What is Scheduled Maintenance? Definition & Benefits

In today’s complex industrial world, where machines run constantly and systems keep things going 24/7, scheduled maintenance is vital in keeping things running smoothly and reliably. This isn’t just about sticking to a routine; it’s a smart strategy for factories, data centers, and any business that relies on equipment. By taking care of things before they break down, scheduled maintenance helps avoid expensive repairs, keeps things working efficiently, and ensures important equipment lasts longer.

What is Scheduled Maintenance?

Scheduled maintenance refers to any task that gets assigned a deadline and has a technician responsible for completing it. These tasks can be done regularly, following a set schedule, or being one-time jobs. Think of inspections, adjustments, routine servicing, and even planned equipment shutdowns as all falling under the umbrella of scheduled maintenance.

For example, replacing a conveyor belt bearing every 30 days or checking the condition of a motor every 90 days would be considered recurring scheduled maintenance. Scheduled maintenance can also involve one-time work orders. If someone identifies an issue with a piece of equipment, a time slot is scheduled to diagnose and fix the problem.

The main reasons for having scheduled maintenance are to reduce the need for emergency repairs, prevent equipment breakdowns, and keep maintenance tasks from piling up. Regularly checking things helps equipment last longer and reduces the number of repairs and replacements needed overall. Plus, by scheduling tasks in advance, you can allocate resources more effectively and keep costs under control.

Benefits of Scheduled Maintenance

On top of reducing downtime, scheduled maintenance offers several other advantages. Let’s explore some of these benefits:

1. More Efficient Use of Staff Time: When scheduled maintenance is done regularly, technicians spend less time dealing with unexpected breakdowns and more time on planned tasks, making better use of their skills.
2. Longer Lifespan for Equipment: By catching and fixing minor issues before they become major problems, scheduled maintenance helps equipment last longer, saving you money on replacements.
3. Reduces Overall Maintenance Costs: Scheduled maintenance helps prevent costly repairs down the line by addressing potential problems early on. It also allows for better budgeting as maintenance needs are anticipated.
4. Promotes a Proactive Approach: Scheduled maintenance encourages a culture of preventative care, where staff are focused on keeping things running smoothly rather than just reacting to emergencies.
5. Enhances Safety: By keeping equipment in good working order, scheduled maintenance helps minimize the risk of accidents and injuries.

What is the Difference Between Scheduled Maintenance and Planned Maintenance?

Planned maintenance and scheduled maintenance might seem like the same thing, but there are some key differences. In simpler terms, planned maintenance figures out what needs to be done and how to do it. Scheduled maintenance, on the other hand, focuses on who will do the work and when.

Planned maintenance starts by identifying a potential issue. Then, the planner figures out what materials, tools, and steps are needed to fix it. This planning involves checking the equipment, ordering any parts, writing down the exact steps to take, and deciding which jobs are most important. This responsibility typically falls on a maintenance planner. The plan for a building or machine might include scheduling the work, but sometimes that’s done separately by a maintenance scheduler.

Scheduled maintenance comes in after the work is fully planned. Here, the scheduler assigns specific people to the tasks and creates a timeframe for when the work will be done, including a start date. This doesn’t just mean one-time fixes; scheduled maintenance can also be used for regular checkups, like in a preventive maintenance program.

Even though they’re different, planned maintenance and scheduled maintenance need each other to work well. Without planning, there might not be the right tools or instructions available when the work needs to be done. And without scheduling, technicians might not know they’re assigned a job, the wrong people could be assigned, or the work could drag on without a clear end date.

When both planning and scheduling work together smoothly, maintenance personnel can complete their tasks efficiently and without any confusion.

What is Scheduled Maintenance Critical Percent?

Ideally, maintenance gets scheduled with clear deadlines, and tasks are completed on time. However, things don’t always go according to plan, and sometimes scheduled maintenance falls behind. When this happens, it can be tricky to figure out which overdue tasks are most important to tackle first.

