Predictive maintenance is best described as?

Predictive maintenance focuses on the importance of monitoring the actual condition of equipment during its normal operating conditions to anticipate potential failures before they occur. By taking measurements such as vibration, temperature, and other operational parameters, maintenance personnel can determine the health of the equipment. This proactive approach allows organizations to schedule maintenance activities based on the real-time condition of the equipment rather than relying solely on fixed schedules or the previous experience of failure points.

In this approach, the goal is to minimize unplanned downtime and extend the life of machinery by performing maintenance only when necessary, based on accurate, relevant data. This strategy not only enhances efficiency but also reduces costs associated with unnecessary repairs and equipment downtime.

Other options do not align as closely with the principles of predictive maintenance. Regular cleaning is generally a routine part of maintenance without direct predictive insights; replacing parts, while beneficial, does not incorporate real-time data to predict failures; and performing repairs only when failures occur leads to reactive maintenance, which is contrary to the predictive maintenance philosophy focused on gathering data to preemptively address issues.