Preventive Maintenance vs Predictive Maintenance: Which Strategy Reduces Downtime & Cuts Costs?
Preventive Maintenance vs Predictive Maintenance: Which Strategy Reduces Downtime & Cuts Costs?
The Opsima article explains that preventive and predictive maintenance are both proactive strategies but differ in how maintenance is triggered and executed. Preventive maintenance is time- or usage-based, performed at fixed intervals regardless of equipment condition, making it simpler and lower-cost to implement but often leading to unnecessary work and downtime. Predictive maintenance, by contrast, is condition-based, using real-time data, sensors, and analytics to determine when maintenance is actually needed, reducing waste, downtime, and long-term costs. While predictive approaches require greater upfront investment and technical capability, they deliver higher efficiency and reliability. Ultimately, the choice depends on factors like asset criticality, data availability, and operati
