From Reactive to Proactive: Aligning Industrial Maintenance Insights with Best Practices
The industrial maintenance landscape is evolving rapidly, with companies worldwide facing challenges like rising downtime costs, labour shortages, and ageing equipment. The MaintainX State of Industrial Maintenance 2024 report sheds light on these industry-wide trends and offers actionable recommendations.
When we compare these findings with the results of our own MCP AMIS Assessments (based on the average results, in a range of industries) clear parallels and opportunities emerge.
This article explores these connections and outlines how companies can refine their maintenance practices for better efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
AMIS Assessment Average Results
Key Industry Trends and Their Relevance to Our Practices
1. The Shift from Reactive to Preventive Maintenance
According to the report, 59% of facilities still dedicate less than half their time to planned maintenance activities. Our assessment reflects this pattern, with work planning, maintenance effectiveness, and failure analysis all scoring in the 'reactive' range.
Key Opportunity:
Develop more robust preventive maintenance (PM) schedules by analysing historical work order data.
Leverage CMMS capabilities to automate PM schedules and track compliance more effectively.
2. Cost Pressures and Inventory Management
Nearly 30% of surveyed facilities reported an increase in the financial impact of unplanned downtime, with an average cost of £20,000 per hour. Our 'ineffective' rating in cost management and spare parts management suggests a need for improvement here.
Key Opportunity:
Digitise inventory management processes, following the example of Navistar, which reduced costs by tracking parts more effectively.
Build stronger relationships with suppliers and set optimal reorder points to avoid expensive last-minute orders.
3. Workforce Training and Development
The report identifies the skilled labour shortage as the primary challenge for 60% of facilities, with many experienced technicians nearing retirement. Our 'control' score in technical training reflects a solid foundation but also room for growth.
Key Opportunity:
Expand training programmes to include apprenticeships and mentorships.
Develop tailored training programmes for technicians, operators, and engineers, alongside specialised training for planners, schedulers, maintenance and spares managers.
4. Harnessing Data for Smarter Maintenance
Facilities that integrate data into their maintenance decision-making processes achieve better outcomes. Our 'control' rating in CMMS & Information suggests companies are on the right path but haven’t fully unlocked the potential of their data.
Key Opportunity:
Conduct regular audits to improve data accuracy and reliability.
Invest in predictive maintenance technologies that analyse equipment performance in real time.
A Roadmap for Improvement
To bridge the gaps between the current state and industry best practices, we can follow a phased approach:
1. Strengthen Preventive Maintenance: Shift from reactive to preventive practices by increasing the percentage of scheduled work orders.
2. Optimise Spare Parts Management: Adopt digital tools and predictive inventory strategies.
3. Invest in Workforce Training: Develop structured learning programmes and document institutional knowledge.
4. Enhance Data Utilisation: Use CMMS insights to drive continuous improvement.
How MCP Can Help
The State of Industrial Maintenance 2024 report not only reflects industry-wide challenges but also validates many of our own findings. By addressing these areas - maintenance planning, cost management, workforce training, and data utilisation - we can elevate maintenance practices from 'control' and 'reactive' to 'best practice' and beyond. The journey from reactive to proactive maintenance is a strategic one, and with the right steps, we can help you to ensure long-term operational excellence and reliability.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can support your maintenance improvement journey.