What Is Machine Maintenance? (And Why It’s So Important)

Machine maintenance refers to tasks that keep mechanical equipment in good working condition, and it’s an absolute necessity for optimizing production levels in any industry that uses equipment. It can include maintenance activities like cleaning, lubricating and replacing parts, making adjustments, doing repairs or carrying out inspections. 

For example, in the textile industry, carding machines are used to clean and separate yarn before it’s spun. Because of this, dirt often accumulates in the equipment, increasing the possibility of it malfunctioning or jamming. Maintenance tasks such as inspecting each machine for dirt build-up or scheduling routine cleanings are necessary to ensure that operations keep running smoothly and with little to no interruption.

Without machine maintenance, assets might experience breakdowns, causing unplanned downtime and affecting production levels. After all, without the carding machine to prepare the yarn, none of the next production steps are possible. Over time, neglect might also lead to costly machine breakdowns or overall replacements, not to mention workplace safety issues.

Industries That Benefit From Machine Maintenance 

According to maintenance statistics from a 2021 article in the Journal of Prognostics and Health Management, manufacturers with a preventive or predictive maintenance program in place decreased machine downtime by about 53 percent. Therefore, industries that rely heavily on the proper function of equipment benefit greatly from machinery maintenance. 

Of course, some industries benefit more than others. For instance, refineries; automotive factories; production factories for goods like food, textiles or plastics; and steel mills are some of the ones for which a maintenance plan is indispensable. Imagine that the computer-controlled machines used to cut metal for car parts break down. As with the textile carding example, the manufacturing operation would need to shut down temporarily until the heavy equipment is fixed. Metal can be cut by hand, but this is a case where human labor is simply less precise, costs more and presents a higher risk of injury. Therefore, the factory would need to repair the machine as quickly as possible — or invest in new equipment.

Having a routine maintenance strategy can help businesses avoid serious failures, which often eat into profits by slowing production or making it impossible to meet new orders. Again, if a business relies on a piece of equipment for a small part of their operation, keeping assets in good condition may not be as much of a priority. But in businesses pertaining to the industries previously mentioned, not having a plan for machine maintenance can present huge risks no responsible manager would take.

What Are the Different Types of Machine Maintenance?

There are several maintenance types for different kinds of assets. When discussing machines specifically, four are usually the focus: reactive, preventive, condition-based and predictive. 

Reactive Maintenance

Reactive maintenance happens after equipment has failed and is considered a broader responsive maintenance strategy. This type of action should only be done in an emergency, as it is often the costlier and most problematic way to manage an asset. It is the equivalent of calling a tow truck when your car has broken down on the highway because you didn’t take it to the shop when it was making noises.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance occurs before a problem even arises. As the name suggests, this type of action is done to avoid failure and normally refers to inspections carried out in a routine manner. Regular maintenance tasks are usually scheduled as time-based (replacing a part of equipment every six months) or usage-based (replacing a part after it reaches a certain output threshold). 

Condition-Based Maintenance

Condition-based maintenance uses data that is collected on a regular basis to see how an asset is performing. When a change in performance is flagged, maintenance is performed.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance gathers real-time performance data using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and prompts teams to take action when an abnormality happens. Many businesses prefer using these methods to save up on the cost of the frequent check-ups that preventive maintenance requires. 

Who Performs Machine Maintenance? 

Companies usually rely on machinery mechanics, maintenance technicians and millwrights to ensure that equipment is running properly. Here are the various types of maintenance work these workers perform:

• Machinery mechanics: Take care of asset installation and disassembling. They are skilled in working with different machines across multiple industries and are indispensable for the safety of workers and the proper running of a company. 
• Maintenance technicians: Are usually tasked with the maintenance needs of the machines that have been installed. They run tests, gather data and make repairs especially in the event of a machine failure. Of course, they are valuable members of any team that works with machines. 
• Millwrights: Have a similar job to both machinery mechanics and maintenance technicians. The difference is that, as their title implies, they normally work with machinery in mills. People who hold these positions do all of the assembling, disassembling and repairing of mill equipment. 

It’s important to keep in mind that these positions can overlap and share responsibilities based on the per-case needs of each company. Because employees who hold these titles will be keeping the heart of the business running, it’s important for managers to find the right people for the job. This is usually achieved by asking the right maintenance questions and knowing what to look for during the interview process.

Machine Maintenance Use-Case Scenario 

To visualize what machine maintenance is in practice (and why it’s important), consider the following scenario: Flex-N-Gate produces automotive components, specifically bumpers and grille assemblies that require intricate designs. To ensure a high-quality product, the facility uses high-precision CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines to mill and drill metal parts. 

Without regular equipment maintenance, one of the CNC machines could show signs of wear. The machine’s spindle bearings could become worn out, leading to decreased accuracy and increased vibration. Over time, these issues cause defects in the components, leading to higher scrap rates and rework. If a machine reaches failure, the company would be unable to make the product and could risk falling short on existing orders or be unable to fulfill new ones. 

With this example in mind, it’s easy to recognize the benefits of a proper maintenance strategy. First of all, equipment uptime is increased. By keeping parts in working order, product quality is improved because the equipment is in an optimal state. This in turn increases production efficiency since there is less need to redo certain tasks to keep quality standards. Taking care of assets also extends their lifespan since parts don’t need to be replaced as often. Moreover, failure often causes major damage to equipment that can never be properly fixed.

Overall, these benefits combine to lower maintenance costs in the long-term. Though there will be more frequent check-ups and repairs, they will help to avoid expensive emergency procedures that happen when machines reach failure.

Using a CMMS to Improve Machine Maintenance 

The hardest part of machine maintenance is having a schedule that works smoothly, especially in large companies where numerous employees have to coordinate different tasks. This is where managers benefit from using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, such as Coast. 

A CMMS can help managers streamline crucial tasks such as scheduling preventive maintenance, tracking assets, managing machines and generating reports and analytics for team workflow and equipment productivity. By offering an easy-to-use app, Coast allows managers to keep up with everything from wherever they are. 

The maintenance software also makes it possible to keep all tasks necessary for asset management in a single place, which is much more efficient than having to use different systems. You’ll find maintenance checklists, digital forms that can be signed electronically, employee schedules and team messaging software available. Better yet, companies can customize or tweak the CMMS to fit their needs by creating workflows and reporting dashboards that are specific to them. And if a problem arises, the app has customer support available so that maintenance schedules aren’t interrupted. 

Using a comprehensive platform like Coast allows facility managers to mitigate risk and prepare for equipment failures, which translates into easier, more enjoyable work days.