Repairs and Maintenance: Know the Difference

Your maintenance department handles a lot of responsibilities. From inventory management and routine inspections to preventive maintenance (PM) and emergency repairs, your maintenance team ensures operational safety, efficiency, and continuity. 

Maintenance departments are responsible for ensuring the effectiveness, functionality, and longevity of an organization’s physical assets, including equipment, machinery, vehicles, building systems, facilities, and infrastructure. This means an effective maintenance department will handle both the maintenance and repair of physical assets. While these concepts are closely related, there are a few important distinctions between maintenance and repair. 

Maintenance and repairs: what’s the difference?

Maintenance and repair are the central functions of your maintenance operation. On the surface, they may sound like the same thing. And indeed, maintenance and repair are of equal importance to your operation. However, maintenance and repair are two distinct aspects of asset management. 

In the simplest terms, maintenance refers to the proactive upkeep of physical assets whereas repair refers to the reactive servicing of assets when they malfunction or fail. 

Let’s take a closer look below at some of the key features of maintenance and repairs respectively. 

“Maintenance” refers to the activities used to prevent equipment failure and prolong the life of your critical assets. Maintenance is usually proactive and may include tasks such as:

• Routine Inspections
• Scheduled parts replacement
• Usage-based calibration and lubrication
• Seasonal cleaning
• System testing

“Repairs” refers to the activities that are initiated when equipment has already malfunctioned or failed. Repairs are usually reactive and may include tasks such as:

• Diagnosing underperforming machinery
• Fixing malfunctioning equipment
• Replacing faulty components
• Conducting emergency repairs
• Minimizing downtime when equipment fails

An effective maintenance team will be fully trained in both aspects of asset management. Below, we’ll take a closer look at these functions and the role each serves in your broader asset management strategy. 

What are repairs? 

Let’s take a deeper look at repairs and everything they entail.

Definition of repairs

Repairs are the actions undertaken to restore an asset to proper working condition. Repairs are reactive, in that they are initiated only after an asset has entered a failure mode. 

Failure Modes

Before we discuss the types of actions undertaken during repairs, it’s important to quickly define the two primary types of equipment failure modes:

• Partial failure indicates that an asset may be malfunctioning, underperforming, or operating below proper safety standards, but that it can generally still be used. In many cases, your maintenance team may be able to plan and perform corrective repairs to prevent complete failure. 
• Complete failure indicates that an asset is no longer in operating condition and cannot be used until major repairs take place. Your maintenance team must intervene promptly to restore assets to full working order, to minimize downtime and maintenance costs while reducing the likelihood of additional depreciation. 

Generally speaking, the actions and repairs required in the case of complete failure will be more costly, time-consuming, and disruptive than the actions undertaken to address partial failure. 

Types of Repairs

Repairs can be broken down into a few basic categories. The types of repairs applied will often depend on the failure mode of the asset, as well as factors like cost, resource availability, and criticality. Below, we take a closer look at the most common types of repairs:

• Corrective Repairs are performed after equipment has malfunctioned or failed and include tasks such as diagnostic assessment, testing, realignment, and replacement of broken components. 
• Emergency Repairs are urgent repairs that are performed to address unexpected breakdowns, emergency safety hazards, or halts in production, and include such tasks as rapid response, restoration of functionality, and replacement of critical components
• Deferred Repairs are non-urgent repairs that can be planned and scheduled to reduce the disruption of operations and may include tasks such as cosmetic repairs, component upgrades, and fixes for minor defects. 

What is maintenance? 

While repairs are reactive, maintenance is proactive. This means that the types of tasks categorized as maintenance are generally preventive. 

Definition of maintenance

Maintenance is an umbrella term that covers all the activities used to service equipment, prevent equipment failure, and prolong the life of your physical assets. Tasks may include inspection, upkeep, and repairs. Indeed, while repairs and maintenance are two distinct concepts, repair activities are also frequently planned or triggered as part of routine maintenance. 

Types of maintenance strategies

Maintenance activities can be divided into several distinct strategies. Most maintenance departments will apply some combination of the following strategies:

• Preventive maintenance involves regular, scheduled maintenance activities designed to prevent equipment failures. Tasks are typically performed based on predetermined time intervals (i.e. weekly, seasonally, annually, etc.) or usage metrics (i.e. units produced, miles driven, etc.). Tasks may include equipment inspections, lubrication, calibration, cleaning, and replacement of worn components. 
• Predictive maintenance deploys sophisticated condition-monitoring tools, machine learning, and advanced data analytics to predict and prevent probable equipment failure. Predictive maintenance tasks may include vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and oil analysis, for diagnosing the condition and functionality of physical assets.
• Condition-based maintenance, like predictive maintenance, uses real-time monitoring and sensors to track equipment performance. In the case of condition-based maintenance, however, action is only triggered when monitoring reveals signs of deterioration. Condition-based maintenance tasks may include monitoring temperature, pressure, and other performance indicators for signs of abnormal performance.
• Planned maintenance involves scheduled preventive maintenance activities based specifically on time intervals, rather than equipment condition. Tasks may include scheduled inspections, system upgrades, and even major system overhauls. 
• Corrective maintenance is technically a repair mode, but corrective actions for deferred maintenance issues may also be scheduled as part of a planned maintenance strategy. Tasks may include repairing cosmetic issues, tightening loose bolts, and adjusting misaligned components.

