Types of Reactive Maintenance

Last Updated : 25 Jan, 2023

Reactive Maintenance is a method of simply repairing assets i.e. equipment, components, etc. to their normal working condition after its failure or breakdown. Such maintenance strategy is also known as breakdown maintenance. Such type of maintenance strategy is only applied to equipment that requires low cost to replace or repair it and to equipment’s that are not so essential for functions or operations. This is because reactive maintenance does not involve any planning schedule. But it requires less money and time to wait for equipment’s failure rather than money and time required for regular maintenance of equipment to prevent it from failure. Reactive Maintenance Types : There are basically four different types if reactive maintenance strategy available nowadays as given below:

Breakdown Maintenance – Breakdown maintenance, as the name suggests, is a type of maintenance required when equipment completely breaks down simply to repair it to normal working condition. Such type of maintenance is only applied when particular equipment does not operate or is broken down, or failure occurred. Breakdown maintenance is generally an unplanned event but it can be planned event also. One has to wait to perform maintenance tasks until particular equipment ceases to perform due to breakdown or failure. Breakdown maintenance is usually required when equipment is not working and can be repaired to normal working condition. It should be a planned event rather than an unplanned event as unplanned events may lead to health and safety risks, costly downtime, cease in production, etc.

Breakdown maintenance is a type of reactive maintenance that focuses on fixing problems as they occur, rather than proactively addressing potential issues. It is also known as “run-to-failure” maintenance and it is characterized by fixing problems only when the system has failed or broken down.
Breakdown maintenance is typically triggered by an incident, such as a system failure or a customer complaint, and it is focused on restoring normal operation as quickly as possible. This approach is often used when the cost of preventative maintenance is higher than the cost of fixing the system after it has broken down.
The benefits of breakdown maintenance include:
Lower costs as maintenance is only performed when the system breaks down
Simplicity as no regular maintenance is required
However, breakdown maintenance also has some drawbacks, including:
Increased downtime as the system is only repaired after it has broken down
Higher costs in the long run as the system is more likely to break down and require repairs
Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
Breakdown maintenance is generally considered less efficient than proactive maintenance, as it only addresses problems after they have occurred, rather than preventing them from happening in the first place. It is more beneficial to adopt a proactive maintenance strategy that includes regular testing, monitoring, and updating of the system to prevent problems from occurring. Additionally, it is important to have a clear and well-defined maintenance plan that includes regular maintenance activities, such as testing, backup, and bug fixing.

Run-to-failure Maintenance – Run-to-failure maintenance, as the name suggests, is a type of maintenance applied until equipment gets failed. In such type of maintenance, equipment is allowed to run until its failure. It is a type of planned maintenance applied in cases where equipment breaks down at unexpected time. It simply means doing no or zero preventive maintenance of asset and letting asset run until its breakdown or failure. It always includes a deliberate decision i.e. planned and careful decision regarding repairment of equipment without affecting production and quality.

Run-to-failure maintenance, also known as “breakdown maintenance” or “fail and fix”, is a type of reactive maintenance strategy that focuses on fixing problems only when the system has failed or broken down. This approach is characterized by not performing any regular maintenance on the system until it fails.
The main advantage of run-to-failure maintenance is that it can be a cost-effective solution, as regular maintenance is not required, only fixing the system when it breaks down. However, this approach also has several disadvantages, including:
Increased downtime: As the system is only repaired after it has failed, there is increased downtime, which can lead to lost productivity and revenue.
Higher costs in the long run: As the system is more likely to break down and require repairs, the overall cost of maintenance can be higher in the long run.
Increased risk of system failures: Without regular maintenance, the system is more likely to fail, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and lost business.
Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur: Without regular maintenance, it can be difficult to predict when the system will fail, making it difficult to plan and allocate resources.
Lack of proactive identification and resolution of potential problems: Run-to-failure maintenance only addresses problems after they have occurred, which means that potential problems may not be identified and resolved until they cause an incident.
It is generally considered less efficient than proactive maintenance, as it focuses on fixing problems after they have occurred rather than preventing them from happening in the first place. In many cases, it is more beneficial to adopt a proactive maintenance strategy that includes regular testing, monitoring, and updating of the system to prevent problems from occurring.

