“Stop the maintenance” is still maintenance

What is maintenance? Preventive, corrective, or predictive actions taken in order to preserve or return a system to an active working state or idle state available for work. We perform these actions according to various standards, manufacturer manuals, legal requirements or history of system’s behavior.

What is the cost? What time do we need? Under which conditions? Is that really covering all of the maintenance options?

We must remember that there is also one more option in maintenance. This option is still maintenance, because it is a responsibility in maintenance management process. This option is : “Stop the maintenance! “.

So, when we decide to call it a quit? We should stop the maintenance when a system under our care must be replaced, renewed or permanently put offline. Maintenance staff check and approve this decision before anyone else.

Total cost of ownership is an analysis of system’s lifecycle, which comprehends data on all the cost needed to keep the system running. When cost for maintenance goes above the cost of buying a new one, or completely refurbishing a system, stop the maintenance!

Number of failures gives us an answer that a system is unpredictable. As a result, we have a lot of missed working hours that could be making a loss in work supported by the system, or we are in need of a backup system that costs. In those cases, stop the maintenance.

Bad condition of a system may result in negative experience by users, unacceptable reputation of the owner, or even bad organoleptic experience. These symptoms are sometimes crucial, so stop the maintenance.

Lack of spare parts on the market can make a nightmare of maintaining the system. Looking for spare parts at scrapyards, finding manufacturers in order to produce aftermarket product of high value and long time for waiting them are signs for bad practice, so stop the maintenance.

New technology in a lot of cases gives us updates and innovations that result in better energy efficiency, easier maintenance, or other way of cost saving. Do not hesitate – stop the maintenance.

We must plan and arrange the moment for stopping the maintenance, with respect to time required for acquisition, installation and training for usage of a new system. Connection with purchasing and investment functions is essential for this stage of maintenance.