Winblast Srl
Via Roma, 181
I - 26020 SPINADESCO (CR)
Phone +39 0372 173 0267 - E Mail : info@winblast.it
© 2023 Winblast Srl - All rights reserved - VAT number 01730190194
Breakdown maintenance
Corrective maintenance, also known as breakdown maintenance or in English run-to-failure, is a type of reactive maintenance. It is also the simplest and most outdated mode of asset management, which consists of intervening on a plant or machine only after a failure has occurred.
To give a more precise definition of what is meant by breakdown maintenance, we can therefore say that it represents the set of maintenance actions that do not contribute to increasing the value, productivity, or performance of a system, but rather aim at simply restoring the status quo prior to the occurrence of a failure or breakdown.
This type of maintenance is especially effective on non-critical systems that are easy and inexpensive to repair, that is, when it is more convenient to wait for a failure before intervening, since the reduction in machine downtime, plant availability times, and production efficiency that can be achieved with other maintenance methods do not bring benefits sufficient to justify the higher cost of adopting a more sophisticated strategy such as a preventive maintenance plan.
It is therefore a matter of identifying the component on which a failure has occurred and replacing or repairing it in order to restore the correct functioning of the machine or plant.
This type of maintenance is generally used when:
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the component has low replacement costs
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the failure does not compromise safety or production
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the replacement can be carried out quickly
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plant downtime does not generate significant losses
In these cases, intervening only at the time of failure can be the most economical and rational solution.
Advantages of breakdown maintenance
Breakdown maintenance presents some operational advantages:
absence of scheduled maintenance interventions
reduction of preventive maintenance activities
simplicity in managing operations
full use of components until the end of their useful life
However, this approach also involves the risk of sudden plant shutdowns, which is why it must be applied with caution and only when the failure does not generate significant consequences.
Disadvantages of breakdown maintenance
The most questionable aspects associated with breakdown maintenance are certainly numerous:
Greater exposure of the machinery or plant to sudden and unexpected machine stoppages
A serious failure of a component can have negative consequences on other elements of the system, eventually compromising its functionality. This easily leads to a significant increase in costs. Furthermore, it is worth noting that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to notice a failure in an internal component of a plant unless it is frequently inspected. This increases the risk of further damage extending to other components of the same machinery, with consequences that can be catastrophic.
Sudden repairs that have not been scheduled often result in longer times to restore the machinery, further hindering production.
The allocation of personnel is an important aspect to consider. Sudden failures can catch us unprepared, causing further delays and inefficiency in the allocation of our resources.
Since these are unexpected failures, the spare parts warehouse will necessarily have to be oversized compared to actual needs, in order to guarantee the immediacy of the breakdown intervention.
Corrective software maintenance
Just as with preventive maintenance, a CMMS software can also be of great help in managing corrective maintenance operations and assets that are not considered important enough to require preventive interventions.
The ways and functions through which a CMMS software assists us are many. Starting with the management of intervention requests and work orders, which help to speed up interventions that usually need to be carried out as quickly as possible to avoid losses and inefficiencies.
In addition, a maintenance management software essentially creates a digital copy of our assets, automating the entry of data related to them. This, combined with their processing and the creation of an always up-to-date history, becomes indispensable when deciding to adopt a hybrid between preventive and corrective maintenance policies. The analysis of this data, offered through complete and customized reports, enables us to make informed and more conscious decisions when developing or reviewing a strategy, helping us find the right trade-off between the two.
Winblast Srl
Via Roma, 181
I - 26020 SPINADESCO (CR)
Phone +39 0372 173 0267 - E Mail : info@winblast.it
© 2023 Winblast Srl - All rights reserved - VAT number 01730190194