Corrective Maintenance – Corrective maintenance, as the name suggests, is a type of maintenance strategy applied to identify and rectify the failure of equipment so that particular failed equipment can be repaired to its normal working condition. It either replace or repair asset or equipment after it fails. One of main advantages of corrective maintenance is that one can identify defects before it causes any type of problem and results in breakdown of equipment. During various maintenance procedures, faulty parts are seen and identified before any disruption occurred.

Corrective maintenance is a type of software maintenance that is focused on fixing errors and bugs in the software system. It is also known as “debugging” and it is typically triggered by an incident, such as a system failure or a customer complaint. The goal of corrective maintenance is to restore normal operation of the system as quickly as possible.
The process of corrective maintenance includes identifying the root cause of the problem, developing a solution, testing the solution, and implementing the solution in the system. It also includes updating system documentation and communicating the changes to stakeholders.
Corrective maintenance can be performed in different ways, including:
Remote maintenance: The maintenance is performed remotely, using remote access tools and technologies.
On-site maintenance: The maintenance is performed on-site, at the location where the system is installed.
Corrective maintenance has several benefits, including:
Minimizing downtime by addressing problems quickly
Improving the functionality, performance and reliability of the system
Reducing the risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
However, it also has some drawbacks, including:
Difficulty in identifying the root cause of the problem
Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
Increased costs in the long run as problems are likely to recur without addressing root cause
Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction.
It is important to note that corrective maintenance is a reactive approach, it addresses problems after they have occurred, it is generally considered less efficient than proactive maintenance, as it only addresses problems after they have occurred, rather than preventing them from happening in the first place.

Emergency Maintenance – Emergency maintenance, as the name suggests, is a type of maintenance that is applied immediately when an asset or equipment breaks down or gets failed and leads to a greater risk of health and safety. This maintenance type is simply required to prevent property, profitability, production of organization. It is applied to urgent safety requirements that is needed to be addressed.

Emergency maintenance is a type of reactive software maintenance that is focused on addressing critical issues that require immediate attention. It is typically triggered by an incident, such as a system failure, and it is focused on restoring normal operation of the system as quickly as possible.
Emergency maintenance is characterized by the urgency of the problem, and the maintenance team works to restore the system as quickly as possible. The process of emergency maintenance includes identifying the root cause of the problem, developing a solution, testing the solution, and implementing the solution in the system. It also includes updating system documentation and communicating the changes to stakeholders.
The benefits of emergency maintenance include:
Minimizing downtime by addressing critical issues quickly
Improving the functionality, performance, and reliability of the system
Reducing the risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
However, it also has some drawbacks, including:
Difficulty in identifying the root cause of the problem
Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
Increased costs in the long run as problems are likely to recur without addressing root cause
Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction.
Lack of time for thorough testing and validation of the solution
It is important to note that emergency maintenance is a reactive approach, it addresses problems after they have occurred, it is generally considered less efficient than proactive maintenance, as it only addresses problems after they have occurred, rather than preventing them from happening in the first place. To minimize the drawbacks of emergency maintenance, it is important to have a well-defined emergency maintenance process in place, which includes testing and validation, version control, and communication with stakeholders.

It’s important to note that reactive maintenance is not a long-term solution, it should be used as a temporary measure to restore the normal operation of a system. In order to minimize the drawbacks of reactive maintenance, it is important to adopt a proactive maintenance strategy that includes regular testing, monitoring, and updating of the system to prevent problems from occurring.

Advantages of Reactive Maintenance:

Minimizing downtime by addressing problems quickly
Focusing on critical issues that are affecting the system’s performance
Reducing the cost of maintenance by only addressing problems as they occur
Flexibility in addressing problems based on the severity and urgency
Cost-effective solution for systems that are not critical and have low downtime tolerance

Disadvantages of Reactive Maintenance:

Increased downtime and lost productivity
Higher costs in the long run as problems are likely to recur without addressing root cause
Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
Lack of proactive identification and resolution of potential problems
Difficulty in identifying the root cause of the problem which leads to recurrence of the problem
Lack of proactive maintenance makes it hard to plan and allocate resources