Where do PM and predictive maintenance fit in the new structure?
Organizations spend millions of dollars on PM (preventive maintenance, which includes all predictive technologies, such as infrared inspection and vibration analysis). Do we scrap the hard-won improvements in uptime and reliability gained through the judicious use of PM? The fatal flaw of PM is that it requires a constant investment of labor and materials to maintain the uptime. PM itself never improves the underlying engineering situation. No improvement will ever flow from a traditional PM orientation, because it never addresses the flaws in the design, use or operation of the equipment. What’s more, when your company downsizes and your PM crew is laid off and not replaced, reliability and uptime will return to their old frequency. PM does, for a price, increase the life of equipment and decreases the size and scope of failures. The new organization has a place for PM. View it as a station or resting place on the way to maintenance elimination. When you don’t have time, resources or
