Why Predictive Maintenance is Becoming a Business Priority for Industrial Manufacturers

Nobody likes unplanned downtime.

Not least industrial manufacturers whose bottom line is literally reliant on keeping production lines moving.

And yet despite that, most factories stick to outdated maintenance strategies that are wasteful, inefficient, and unnecessarily costly.

Instead of jumping to problems after they’ve happened, modern manufacturers are looking to the future with predictive maintenance.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Predictive Maintenance?
2. Why Industrial Manufacturers Are Paying Attention
3. The Real Business Case for Predictive Maintenance
4. The Role of Electric Motors in a Predictive Strategy
5. How to Get Started With Predictive Maintenance

What Is Predictive Maintenance?

Predictive maintenance gets its name from the idea that you can use real-time data to predict when a failure is likely to occur.

You don’t wait for the machine to fail. And you don’t service it just because it’s Tuesday.

You wait until the data tells you something is likely to fail. Then you fix it.

Jumping to problems before they happen is less disruptive, more efficient, and cheaper than reactive (after-the-fact) or calendar-based maintenance.

Here are the differences:

• Reactive maintenance means repairing equipment after it breaks down
• Calendar-based maintenance means regularly servicing equipment whether it needs it or not
• Predictive maintenance means repairing assets when the data predicts they will need it

Shifting from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance has huge implications for productivity and profitability.

Why Industrial Manufacturers Are Paying Attention

Industrial manufacturers face the same pressures as any other business: deliver maximum production at the lowest possible cost.

But they also face unique pressures. Operating margins are tight, raw materials are harder to source due to on-going supply chain issues, and energy bills have never been higher.

Add unpredictable equipment failure into the mix and many factories simply can’t afford for things to unexpectedly stop working.

When equipment fails it doesn’t just impact production for a few hours. It causes delayed orders, rush charges from maintenance teams, unhappy customers, and in extreme cases even safety issues. The knock-on costs are huge.

Few things disrupt a factory’s workflow like equipment failure.

That’s why leading electric motor suppliers like RJW Motors and Inverters are already heavily involved in the conversation.

Motors are critical to the smooth operation of any industrial site. Everything stops when your main conveyor motor goes down. That’s why it’s important to choose high-quality motors and inverters that are up to the task. Reduce your risk by partnering with an electric motor supplier who knows their motors are relied upon in some of the harshest conditions around.

The Real Business Case for Predictive Maintenance

Want to know the best part?

Predictive maintenance was born to solve these kinds of problems.

Here are a couple of statistics that illustrate just how big an issue unplanned downtime is:

• According to one report, unplanned downtime costs manufacturers $50 billion annually in lost costs to industrial manufacturers.
• Facilities using some form of predictive maintenance report cost savings of up to 40% on maintenanc,e combined with unplanned downtime reductions of up to 90%.

Forty percent! Ninety percent!

Once manufacturers understand the costs associated with unplanned downtime — and the savings possible through predictive maintenance — they’re upgrading their maintenance strategies as quickly as possible.

Market research firm GlobalData projects the predictive maintenance market to reach $80.6 billion by 2033, up from $12.7 billion in 2024. The manufacturing sector makes up the largest share of that market.

Here are the top financial benefits of predictive maintenance for manufacturers:

• Reduced repair costs: Small problems can be identified before they balloon out of control. Catching issues early reduces those nasty emergency call-out bills.
• Less unplanned downtime: Fewer breakdowns means more production, fulfilling more orders on time.
• Longer asset lifespans: Keeping equipment in good working condition means factory managers can get more life out of existing assets rather than prematurely replacing them.

Predictive maintenance isn’t just smart. It’s the new financial baseline for manufacturers who know their bottom line.

The Role of Electric Motors in a Predictive Strategy

Electric motors cause more unplanned downtime than any other piece of equipment.

Any equipment.

They are also one of the easiest assets to monitor, predict, and prevent.

Motor faults do not occur suddenly. Pending motor failures send out all kinds of warning signs long before they actually stop working. It’s up to maintenance teams to notice those warning signs and act before failure occurs.

Vibration, heat, energy draw, and speed deviations are all symptoms of pending motor failures. And they can all be monitored with remote sensors.

Installing sensors on electric motors and drives is one of the easiest ways to get started with predictive maintenance.

There are tons of options for industrial condition monitoring. From vibration sensors to thermal imaging to electrical current monitoring, picking a starting point for your predictive maintenance journey is easy.

A recent global study on predictive maintenance found that nearly a third of industrial companies were already using some form of predictive maintenance, and that figure is expected to grow each year.

How to Get Started With Predictive Maintenance

Starting a predictive maintenance programme is simple. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Pick your largest problems. Try to fix everything and you’ll never get anywhere. Instead, look at your factory floor and ask yourself what would cause the biggest headache if it stopped working.

Here are a few tips to help you along:

1. Make a list of your critical equipment. Motors, pumps, compressors, conveyors.
2. Brainstorm how each one could fail. What are the common problems? What are the early warning signs?
3. Install monitoring equipment. Vibration sensors, infrared cameras, or current meters.
4. Choose your data platform. Pick something that will collect your data and alert you to potential failures.
5. Train your team. Ensure your maintenance team knows how to use the software and hardware.

Get your critical assets up and running with condition monitoring, then start expanding your programme from there.

Thinking of upgrading your motors? Keep in mind older, less efficient motors are more likely to fail and more difficult to monitor than newer, high-efficiency motors. Working with a quality electric motor supplier can help ensure your predictive maintenance program runs smoothly.

Wrapping Things Up

Predictive maintenance is already well past the pilot phase.

Every major manufacturer is on board, and more are getting started every day. If you haven’t considered implementing predictive maintenance into your maintenance strategy yet, now is the time.

Remember:

• Unplanned downtime costs manufacturers billions of dollars every year.
• Predictive maintenance can drastically reduce those costs.
• Motors are a great place to start your predictive maintenance journey.
• Starting a predictive maintenance program is easy.

Manufacturers who don’t adapt will fall behind. Sensors are cheap. Data collection and storage is relatively inexpensive. And your maintenance team will thank you when they’re spending less time manually inspecting machines and more time actually fixing things that need fixing.

The era of predictive maintenance is here. Start predicting.