For long time, many industries have depended on a “fail and fix” method for supporting their equipment. They wait until the moment it breaks down before fixing the problem, and that costs them a lot of time and more money. Preventive maintenance is a continuous process of making sure that all equipment is operating at the highest efficiency at all times. Depending on the specific type of equipment, preventative maintenance schedules vary greatly.  When followed, proper preventive maintenance means small problems can be revealed and solved before they become big problems. And in the long term, preventative maintenance typically extends the life of your equipment.  Usually, a preventive maintenance schedule is recommended by the manufacture of the specific equipment.  Most pieces of laboratory equipment either need annual or semi-annual maintenance.

One of the main factors that prevents some organization from performing preventative maintenance is the perceived expense and time involved in actually performing the maintenance. Most companies can not afford to have equipment that has failed and is waiting for repair.  Having a maintenance plan in place with scheduled downtime, consumable replacement, and operational inspection is paramount.  It is important to have contingency plans in place when there is a failure.  Loaner equipment, high-fail parts stocked, and even redundant equipment on site are all part of a good plan.

“Breakdown repair, or “fail and fix” is not a good strategy.”

Maintenance is the services required to ensure your lab equipment longevity. Repairs are services that are needed when a part is not working correctly. Either the part has malfunctioned or it has become worn to the point where the part needs to be replaced  in order to maintain the performance of your equipment.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding preventive maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.  We’re happy to answer your questions.

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