even during maintenance 
5. The use of sensors and other condition-monitoring tools reduces the labor required for inspection and monitoring 

How Does Ekho OPM Software Optimize CBM?

Ekho OPM helps teams leverage CBM, taking performance and availability information and seamlessly integrating these metrics with data on the condition and health of the assets.

Here’s how Ekho OPM software contributes to an effective CBM approach: 

Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts: Ekho OPM software continuously monitors equipment and machinery in real-time, collecting data from sensors and other data sources. It then automatically generates alerts and notifications when certain thresholds or conditions are met, enabling maintenance teams to respond faster to potential issues.

Optimized Work Orders: Ekho OPM generates work orders based on real-time conditions, helping ensure that maintenance occurs only when an asset needs it. This reduces unnecessary maintenance tasks and streamlines the overall maintenance process. 

Downtime Reduction: By detecting potential issues early and empowering teams with the information they need to approach maintenance more proactively, Ekho OPM helps reduce unplanned downtime. This leads to increased equipment availability and improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). 

Performance Benchmarking: Ekho OPM provides benchmarking capabilities, allowing manufacturers to compare the performance of different assets or production lines. This helps identify underperforming areas requiring attention — and highlights things that are working well. 

Continuous Improvement: Ekho OPM facilitates continuous improvement by collecting data on maintenance activities and their outcomes. This data can be analyzed to refine and enhance the CBM strategy over time, leading to more efficient maintenance practices. 

Data Integration and Analytics: Ekho OPM integrates data from various sources, such as sensors, historical maintenance records, and process data. By analyzing this integrated data, the software can identify patterns, trends, and anomalies that might indicate impending equipment degradation or failures. From here, teams can move from a condition-based maintenance strategy toward a predictive maintenance strategy – the subject of our next article in this series. 

Summary: 

An ongoing journey toward improved maintenance strategies in industrial manufacturing is vital for sustained success in the marketplace. And finding the right OPM software that allows for customized and continued advancement of these strategies is key. By leveraging the capabilities of Ekho OPM software, a CBM program can effectively reduce unnecessary maintenance and labor, as well as associated costs. As manufacturing processes advance, embracing these innovative tools becomes crucial for ensuring equipment availability, operational efficiency, and a future of sustained success.

Stay tuned for part three of our “Evolution of Maintenance” series where we delve into Predictive Maintenance and describe how you can establish a basic predictive approach by using CBM data and trending, and how you can move to a more advanced strategy leveraging cloud technologies, machine learning, and predictive analytics to further enhance your maintenance strategy.  

For more information about how Ekho OPM can support you on your maintenance journey get the product sheet or book a demo.

Achieving daily production goals can be challenging when machinery malfunctions cause unplanned downtime, missed deadlines, and increased repair costs. With aging equipment as the leading cause of unplanned downtime¹ some failures are inevitable. But choosing the right maintenance strategy can significantly reduce their impact and frequency and prolong the life of critical assets.  

This is the first in a series of articles examining the relationship between the drivers for increased operational efficiency and more effective plant maintenance. In this first article, we set the stage by exploring two fundamental maintenance strategies – reactive maintenance and traditional preventive maintenance, and how operational performance management (OPM) software continues to be a key player even in these basic maintenance approaches.

In subsequent articles, we will look at newer preventive approaches such as condition-based maintenance and predictive maintenance, and then we will examine how cloud technologies for Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics can be used to further enhance maintenance strategies. We will also look at the costs and benefits of the various strategies and how Ekho OPM can support your operations regardless of where you are on the path to optimization. 

The framework we will be using for these articles is presented below: 

Traditionally, corrective or reactive maintenance has been the norm, where repairs are carried out after equipment failure occurs. However, thanks to technological advancements, more advanced strategies are gaining momentum. Those who invest in the technology that facilitates a more proactive approach see longer durations of equipment availability without malfunction, which sets the stage for better performance and higher quality; the three factors used to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). OEE is a window into efficiency and therefore, should be considered when aiming to improve your operations.   

In this initial blog post, we will explore the benefits of basic preventive maintenance over reactive maintenance and how adopting OPM software, such as Ekho OPM, can empower your team to take proactive measures to increase OEE.