Who is responsible for repair and maintenance work? 

Your maintenance department will typically be a diverse team of professionals with a broad cross-section of specialized skills, experience, and expertise. Maintenance technicians must bring a strong combination of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and technical understanding to the job. 

Below, we take a closer look at the types of professionals who will typically make up effective maintenance and facilities management (FM) teams.

• Maintenance technicians conduct routine inspections, perform regularly scheduled maintenance tasks, troubleshoot equipment issues, and conduct minor repairs.
• Maintenance engineers design, plan, and oversee maintenance programs and may perform tasks such as analyzing equipment performance and developing standard operating procedures for both repairs and routine maintenance.
• Facilities managers are responsible for ensuring buildings, infrastructure, and the equipment within are well-maintained and fully operational, and may perform tasks such as coordinating maintenance activities, managing budgets, and overseeing regulatory compliance regimes.
• Electricians manage electrical systems within facilities and are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical wiring, fixtures, components, and equipment.
• Plumbers maintain and repair plumbing systems, including pipes, fixtures, and water supply systems, and may perform tasks such as fixing leaks, installing new fixtures, and testing water heaters.
• HVAC technicians focus on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. and may perform tasks such as seasonal cleanings, filter replacements, and systems diagnostics.

Maintenance and repair expenses

For asset-intensive businesses, repair and maintenance expenses can be significant. In fact, for organizations in the manufacturing, production, transportation, and industrial sectors, Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) may take up a significant portion of the operating budget. 

However, the maintenance strategy you choose can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Below, we take a closer look at some of the costs associated with both preventive maintenance and repair programs:

Costs associated with managing a preventive maintenance program

• Labor costs for scheduled inspections and routine maintenance tasks, as well as the training required to qualify maintenance technicians for these responsibilities. 
• Maintenance supplies including available inventory of replacement parts, lubricants, tools, and raw materials. 
• Advanced equipment, including the sometimes costly sensors and diagnostic tools used for condition monitoring and performance monitoring
• Planned downtime during scheduled maintenance activities, and the potential loss of revenue during resulting production halts.  
• Administrative costs for the creation and management of a detailed maintenance schedule, as well as implementation of the software and systems used to plan and track maintenance activities.

Costs associated with managing a repair program

• Unplanned downtime, with unexpected equipment failure leading to production halts, revenue loss, and additional costs for expedited shipping of parts or materials
• Overtime labor costs due to emergency repair work as well as the potential need to hire temporary workers or third-party contractors to help manage emergency repairs 
• Higher repair costs, with the greater severity of equipment breakdowns requiring more intensive servicing, and potentially even premature replacement of equipment
• Loss of efficiency, with increased wear and tear reducing the reliability, productivity, and longevity of your critical assets
• Heightened safety risks, including accidents and injuries that may be caused by unexpected equipment failure and the potential legal and regulatory costs associated with non-compliance

Benefits of proactive maintenance and repairs

Repairs and maintenance are both critical components of an effective asset management program. However, as the section above illustrates, investing upfront in proactive maintenance strategies can help your business save dramatically in long-term operational costs. 

Below, we take a closer look at the benefits of a proactive maintenance strategy:

• Reduced downtime, with proactive maintenance helping to identify and address potential issues before they result in equipment failure
• Extended equipment lifespan, with routine maintenance tasks such as lubrication, cleaning, and parts replacement helping to lengthen the useful life of your physical assets
• Improved efficiency, with well-maintained equipment operating more effectively consuming less energy, and producing higher-quality output 
• Cost savings, with preventive maintenance reducing the frequency of equipment failures, the need for costly emergency repairs, and the lost revenue that comes with unplanned downtime.
• Enhanced safety and compliance, with regular inspections and maintenance activities ensuring that equipment and facilities are operating safely and in adherence with federal, state, and local regulations as well as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. 

Repairs and maintenance best practices

It’s important to build a maintenance team with the skills and training to handle both maintenance and repairs. However, the benefits outlined in the section above highlight the practical, strategic, and financial benefits of tilting the balance toward preventive maintenance. 

Below, we outline some best practices for transitioning to a more preventive maintenance program:

• Conduct routine inspections using standardized operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, and manufacturer guidelines for reference.
• Train and staff on the most current techniques, technologies, diagnostic tools, software systems, and safety protocols.
• Invest in predictive maintenance tools, such as vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and oil analysis, for real-time condition monitoring and failure intervention.
• Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of your maintenance program, such as equipment uptime, mean time between failures (MTBF), and mean time to repair (MTTR).
• Optimize inventory management to ensure timely availability of tools, materials and spare parts for maintenance and repair tasks.
• Pursue continuous improvement by conducting regular reviews, encouraging user feedback, and identifying areas for improvement.
• Implement a CMMS software to manage these activities on a single dashboard while also tracking maintenance activities, scheduling tasks, managing work orders, documenting work history, and communicating with team members across multiple departments.

In fact, the right CMMS can simplify and streamline the process of both transitioning toward a more preventive maintenance strategy and managing this program in the long term. To learn more, reach out today and find out how Limble’s CMMS can enhance your maintenance program and transform your bottom line.

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The Essential Guide to CMMS