Gold: Fix It Before It Breaks: The Power of Preventive Maintenance in Manufacturing (Ep. 40 revisited)

Factory equipment rarely fails without warning. More often, it begins to wear, drift, or produce inconsistent results before eventually breaking down.

When maintenance is only carried out after a failure, the consequences can go far beyond the repair itself. Production may stop, defective parts may already have been made, workers may be left waiting, and customer deliveries may be delayed.

In this CMD Gold episode, we revisit a practical discussion about preventive maintenance and why planned inspections, cleaning, servicing, and component replacement usually cost far less than emergency repairs. We also look at how preventive maintenance supports factory capacity, product quality, process control, 5S, and the successful use of automation.

Listen here

Listen to the episode or watch on YouTube

Podcast sections

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 01:10 – The reactive maintenance cycle
• 03:06 – What preventive maintenance means
• 04:29 – Is preventive maintenance expensive?
• 07:42 – Daily, weekly, and usage-based maintenance
• 11:52 – Why factories resist planned maintenance
• 13:05 – Maintenance skills and automation
• 15:32 – Capacity, inventory, and delivery benefits
• 18:17 – Quality, 5S, and process control
• 20:12 – Planned maintenance versus emergency repairs
• 20:43 – Conclusion

Further content

• • Preventive Maintenance Plan Template
  • Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It? + Implementation Best Practices [Podcast]
  • Two Preventive Maintenance Examples: Go for More Structure
  • Are Preventive Maintenance and Process Control the Same Thing?
  • Manufacturing Cycle Time (Part 1): Machining Optimization
  • Why Inconsistent Component Variation Is Bad for Assembly & Product Quality
  • 10 Key Factors That Affect Supplier Production Capacity
  • 3 Key Process Improvement Tools You Need To Start Using: Flow Chart, FMEA, Control Plan

 Listen, rate, & subscribe to the ‘China Manufacturing Decoded’ podcast on your favorite provider

More episodes are on the way, so remember to rate us and subscribe! You can find us on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• TuneIn
• Amazon Podcasts
• Deezer
• iHeartRADIO
• PlayerFM
• Listen Notes
• Podcast Addict
• Podchaser
• The podcast’s website at China Manufacturing Decoded