Benefits of Effective Maintenance Planning and Scheduling
Every business needs maintenance procedures to ensure that its equipment and machinery remain functional, efficient, and safe. Most businesses use a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to maximize the efficiency and reliability of their maintenance procedures.
If you are looking to streamline your maintenance procedures, then don’t worry. In this blog, we will first discuss what maintenance planning and scheduling are. Then, we will look at the many benefits of effective maintenance planning and scheduling that can help your business run smoothly.
What Is Maintenance Planning and Scheduling?
Most businesses assume maintenance planning and scheduling are the same concepts. While the two concepts are related, there is a difference between maintenance planning and scheduling. Maintenance planning is concerned with the What and How of maintenance. It is the process of planning how to best allocate resources and equipment to implement a maintenance strategy.
Maintenance scheduling, on the other hand, is concerned with the When of maintenance. It involves creating a timeline for carrying out all the necessary tasks associated with maintenance. Even though there are differences, maintenance planning and scheduling go hand in hand in an effective maintenance strategy.
What Do Effective Scheduling and Planning for Successful Maintenance Mean?
Effective maintenance scheduling and planning involves creating a plan for responding to unexpected breakdowns and events. As mentioned earlier, most businesses use a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to plan and schedule plant and industrial maintenance. Due to this hype, the CMMS market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% between 2023 and 2033.
It also includes creating a schedule for maintenance tasks based on the equipment’s specific needs and the environment in which it operates. For example, scheduling for plant maintenance can include regular inspections, lubrication, and other activities that should be done at specific intervals.
Benefits of Effective Maintenance Scheduling and Planning
By following a well-thought-out maintenance schedule and plan, businesses can ensure that their equipment runs efficiently and safely. There are several benefits that this maintenance approach offers. Here are some of them:
Reduces Maintenance Costs
Planning and scheduling maintenance effectively can help you reduce your overall maintenance costs. This can be done by making it easier to identify equipment that requires preventive maintenance and scheduling it accordingly. This reduces the risk of unplanned downtime and increases efficiency in planning and scheduling tasks. This, in turn, reduces the risk of equipment failure due to a lack of attention or poor execution.
An accurate picture of your current equipment condition allows you to make better decisions about future actions, such as investing in new equipment or upgrading existing machines. Hence, they are more efficient at performing specific tasks.
Helps With Automation
Effective maintenance planning and scheduling can also make automation easier. Automation is when machines or processes are automated to do tasks with minimal human involvement. This can help businesses save time and money by reducing their labor costs.
For instance, a maintenance program can help you automate the process of generating work orders, scheduling tasks, and tracking progress. This allows your business to respond quickly to any maintenance issues and ensure that work is completed on time.
Increases Equipment Lifetime
A well-maintained machine will last longer. A CMMS can help you plan maintenance to prevent failures and increase equipment lifetime. The maintenance tasks are carried out according to an established schedule, and the software can be used to track and monitor equipment performance.
Such preventive maintenance helps keep your equipment running smoothly by addressing issues before they cause problems with productivity or safety. This approach also helps reduce downtime costs associated with repairs or replacement parts.
Prevents Down Time
The benefits of effective maintenance scheduling and planning include the following:
- It reduces the number of breakdowns. Effective maintenance planning and scheduling reduce the chances of unplanned maintenance. This reduces the amount of downtime associated with repairs or replacements, which can be costly to the organization.
- It reduces the time required for repairs. With an effectively planned and scheduled maintenance program, you can decrease the amount of time needed for repairs. The technicians are more efficient in executing tasks. It also takes less time to diagnose and fix problems as they can be identified and addressed even before they occur.
- It lowers costs associated with repairs and maintenance activities. It eliminates unnecessary work orders or parts purchases that aren’t needed now. You won’t need to repair your equipment if they are properly maintained.
All of these contribute to reduced downtime. According to a recent report, around 48% of manufacturers believe there is a chance to prevent downtime problems with adequate maintenance of equipment proactively.
Effective maintenance scheduling and planning allow a manufacturing plant to determine equipment problems early on and take necessary measures to prevent them. Hence, this can help avoid downtime and save a lot of money. A Forbes article mentions that an automotive manufacturer can lose around $22,000 a minute. Maintenance scheduling and planning can help save all the money lost due to unplanned downtimes.
Increases Productivity
A well-planned and scheduled maintenance program can increase productivity by reducing equipment downtime. This is especially important, considering that many equipment failures are due to neglect or poor maintenance practices.
When you effectively plan your maintenance schedule, you’ll be able to identify areas where manual work is necessary and eliminate it as much as possible. Planning out your tasks can streamline the process and ensure they’re done correctly every time.
Improves Safety and Security
A well-planned maintenance schedule can help you avoid the risks associated with equipment failure and environmental damage.
- Lowers the risk of injuries: A well-maintained facility is safe. This means fewer people get hurt in an accident due to poorly-maintained equipment.
- Lessen the risk of equipment failure: When you regularly inspect your equipment and perform repairs as needed, it will last longer than if you do not maintain it. If an item breaks down unexpectedly due to a lack of maintenance, there is no way to predict when it will break again. This can have severe consequences for your business!
- Reduces environmental damage: Unchecked dirt or grime buildup can cause problems like corrosion on metal surfaces or mold growth inside pipes. These issues could lead to more expensive repairs if left unattended for too long. Regular cleaning also helps reduce energy usage. This is because removing debris means less heat needs cooling off through fans. This saves money over time too!
Conclusion
Effective maintenance scheduling and planning have many benefits. But businesses may take time to see them at first. You may not have the time or resources to put in place a system like this in your organization. But, after reading this post, you’ve realized how beneficial it could be for your business.
