Recruiter's Glossary

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Preventive Maintenance

Term from Industrial Equipment Maintenance industry explained for recruiters

Preventive Maintenance is a planned approach to keeping machines and equipment in good working condition. Think of it like regular health check-ups for machinery - just as people go to doctors for check-ups before getting sick, equipment gets regular inspections and upkeep to prevent breakdowns. This includes routine tasks like cleaning, lubricating, adjusting, and replacing worn parts before they fail. Companies value this approach because it reduces unexpected breakdowns, saves money on repairs, and helps equipment last longer. Other names for this include "planned maintenance," "preventative maintenance," or "PM" for short.

Examples in Resumes

Developed and implemented Preventive Maintenance schedules for manufacturing equipment

Reduced equipment downtime by 40% through effective Preventative Maintenance programs

Supervised team of 5 technicians performing PM tasks on industrial machinery

Typical job title: "Maintenance Technicians"

Also try searching for:

Maintenance Technician Maintenance Engineer Facilities Technician Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Equipment Maintenance Specialist Plant Maintenance Supervisor Preventive Maintenance Coordinator

Where to Find Maintenance Technicians

Professional Organizations

Online Communities

Job Resources

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you develop and implement a preventive maintenance program for a new facility?

Expected Answer: Should discuss gathering equipment information, creating maintenance schedules, training staff, using maintenance software, tracking results, and continuously improving the program based on data.

Q: How do you balance preventive maintenance costs against production demands?

Expected Answer: Should explain strategies for scheduling maintenance during downtimes, calculating cost-benefit of PM vs. breakdowns, and working with production teams to find optimal maintenance windows.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What documentation do you maintain for preventive maintenance tasks?

Expected Answer: Should mention maintenance logs, equipment history records, repair documentation, parts inventory tracking, and use of maintenance management software.

Q: How do you prioritize different preventive maintenance tasks?

Expected Answer: Should explain considering equipment criticality, manufacturer recommendations, past breakdown history, and production impact when scheduling maintenance tasks.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What basic steps do you take when performing preventive maintenance on equipment?

Expected Answer: Should describe safety procedures, checking maintenance schedules, gathering necessary tools and parts, following checklists, and properly documenting work performed.

Q: How do you identify when equipment needs maintenance?

Expected Answer: Should discuss following maintenance schedules, recognizing warning signs like unusual noises or vibrations, checking gauges and meters, and reporting potential issues.