Prescriptive Maintenance
What Prescriptive Maintenance
Whilst still using Condition Monitoring information, Prescriptive Maintenance takes Predictive Maintenance (Pd.M.) to the next level. Prescriptive Maintenance is no longer the future - it is the here and now.
Prescriptive Maintenance combines Condition Monitoring with Artificial Intelligence to monitor a wider variety of data and predict the requirement for maintenance in real-time. Like Pd.M., it involves taking multiple sources of data in real-time from the equipment using the Internet of Things (IoT) and using an analytic tool to analyse and understand the condition of the equipment.
Advanced analytics
Prescriptive Maintenance uses advanced analytics to make predictions about maintenance requirements but the difference is that prescriptive systems not only make recommendations, they also use the analysis to determine different maintenance options and the potential outcomes of each, in order to mitigate any risk to the operation and predict the optimum time for the maintenance intervention.
Leading up to the maintenance action, the analysis will continue and will constantly adjust the potential outcomes and make revised recommendations if something significant changes. Once the maintenance activity has been completed, the analytical programme will monitor the equipment and determine if the maintenance carried out was effective and what the equipment prognosis is likely to be.
This technology is at the intersection of big data, analytics, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence. For Prescriptive Maintenance to operate effectively, it is essential that various asset management and maintenance systems are well integrated. Data accuracy is imperative.
This availability of information and data will give the organisation the ability to influence the maintenance strategies. This type of approach can significantly improve the effectiveness of the maintenance as well as drive down the cost, whilst providing significant savings and improvements in other business areas as described in the Predictive Maintenance section above.
The objective is to focus on and move critical assets to prescriptive approaches, where appropriate, in order to see significant improvements in equipment reliability.
As skilled labour becomes less available and automation levels increase, prescriptive maintenance will become more of a necessity and more valuable to organisations who adopt it.
Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance and Prescriptive Maintenance
Condition Monitoring is the monitoring of the various equipment component parameters to predict when a failure is likely to occur. This could be single or multiple parameters, could be online or offline or could be using gauges or periodical testing. This has often been a human activity collecting and analysing this data but is slowly becoming more and more automated.
Predictive Maintenance and Prescriptive Maintenance are two ways of using that Condition Monitoring data to decide when to carry out maintenance before the failure point.
To learn more about the definitions of Condition Monitoring, Predictive Maintenance and Prescriptive Maintenance, download our White Paper - Understanding Terminology through our exclusive Members’ Area.
