What Is Industrial Maintenance? (Types, Examples & Job Duties)

Industrial maintenance (sometimes referred to as plant maintenance) is essentially the process of maintaining machinery, equipment and facilities in industrial settings. The goal of industrial maintenance is to expand the lifespan of a company’s assets by keeping them in good working condition. Having an industrial maintenance strategy in place also helps control and even reduce business expenses by preventing costly breakdowns and production stoppages. 

Steps included in industrial maintenance typically consist of general preventive maintenance, regular inspections and repairs. Asset lubrication, cleaning, aligning and adjusting industrial equipment, part replacement and troubleshooting are just a few examples of the tasks carried out within the industrial maintenance umbrella.

Read on to get a better understanding of the industries that use industrial maintenance as well as the duties of those who perform it and finally examples of maintenance strategies that you can implement into your own industrial maintenance program.

Industries That Use Industrial Maintenance 

Most industries use some form of industrial maintenance to keep costs down and operations intact. Here are some examples of industries in which industrial maintenance is crucial:

• Manufacturing: Industrial maintenance is used on manufacturing assets to continuously produce and distribute goods like electronics, clothing and furniture to customers.
• Energy: The energy sector’s assets are typically found in power plants and renewable energy facilities. This industry relies on industrial maintenance to ensure large machines, like turbines, generators and pipelines, operate safely and continuously, keeping the power on for consumers. Energy software development enables the creation of advanced monitoring systems, predictive maintenance tools, and energy management solutions. 
• Construction: In construction, industrial maintenance keeps heavy machinery like bulldozers, cranes and excavators in good working condition. Projects stay on schedule and under budget through industrial maintenance processes — which also save lives, as unmaintained construction equipment can be dangerous to workers.
• Automotive: Automotive companies use assembly lines, robotics and other assets in the production of their vehicles. They employ various industrial maintenance processes on these large assets to keep quality and output consistent. 
• Aviation: Businesses in the aviation sector perform industrial maintenance on airplanes and equipment that manufactures engines, landing gear and other essential aircraft parts to prioritize their safety and reliability.

Who Performs Industrial Maintenance? 

A skilled team of technicians performs industrial maintenance. The duties of the following full-time maintenance jobs ensure that a business’ assets and overall operations continue effortlessly and with as little downtime as possible. 

• Industrial maintenance mechanic: These hands-on workers install, inspect, repair and replace parts or pieces of equipment when assets break down. They are great at problem solving and undergoing regular inspections. They may even suggest an asset’s replacement when there are frequent breakdowns or machinery stops working altogether.  
• Industrial maintenance technician: Maintenance technicians have a broader skillset than mechanics, as they carry out more complex tasks. They may specialize in machinery, pipes or wires, using diagnostic tools to monitor equipment performance. They write reports on what issues they find through this data and suggest equipment updates or replacements to maintain production output.
• Industrial engineer: Maintenance engineers evaluate a company’s mechanical systems to ensure peak performance. They inspect equipment, looking for ways to improve upon it and assess the processes of team members. They may also create blueprints to illustrate how an asset operates.
• Industrial maintenance supervisor: Maintenance supervisors oversee operations and coordinate the efforts of mechanics, technicians and engineers. They plan and schedule maintenance duties, manage budgets and see to it that all work that is carried out is compliant with safety standards. They also track the team’s performance metrics to improve maintenance processes. They’re also sometimes referred to as facilities managers.

Different Types of Industrial Maintenance Strategies 

A company determines the maintenance strategies it will employ by considering a few factors. The approach it uses is based on the type of equipment needing maintenance, how critical the need for it is and the availability of resources. Some types of maintenance strategies include:

Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance is used when a company has limited resources or the asset is not critical to its operations. It involves repairing or replacing equipment after failure. It requires little investment upfront but can lead to higher costs down the road.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is common in businesses with ample resources to service equipment regularly. Scheduled maintenance takes place to prevent asset failure before it can occur. Companies with high-value assets (for example, those that are critical to production) use preventive maintenance processes to extend equipment lifespan and avoid costly interruptions.

Condition-Based Maintenance

Also referred to as CBM, condition-based maintenance relies on monitoring the asset’s condition to decide when maintenance is needed. It is used by companies that have invested in monitoring tools and sensors. Maintenance tasks are performed when necessary to focus resources where they are most needed and keep costs low.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is the most advanced strategy, as it predicts failures using data-driven techniques and tools. Using equipment monitors, companies collect data over time to help identify asset performance patterns. They use the results to predict and prevent asset failures by allowing maintenance to take place before a breakdown can occur. A 2024 Siemens report showed that the integration of condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance programs at Fortune Global 500 industrial organizations could save an estimated total of 2.1 million hours in downtime annually.

Example of Industrial Maintenance Use Case 

Energy company General Electric (GE) took a predictive maintenance approach when it placed sensors across 13 gas turbines to collect real-time data using a variety of parameters. Using the industrial maintenance technology, it found one turbine had an issue with early stage vibration. If that problem had remained undetected, it could have significantly damaged the turbine and caused a long-term outage. The problem was temporarily corrected until GE could further examine the turbine during its next scheduled maintenance date.

The data collected via GE’s computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software was used to forecast when a turbine or its parts would fail. Based on these predictions, the energy company was able to fix the issue and create a maintenance schedule to further address issues proactively. It used remote monitoring to maintain oversight on the turbines and execute a rapid response plan for any other issues that may have come up for the industrial machinery. 

GE’s predictive maintenance process allowed it to reduce breakdowns in its turbines. The company was then able to avoid the high costs of unplanned maintenance and emergency repairs. GE’s ability to fine-tune the performance of its turbines allowed them to continue operating at peak efficiency and while also extending their lifespan.

How to Enhance Your Industrial Maintenance Approach 

To minimize equipment downtime and extend an asset’s lifespan, it’s important to take a proactive approach to maintenance.You’ll want to place the maintenance plan focus on your largest and most critical assets, as they have the most significant impact on business operations. Here are key ways you can enhance your industrial maintenance approach:

• Define procedures: Establish clear maintenance procedures for each asset (or its parts), specifying what needs to be done and how often. By taking this approach, processes will remain consistent and thorough, reducing the likelihood of unexpected failures and potential downtime. 
• Create a preventive maintenance schedule: Next, develop a calendar outlining the fundamental maintenance tasks for each asset. This will help your team to not only plan ahead but to also allocate resources efficiently. By scheduling preventive maintenance tasks in advance, critical assets will receive the necessary attention without disrupting production.
• Use a CMMS software: Using a CMMS software will allow you to assign work orders to technicians, track their progress and communicate with maintenance team members. A CMMS keeps everyone on the same page, ensuring maintenance activities will be carried out as planned. You can even create automations for preventive maintenance tasks.
• Monitor assets: Finally, track and analyze the performance of your maintenance processes by consistently reviewing data to identify patterns and make adjustments to your strategy wherever necessary. 

Using Coast for Industrial Maintenance 

Implementing industrial maintenance strategies through Coast’s CMMS will help your business save money and time by streamlining the maintenance process to keep your assets running smoothly. With our app, you can manage and schedule maintenance tasks to ensure consistent and proper servicing of your company’s assets. Real-time data tracking and monitoring features included in our CMMS allows you to anticipate issues with small parts and larger assets before they can occur. 

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