A breakdown in the middle of an order costs far more than the repair: idle operators, a missed dispatch, and sometimes a customer. Most breakdowns give warning: a bearing that runs hot, a belt that slips, oil that is dark. Preventive maintenance is the habit of looking before they fail.
01Start with a machine list
List every machine with its make, model, year, location and the person responsible. Mark the ones that stop the plant if they stop, such as a kiln, a compressor, a main press or a boiler. Those come first.
02Set the checks
| How often | Typical checks |
|---|---|
| Every shift | Oil level, unusual noise, leaks, guards in place |
| Weekly | Belts, filters, greasing points, cleaning |
| Monthly | Electrical connections, alignment, motor current |
| Yearly | Overhaul as per the maker's manual, statutory inspections |
Use the maker's manual as the base and add what your own breakdown history teaches you.
03Keep critical spares
For each critical machine, keep the parts that fail most and take longest to get: bearings, seals, belts, contactors, a spare motor for the smallest drives. Set a reorder level for them like any other stock item.
04Records that pay back
Record every breakdown with the date, machine, cause, hours lost and parts used. After three months, you will see which machines and which causes take most of the time. That list tells you where to spend.
Some equipment, such as boilers, pressure vessels, lifts and cranes, also needs statutory inspection under the Factories Act and state rules. Keep those certificates and their renewal dates with the machine's record.
In MatruOS, maintenance routines are set for the machines common in your industry, the maintenance team gets the day's checks, and breakdowns are logged with hours lost.