Scheduled maintenance critical per cent, or SMCP, is a tool that helps you organize your recurring maintenance tasks. If you have several of these tasks overdue, calculating the SMCP score for each one can help you prioritize which one needs attention the most. It does this by considering how late each task is compared to its regular scheduling interval. The higher the SMCP score, the more critical it is to address that specific maintenance task first.

How to Calculate SMCP?

Need to figure out the Scheduled Maintenance Critical Percentage (SMCP) for your tasks? Here’s a simple formula to help you with that:

SMCP = (Number of days late + Number of days in the planned maintenance cycle) / Number of days in the planned maintenance cycle x 100

This calculation gives you a percentage that reflects how overdue a planned maintenance task is.

How is SMCP Used?

Letting scheduled maintenance tasks fall behind schedule can lead to higher costs and downtime for your facility. Calculating the Scheduled Maintenance Critical Percentage (SMCP) is a way to manage these risks and make better use of your resources. SMCP helps prioritize overdue tasks based on their potential impact on your organization. Tasks with a higher SMCP score have a greater chance of causing problems if they’re not addressed soon. By focusing on the most critical tasks first, you can avoid inefficiencies and lost production on the shop floor.

What Does SMCP Mean for Maintenance?

Tracking Scheduled Maintenance Critical Percent (SMCP) offers several advantages for your maintenance team.

• Improved Scheduling:

  Knowing which scheduled maintenance tasks have the biggest impact on your facilities allows for better planning. You can use your maintenance software to prioritize these tasks and allocate resources accordingly. For example, a high SMCP might mean moving the task up in the queue to avoid delays. If needed, you could even assign more technicians or resources to jobs with a high SMCP.

• Reduced Reactive Maintenance:

  Frequent preventive maintenance (PM) helps prevent breakdowns, the most common reason for reactive maintenance. When PM is skipped, the risk of sudden failure increases. SMCP helps track this risk by showing how likely equipment is to go into unexpected, reactive maintenance. This allows you to take steps to get PM back on track and avoid potential breakdowns.

• Simplified Audits:

  Overdue maintenance can lead to compliance issues and failed audits. Tracking SMCP helps keep overdue tasks on your radar, especially those related to health and safety. You can identify and address these critical tasks before they cause problems with audits. Additionally, consistently overdue tasks can be flagged, allowing you to investigate the reasons behind them.

CMMS for Scheduled Maintenance

If a wall calendar is your most advanced scheduling tool, it’s time for an upgrade. NEXGEN’s CMMS software streamlines centralizes, and automates many tasks involved in servicing and maintaining your critical business assets, making scheduling effortless. Discover how moving beyond paper and pencil can benefit your organization in our CMMS guide. – link the guide here

Interested in trying NEXGEN’s CMMS?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the role of a maintenance scheduler?

   A maintenance scheduler helps you avoid equipment failures and reactive maintenance by creating a proactive plan. It outlines all the tasks and resources needed to keep your assets running smoothly. You’ll often find maintenance schedulers in CMMS and EAM software.

2. How can I create a maintenance schedule?

   Here’s a simplified breakdown of creating a maintenance schedule:

   • Identify and prioritize your equipment maintenance.
   • Gather past work order data for each piece of equipment.
   • Use that data and manufacturer recommendations to predict future maintenance needs.
   • Develop a maintenance plan for each asset.
   • Track progress and adjust your plan as needed.
   • Gradually expand your program to cover more assets and maintenance areas.

3. How often should I schedule maintenance?

   The frequency depends on several factors, including equipment type, usage patterns, and industry standards. It can range from daily checks for critical machinery to annual servicing for less frequently used assets. Manufacturer recommendations are a valuable resource for determining ideal maintenance intervals.

4. Can you give an example of maintenance scheduling?

   Imagine you have a factory machine that’s crucial for production. A good maintenance schedule for this machine might involve:

   • Weekly inspections to check for signs of wear and tear.
   • Quarterly lubrication of specific components.
   • A semi-annual overhaul where the machine is disassembled and thoroughly inspected for potential problems.