Predictive Maintenance vs. Preventative Maintenance
What’s the difference between predictive and preventative maintenance? In short: preventative maintenance follows a schedule. Predictive maintenance follows the data. Both have value, but depending on your facility’s goals, budget, and equipment profile, one may offer a stronger ROI.
At AH Group, we work with manufacturers and industrial teams who need to balance planned maintenance with urgent repair. Our vendor-neutral MRO repair model supports both strategies by closing the loop between failure data and smarter repair decisions.
What Is Preventative Maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is time- or usage-based service performed to avoid equipment failure. It involves regularly scheduled activities such as:
- Oil and filter changes
- Calibration checks
- Visual inspections
- Cleaning and lubrication
Benefits of preventative maintenance:
- Predictable planning and scheduling
- Reduces risk of catastrophic failure
- Easier to budget
Limitations:
- Doesn’t account for real-world wear patterns
- Can lead to unnecessary service on still-functional parts
What Is Predictive Maintenance?
Predictive maintenance uses sensors, data, and condition-monitoring tools to determine the actual state of equipment in real time. This allows organizations to service assets only when needed, based on:
- Vibration analysis
- Temperature shifts
- Operating hours
- Failure trend data
Benefits of predictive maintenance:
- Minimizes unplanned downtime
- Extends asset lifespan
- Maximizes resource efficiency
Limitations:
- Requires upfront investment in monitoring systems
- Data integration can be complex
Which Maintenance Strategy Is Right for You?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. In practice, most operations use a blend of both strategies. Preventative maintenance is a great foundation for reliability. Predictive maintenance builds on it using data and automation.
Here at AH Group, we recommend:
- Use preventative maintenance to cover safety-critical assets and manufacturer guidelines
- Layer predictive strategies for high-value, high-usage systems
- Analyze failure and repair trends to adjust plans over time
How AH Group Supports Both Models
While we don’t perform onsite maintenance, we help teams turn reactive repairs into proactive improvements. By analyzing MRO repair data across thousands of components and facilities, we provide:
- Visibility into top failure types
- Recommendations on component lifespans
- Warranty tracking to avoid unnecessary spend
- Supplier performance benchmarks
Final Thoughts
Preventative and predictive maintenance both reduce risk. The best approach is one that uses real data to evolve with your operations. That’s what we help our clients do every day.