The 6 Most Important Objectives of Maintenance Management

Posted by Lou Peeples

in Maintenance Management / CMMS

Updated March 29th, 2024

Table of Contents

• 1. Control Facility and Operational Costs
• 2. Reduce Equipment Failures and Downtime
• 3. Extend the Useful Life of Equipment and Machinery
• 4. Ensure Equipment is Ready and Available
• 5. Conform to Safety and Regulatory Requirements
• 6. Maximize Facility Performance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Maintenance management involves prioritizing maintenance work as a means for improving site performance. This requires a detailed inventory and assessment of a company’s assets to create specific plans that can improve asset lifetime and efficiency.

Many businesses face significant challenges in developing their maintenance objectives due to the potential complexity of their operations and lack of the right tools.

To achieve their maintenance goals, many companies are adopting sophisticated software platforms such as Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems. These software programs allow the company to create a detailed history for each asset and ensure accurate documentation of all maintenance activities, repairs, replacements, and other data when integrated with an asset tagging system.

Asset tags and barcode labels such as maintenance management asset tags, industrial use barcode labels, equipment tags, and inventory tags enable facilities managers to track every asset and gain better visibility into their operation and maintenance processes.

In this post, we’ll explore the topic of maintenance management in detail and review six of the most important objectives these programs work to achieve. Many of these objectives are fundamental to running a successful facility operation and can be used to define your own program or maintenance objectives.

With proper planning, it’s possible to create a reliable work environment that adds significant value and profitability to the company.

1. Control Facility and Operational Costs

One of the most obvious objectives of maintenance management is controlling the costs of operating a facility. This can be done by combining multiple styles of maintenance, such as predictive and preventive maintenance, to optimize the efficiency of each asset.

Preventive maintenance is an especially important effort in controlling costs given that it reduces unexpected breakdowns and costly emergency repairs.

According to Statista, “It is projected that the revenue of repair and maintenance in the U.S. will amount to approximately 191.4 billion U.S. Dollars by 2024.” (source) This statistic highlights the growing importance and investment in maintenance management and cost control.

Costs can also be reduced by optimizing spare parts inventories and maintaining accurate budget forecasts. It’s also important to estimate future maintenance expenditures and develop proactive plans to care for equipment.

Facility decisions should be based on a review of local data and insights learned over time. Any efforts to improve operations can ultimately have an impact on controlling costs and should be prioritized when possible.

2. Reduce Equipment Failures and Downtime

With proper maintenance, common equipment issues can be prevented by taking proactive steps to monitor component wear and regularly replace consumable parts. Maintenance management can reduce equipment failures and unplanned downtime while ensuring that equipment utilization is maximized.

Work stoppages can be extremely disruptive to productivity and should be avoided at all costs.

3. Extend the Useful Life of Equipment and Machinery

A company depends on its assets, and any performance issues could have a significant impact on warehouse, factory, or office operations. Regular maintenance helps to minimize the effects of wear and tear on frequently used components.

Preventive steps can also be taken to perform calibrations and make adjustments that keep equipment performing in optimal working order. The use of maintenance management procedures can have a dramatic effect in complex environments where several pieces of machinery are working together to support business processes.

A failure at any point in the system can bring the entire workflow to a halt.

4. Ensure Equipment is Ready and Available

Another important objective of maintenance management is ensuring that all equipment on site is available and ready for use. Certain hardware, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety gear, is often used only when there is a specific situation that requires action. It’s important for companies to develop strong training protocols to keep employees informed while preparing the proper maintenance checks and inspections to review equipment performance and ensure the availability of inventory and assets.

5. Conform to Safety and Regulatory Requirements

Most businesses operating today must conform to some level of local, state, or federal regulatory guidelines. In some industries, such as aerospace and defense, the requirements can be extensive and require a high degree of diligence to remain in compliance. Maintenance planning can include the use of regular inspections, audit preparations, documentation, and asset inventories. These preparations ultimately help reduce the likelihood of accidents and situations that may jeopardize a company’s compliance standing.

6. Maximize Facility Performance

Most companies today track a series of metrics, or key performance indicators (KPIs), to ensure that everything is running according to the plan. If maintenance management is performed correctly, it should have a positive impact on many of these measurements including equipment utilization and inventory accuracy. Facility managers responsible for multiple locations must also take care to align local maintenance priorities with the objectives of each site.

Maintenance management can have a dramatic impact on a facility. Equipment must be reliable and always kept in good working order to meet operations and production goals. Ultimately, the objectives of maintenance management are to help each facility achieve its highest level of performance.

Frequently Asked Questions