„Machines only break down when we use them.”

Advantages of regular planned maintenance

...and the more we need them, the bigger problem we face with an unpredicted breakdown.

If we do not maintain our machinery, moreover in case of a failure we only replace what is really neccessary, we might save some costs in a short time.
But on the long run our breakdowns will be more frequent, so we have to spend more and more on repairs, and face with higher loss on reduced capacity.
In a few years time (if unlucky earlier) we can come to the decision that the only good solution is to replace the machine with a new one.

Another approach is where we regularly monitor our assets, and maintain them in a pre-defined manner.
Although in the first period, especially under warranty, these could be considered as unneccessary costs, in a few years time we can avoid bigger or more expensive failures.

Let us take a simple example:

If we clean our belt conveyors on a regular base, remove the dirt under the belt, lubricate bearings and gears, we can operate without any major problems for years.These little interventions can be organized and handled with minimum cost and downtime.
If we do not care about cleaning or lubrication, after a few years or even months, dirt builts up on our conveyor, requires higher force to run, creates an increased wear on bearings, belt, gears.
Sooner or later our conveyor will stall, and require a complete overhaul. We have to replace most of the parts at once, and of course we will be in the middle of production for our most important customer.

So we have to act fast, with no time to think on cost saving, as we are loosing money on stopped production.

As you can see, even a simple belt conveyor can benefit from regular maintenance, so more sophisticated machines make it even more important.