Predictive and preventive maintenance is the foundation of modern maintenance – that’s a fact

Modern industrial organizations are facing an increasing problem of obsolescence – the technical aging of machines, components, and control systems. This is why the importance of preventive maintenance and approaches that integrate reliability with long-term asset management is growing. Before we start implementing formal Obsolescence Management processes, daily preventive measures provide the first, most valuable data about the actual condition of the equipment.

Regular inspections, measurements, and observations by technicians are not just “routine tasks” – they are a source of degradation trends, wear symptoms, abnormal vibrations, overheating, or process deviations. These data can help detect technical risks early and prepare the appropriate action strategy.

How Obsolescence Management connects with Preventive Maintenance

Organizations that analyze the risk of aging their machinery can manage it and, as a result, significantly reduce it. In simplified terms, in the Obsolescence Management process, we make decisions at the system, machine, component level regarding the further course of action. This decision affects, among other things, the approach to preventive maintenance.

In practice, the key scenarios are:

1. Maintaining in operation -> Optimizing preventive plans

Knowing that the machine remains in operation without significant interventions in its mechanical elements and control exposes us to risks that need to be identified, assessed, and addressed. This usually means that optimizing preventive plans is necessary – eliminating unnecessary actions, strengthening control of key components, adjusting inspection frequencies to the actual degradation profile. Prevention must reduce specific risks significant for its future operation, and not just “meet the requirement of the technical documentation”. In this scenario, other important elements of the strategy also include ensuring inventory levels (e.g., regenerated PLC controllers, regenerated inverters) and providing a knowledge base on both operational and technical maintenance – if you want to know more, contact us.

2. Modernization -> Update the preventive plan

Every modernization changes the failure modes. If the maintenance plan is not updated, the existing plan operates “blindly.” New components may have different lubrication, diagnostics, temperature control, or vibration requirements. The old preventive plan (which may have been unchanged for years generated from CMMS) becomes meaningless – and the risk of failure increases.

3. Planning replacement -> Limit the preventive plan

When planning to replace a technical object, we may consider limiting the preventive plan to reduce incurred costs. The key word here is "CONSIDER", as the priority becomes maintaining operational safety and meeting legal requirements. In such a situation, much depends on the risks associated with reducing planned maintenance. In this approach, we aim to reduce the costs of actions that will not bring returns before the equipment is replaced.

Predictive maintenance and CMMS – catalysts for better decisions

Increasingly, predictive maintenance plays a significant role – data analytics, periodic diagnostics, and online diagnostics based on real-time measurements. Combining data from scheduled inspections and predictive diagnostics (off- and online diagnostics) creates a fuller picture.

However, for these data to work for the organization, they must be fed into the right tool – CMMS/EAM system (Computerized Maintenance Management System, Enterprise Asset Management). In CMMS, the following should be maintained:

• event history,

• preventive plans,

• consumption of spare parts,

• asset passporting/detailed data on components/spare parts (BOM - Bill of Materials),

• and many others...

Without an up-to-date CMMS, it is difficult to talk about conscious management of machine aging.

Maintenance team competencies – a critical factor

Aging machines require knowledge that fades over time if not accumulated. Therefore, maintenance teams should have access to knowledge about maintaining aging assets in the areas of:

• safe operation of the equipment (e.g., LOTO procedures),

• repairs and maintenance,

• mechanical and electrical diagnostics,

• assessing degradation symptoms,

• recognizing typical failure modes for the end of the life cycle of individual components.

Without these skills, even the best preventive plan will not translate into real risk reduction.

Conclusions – prevention is one of the key elements of wise obsolescence management

Effective preventive maintenance, supported by data from predictive maintenance and a well-configured CMMS system, becomes a tool integrating technical knowledge, operational risk, and good maintenance practices for aging assets as well. Often, it is in prevention that real obsolescence management begins – long before formal processes and documents appear.

A conscious approach to preventive plans for aging machines allows the organization to:

• extend the life cycle of machines,

• better plan upgrades,

• make more accurate replacement decisions,

• control technical and production risks,

• reduce costs of failures and downtimes.

Do you want to optimize your preventive plans or implement Obsolescence Management?

➡️ Contact us at: europe@operivo.com

Operivo Sp. z o.o.

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00-867 Warsaw

+48 533 373 200

europe@operivo.com

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