Which maintenance strategy focuses on preventing failures before they occur?

The chosen answer highlights predictive maintenance, which is a proactive strategy aimed at preventing failures before they actually occur. This approach involves continuously monitoring the condition of equipment using various diagnostic tools and sensors to collect data on performance and usage. By analyzing this data, organizations can forecast when maintenance should be performed, allowing them to address potential issues before they lead to equipment failure. This not only reduces downtime but also extends the lifespan of machinery and optimizes the effectiveness of maintenance interventions.

In contrast, reactive maintenance is focused on fixing equipment after it has failed, which does not prevent failures ahead of time. Conditional maintenance, while involving some assessment of the state of equipment, often relies on predefined conditions rather than predictive analytics. Prescriptive maintenance takes it a step further by recommending specific actions based on data analysis, but its focus is more on suggesting corrective measures rather than the pure predictive approach that aims to prevent failure. Therefore, predictive maintenance is distinct in its emphasis on forecasting and preventing issues before they can disrupt operations.