Maximising Uptime: Understanding Reactive, Preventive, Predictive and Proactive Maintenance
For many Texaco customers, equipment reliability is not just an ideal but a vital part of their day-to-day operations. Whether you are running on-highway transport, railway, inland marine, power generation services or other industrial applications, your business relies on equipment that is running consistently, as planned.
Reactive maintenance is still the norm for some, where maintenance is only performed when a breakdown or loss of power necessitates intervention. However, many businesses have understood that reactive maintenance is extremely inefficient and have embraced the benefits of a more preventive model. By ensuring that maintenance and service schedules are diarised regularly, far in advance of any unexpected issues, concerns over unplanned downtime and lost income can be minimised.
But can the preventive model be improved upon? Preventive maintenance can also have its drawbacks, although planned shutdowns remain the anchor of maintenance strategy for larger plants. Planning maintenance based on generic timescales or usage figures could lead to early intervention in operations, replacing parts, lubricants, or the equipment itself before it has reached full efficiency or the end of its useful life.
Predictive maintenance encourages companies to collate data from different sources to fully understand the condition of specific equipment in real time. Moving to a predictive maintenance model means decisions can be based on current facts about your systems, potentially leading to improvements in equipment performance, less unscheduled downtime and allowing operators to review performance data in conjunction with other business factors such as demand forecasts or production schedules. Larger plants use predictive (and proactive) maintenance so that emerging faults are detected and corrected without disrupting the turnaround calendar.
Proactive maintenance builds upon predictive maintenance by not only using condition-based monitoring to anticipate issues but also aiming to eliminate the causes of those issues before any potential failures. This approach leverages advanced technologies, such as IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and Industry 4.0, to gather and analyse data in real time.
In today’s competitive industrial landscape, maximising equipment uptime and minimising unexpected failures are top priorities. Platforms such as Texaco LubeWatch®, the oil analysis programme from Texaco Lubricants, can play a vital role in supporting a proactive maintenance strategy.
LubeWatch helps you monitor the condition of your lubricants and machinery over time, offering valuable insights that go beyond routine maintenance. By analysing oil samples, you can:
- Optimise oil change intervals
- Identify specific lubricant needs
- Detect early signs of wear, contamination, or mechanical issues.
Integrating Oil Analysis into Your Maintenance System
To unlock the full potential of proactive maintenance, it is essential to integrate oil analysis data into your existing systems. That’s where DataConnect comes in.
DataConnect enables seamless integration of LubeWatch results into your Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform. This integration provides a centralized view of your equipment’s health, making it easier to plan maintenance, track trends, and make informed decisions.
Guus Volkstedt, Field Technical Manager – Europe at Texaco Lubricants, explains, “Tight operating margins and intense competition mean that operational efficiency is more important than ever. At Texaco Lubricants, we’re committed to delivering advanced lubrication solutions, expert technical support, and data-driven maintenance strategies that help our customers improve equipment reliability and overall business performance.
While scheduled turnarounds remain a cornerstone of preventive maintenance for larger industrial operations, many leading companies may now complement these with predictive monitoring and proactive interventions. Predictive maintenance, powered by real-time condition monitoring, IIoT, and Industry 4.0 technologies, enables operators to detect emerging issues and optimise maintenance timing. Proactive actions, such as root-cause elimination and contamination control, help ensure equipment remains reliable and can reach planned shutdowns without interruption. By combining oil analysis with integrated asset management tools, businesses can help to reduce unplanned downtime, extend equipment life, lower maintenance costs, and boost productivity.”
