Reactive maintenance – the importance of having an option on standby

Equipment maintenance is essential in any manufacturing facility. But even with the most effective planned maintenance schedule, you can never completely avoid unplanned faults or breakdowns.

And when those unexpected faults and breakdowns do occur, you’ll want to get things back up and running as quickly as possible. That’s when it pays to have a reactive maintenance strategy that ensures your equipment is fixed as quickly as possible with minimum disruption to your operations.

What’s the difference between proactive and reactive maintenance?

The difference between proactive and reactive maintenance is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Proactive maintenance is maintenance you can plan and prepare for, whereas reactive maintenance is done in response to a fault or failure.

Proactive maintenance is essential when the consequences of failure would be serious for your business or where a specific level of maintenance is required to comply with health and safety legislation.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM) involves regular monitoring and maintaining equipment to prolong life and minimise the likelihood of failure. PPM strategies are important for critical machinery but in some circumstances, can be disruptive. For example, when equipment needs to be switched off for an extended period to carry out the maintenance.

Predictive maintenance is another kind of proactive maintenance. This is where you predict when certain components will need to be replaced or when machinery is likely to fail. Control and automation systems can be used to predict faults before they occur by consistently monitoring systems and analysing large volumes of real-time data. This allows you to develop a more effective planned maintenance strategy.

Reactive maintenance is carried out when an asset actually fails or is not working correctly. If failure does not have serious consequences for your business, you may prefer reactive maintenance. For example, if you can put an alternative or temporary measure in place until the component or machine is repaired or replaced, you don’t necessarily need a proactive maintenance strategy for that component or machine.

Types of reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance covers more than just emergency breakdowns and it can be useful to understand the different types of reactive maintenance so you can put together a more effective overall maintenance strategy.

Emergency maintenance

Emergency maintenance is required when action is needed immediately and as a priority to avoid severe consequences or safety issues. For example, an elevator has broken down with personnel inside or there has been a breakdown of critical equipment or machinery.

Breakdown maintenance

Breakdown maintenance is an unplanned response to an equipment failure. However, it might not require an emergency response. It could be that the breakdown is inconvenient and costly but does not pose a safety risk. Or perhaps there is a backup solution that can be used temporarily until the issue is resolved (for example, your main power supply has failed, but you have a backup generator).

Corrective or fault maintenance

Corrective maintenance or fault maintenance is a response to machinery or equipment malfunctioning or underperforming. The first step is identifying the cause of the fault so it can be corrected. It might be that repairs are required immediately to prevent further issues, or you may be able to schedule the repair for a later time. This will depend on the nature of the fault and the corrective measures required.

Run-to-failure maintenance

Run-to-failure maintenance is a strategy that deliberately allows components, machines or equipment to run until they break. Sometimes, a replacement has already been purchased and is ready to be installed once failure occurs. This strategy can be effective when the component or machinery can be replaced or repaired swiftly without having to completely shut down production.

Advantages and disadvantages of reactive maintenance

As with any strategy, there are pros and cons to reactive maintenance. There are some areas where it can be beneficial, but it’s not advisable to rely solely on reactive maintenance.

Budgeting

Regular maintenance and servicing schedules mean regular maintenance costs whereas being reactive means only paying for maintenance when equipment fails. However, it can be difficult to set a budget when you don’t know which equipment will break, how often it will need repairing, or how long it will take to fix. And without regular servicing and maintenance, you might experience breakdowns and faults more frequently, resulting in higher long-term costs.

Repair costs

Calling technicians out for emergency repairs can often incur higher costs than working with them on an ongoing basis. There may also be higher costs for parts if you need them to be rushed through.

Energy costs

Regular maintenance keeps machinery running efficiently which means lower energy costs. Faulty equipment can impact the power stability causing surges, which means higher energy consumption. This can also have a knock-on effect on other electrical installations, causing them to run less efficiently too.

Equipment performance and lifespan

Poorly maintained equipment that is put under continuous stress will degrade faster and stop performing at optimal levels. This means a shorter lifespan and more frequent replacements, which means greater cost.

Downtime

One of the reasons some manufacturers prefer a run-to-failure strategy is that they don’t have to halt production for routine inspections and maintenance. However, while this might reduce the amount of planned downtime, it increases the risk of unplanned downtime as you never know when a machine might fail. At least with planned downtime, you can plan it around production schedules.

Safety

Intentionally running assets to failure can pose a safety risk to machine operators. If a machine is defective or suddenly fails, it can cause injury or accident. For example, unchecked electrical faults could result in electrical shocks or fires.

Planning for reactive maintenance

It might sound odd to suggest you can plan for reactive maintenance given that the point of reactive maintenance is to cover unexpected problems. However, while you can’t plan for faults and failures, you can ensure you react as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Determine how each asset will be maintained

Not all equipment requires ongoing service and maintenance. Rather than approaching equipment with a one-size-fits-all strategy, take time to understand the most effective maintenance strategy for each piece of machinery or equipment.

Have an escalation plan

If you are taking a run-to-failure approach with certain pieces of machinery, have a clear escalation plan in place. What is the process when the machinery fails? Who should be informed? Is there an alternative or temporary solution? Where are replacement parts stored? Which suppliers should be called and who should call them?

Have a business continuity plan

Even with proactive maintenance strategies, you can’t predict every eventuality, so it pays to have a continuity plan. How can you keep critical assets running? What temporary measures do you have available? What are your backup strategies? How can you get back to business as usual as quickly as possible?

Work with reliable, responsive suppliers

If you have an equipment emergency, you’ll want it resolved as quickly as possible That’s why it’s important to work with reliable suppliers. Choose companies that have the resources to respond quickly and effectively. Make sure they are competent and qualified to deliver the service you need when you need it.

A good electrical contractor, such as AES, will also be able to help you devise an effective maintenance strategy for all your electrical installations.

Why choose AES?

At AES, we specialise in electrical contracting services for manufacturers. If you haven’t got a strategy in place for managing the maintenance of your electrical installations, we can help.

We can install, test, inspect, service and maintain your lighting and emergency lighting and any electrical installations, including plant equipment and machinery. AES personnel are also CompEx accredited to work in ATEX areas.

Not only do we offer proactive and reactive maintenance and emergency callouts, but we also offer a range of specialist services for manufacturers to help reduce downtime.

These include energy storage, voltage optimisation, variable speed drives, and control and automation systems.

If you’d like to learn more about how AES can keep your factory running efficiently, get in touch with our expert team.