Reactive Maintenance:

Reactive maintenance, also known as “breakdown maintenance,” addresses equipment failures after they occur. While this approach can be effective with low-priority equipment with a low cost to replace, if used for critical assets it can disrupt production schedules, lead to higher repair costs, and pose safety risks for workers. Surprisingly, in 2022, more than 92% of manufacturing companies worldwide still employed reactive maintenance on 35% of their assets².

The good news is that shifting to a preventive maintenance strategy can help mitigate these challenges and boost productivity, improve safety, and keep costs down. 

Preventive Maintenance: 

Preventive maintenance is a proactive approach that works to prevent potential failures, with the goal of minimizing unplanned downtime and extending equipment lifespan. Regular inspections and planned maintenance practices, like Clean, Inspect & Lubricate (CIL), Time-Based Maintenance (TBM), or Meter-based maintenance (MBM) play a crucial role in this strategy. For example, one common preventive maintenance practice is lubricating certain components every 14 days to reduce wear and improve reliability. These maintenance services are carried out on a pre-determined schedule as part of the maintenance strategy.  

Comparison and Contrast:

An important contrast between these two strategies lies in how preventive maintenance helps pinpoint defects and identify the cause of potential failures ahead of reactive maintenance, as shown in the P-F Curve diagram below. The P-F curve charts how a machine’s condition declines as time goes on and demonstrates how different maintenance strategies can spot potential failure (P) before actual failure (F). The time between these two points is simply called the P-F interval. The P-F interval allows maintenance teams to better predict when a failure might occur based on the early detection indicators, enabling them to determine the best possible maintenance schedule for that specific asset.

Apart from minimized downtime and increased OEE, preventive maintenance brings several other advantages, such as more reliable equipment, cost savings, improved product quality, regulatory compliance, energy efficiency, and a safer working environment. It also boosts employee morale, showing your employees that you care about their safety and job stability.  

The Role of OPM Software in Preventive Maintenance:

The right OPM software is key to a successful basic preventive maintenance strategy. Advanced OPM software solutions like Ekho OPM gather real-time data from various sources in your manufacturing environment, including sensors, machine interfaces, and HMI/SCADA systems. They also automatically track critical reliability KPIs, like Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), eliminating manual data entry and streamlining data collection and reporting processes.

This streamlined data overview and automatic KPI tracking enables preventive maintenance planning through:  

1. Downtime Analysis: Identifying critical downtime events affecting equipment reliability, allowing the maintenance team to prioritize tasks based on significance. 
2. Trend Analysis: Tracking and analyzing reliability KPIs over extended periods to identify patterns and recurring issues for more informed preventive maintenance planning. 
3. Spare Parts Optimization: Continuously monitoring and analyzing downtime data to optimize spare parts inventory management and prevent major breakdowns. 
4. Maintenance Scheduling: Analyzing longer-term data trends to schedule preventive maintenance during periods of lower production demand or equipment idleness. 
5. Enhancing Preventive Inspection: Evaluating the effectiveness of preventive maintenance procedures by assessing reliability KPIs and adjusting maintenance checklists accordingly. 

Summary: 

By embracing preventive maintenance, industrial manufacturing companies can reduce unplanned downtime, minimize repair costs, enhance operational efficiency, and improve OEE. And leveraging the power of OPM software like Ekho OPM enables more proactive and data-driven preventive maintenance strategies, resulting in improved equipment reliability, minimized downtime, and optimized production efficiency. With the right maintenance approach and OPM software, your team can achieve higher levels of productivity and success in the manufacturing industry. 

Where Are You on Your Journey? 

The choice of a maintenance strategy ultimately depends on the availability of technology to support the program. If there are no online sensors, and no plant floor systems to collect real-time data feeds, then a preventive maintenance program in conjunction with a reactive component is a perfectly acceptable approach, and Ekho OPM software can support that combination. With the availability of low-cost sensors and handheld monitors and the increased availability of OT networks in today’s facilities, opportunities are available to move into more advanced maintenance strategies as we will discuss in the next article in this series. 

For more information get the product sheet or book a demo.

1. Plant Engineering, 2022 Maintenance Study 
2. Plant Engineering, 2022 Maintenance Study