The Basics of Predictive / Preventive Maintenance

Maintenance costs, as defined by normal plant accounting procedures, are normally a major portion of the total operating costs in most plants. Traditional maintenance costs (i.e. labor and material) in the U. S. have escalated at a tremendous rate over the past 10 years. In 1981, domestic plants spent more than $600 Billion to maintain their critical plant systems. By 1991, the costs had increased to more than $800 Billion and topped $1.2 Trillion in 2000. These evaluations indicate that between one third and one half of these maintenance dollars are wasted through ineffective maintenance management methods. American industry can no longer absorb this incredible level of inefficiency and hope to compete in the world market. Similar data for other countries is scarce, but we believe the situation is pretty much the same.