The Importance of Predictive Maintenance in Facility Management

As the owner of a corporate facility, do you find yourself having to constantly undergo emergency repairs and reactive maintenance? Or maybe, your facility doesn’t have access to real-time data analytics, forcing you to come up with maintenance strategies out of thin air. Not only is this exhausting for decision-makers, but it only increases downtime and maintenance costs. The more time spent addressing breakdowns in equipment or technology, the less time you have to work on what matters most. 

Rather than being reactive, facilities managers can pinpoint operational issues before they become actual problems. That is the essence of predictive maintenance. Below, we’ll explore how predictive maintenance differs from other maintenance processes, and the benefits of proactively measuring asset performance.

What is predictive maintenance?

Predictive maintenance is a data-driven approach to facility management that allows decision-makers to forecast potential equipment failures or inefficiencies before they occur. By monitoring building systems in real-time, corporate facility managers can identify early signs of wear or operational disruptions and address them before they escalate into costly issues.

None of this is possible without access to advanced analytics. With sensors, AI, and monitoring tools, you can continuously assess the performance of assets, providing insights into their condition. 

This proactive approach allows facility managers to shift from a reactive or scheduled maintenance model to a more efficient, predictive one, significantly reducing downtime and increasing the longevity of critical infrastructure.

Predictive maintenance in action

Take this example of predictive maintenance to understand better how it looks in action:

Imagine a corporate office setting where meetings and collaborative work sessions are part of the fabric of daily operations. The office has several conference rooms, but employees frequently complain about rooms being double-booked, overcrowded, or flat-out unavailable. 

A traditional maintenance plan would be to add more conference rooms and manually adjust schedules. Easy, right? Not exactly. While this is an adequate corrective measure, it doesn’t address the root problem and can lead to underutilized rooms or ongoing booking chaos. It also requires the physical expansion of your office space, which can get pricey.

With a predictive approach to maintenance, you may consider installing sensors and analytics software to track conference room usage in real-time. These systems can collect data on room occupancy, use time, and no-shows. After analyzing the data, you can clearly see that certain rooms are underutilized on specific days, while others are in high demand during peak times.

This data helps the facility manager create a better plan to ensure the space is used efficiently. Now, employees have better access to meeting rooms when needed, and the office runs more smoothly without unnecessary interruptions or scheduling conflicts.

Other types of facility management maintenance

Understanding the core components of other, more traditional facility management maintenance strategies is important for better understanding predictive maintenance. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses—there is technically no “wrong” maintenance plan. When done in conjunction with each other, these methods can create a comprehensive approach to facility maintenance.

Preventative maintenance

Preventative maintenance is similar to predictive maintenance in that it aims to prevent equipment breakdowns and prolong the lifespan of assets. The difference is that this method doesn’t leverage real-time data to predict potential failures in equipment performance. 

This method involves scheduled maintenance tasks based on time or usage intervals, such as equipment inspections, cleanings, and replacements. Maintenance teams must follow a strict schedule to minimize the risk of failures. 

While this approach can effectively reduce equipment breakdowns, it doesn’t account for specific wear and tear on individual assets. It’s more of an all-encompassing maintenance method predicated on consistent maintenance.

Corrective maintenance

Corrective maintenance is where it gets different. As you can probably guess by the name, this maintenance program addresses issues after they’ve already occurred or been identified. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to take any corrective action. Unfortunately, some unforeseen problems are simply impossible to avoid. In these cases, corrective maintenance is required. 

While necessary in some instances, corrective maintenance can lead to extended downtime and higher costs, especially if critical assets fail unexpectedly. Predictive maintenance aims to minimize the need for corrective actions by catching problems early.

Benefits of predictive maintenance

Here’s the key takeaway from these facility maintenance strategies: only one method leverages advanced analytics to influence decision-making. This goes a long way toward eliminating potential issues and streamlining office functionality. Let’s explore some of the direct benefits of leveraging predictive analytics in facility maintenance:

Cost savings

Though the initial investment of tools, sensors, and AI integration into your workplace may be hefty, it’s all to eliminate the need for unforeseen expenses down the road. With a predictive approach to facility maintenance, there are no surprises you won’t be prepared for. Addressing issues before they escalate allows decision-makers to budget for repairs and replacements more effectively.

Increased operational efficiency

Predictive maintenance significantly improves an organization’s operational efficiency by minimizing disruptions to daily business processes. In traditional settings, it can often feel like you’re counting down the days until your equipment finally breaks down on you. Instead of waiting for equipment failures or unexpected breakdowns, facility managers can plan maintenance activities during off-peak hours, ensuring that the facility runs smoothly without interruptions.

Improved sustainability

We all want to be more sustainable in our daily lives. Predictive maintenance directly influences your facility’s sustainability by reducing waste and improving energy efficiency. Regular monitoring ensures that equipment runs at peak performance, which helps reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. This approach helps managers extend the life of assets and prevent unnecessary replacements, contributing to greener facility operations.

Improved employee satisfaction and productivity

Your employees should be at the center of every corporate decision you make. Frequent equipment malfunctions disrupt workflows, which causes employee-wide frustration. Predictive maintenance reduces these disruptions, creating a more stable and comfortable work environment. Employees who don’t have to worry about unexpected downtime or broken systems can stay focused and engaged, leading to higher productivity and overall job satisfaction.

The future of facilities management is about proactive maintenance

As maintenance activities evolve, predictive maintenance will be at the forefront of this transformation. The future is shifting toward proactive strategies that leverage data analysis to prevent breakdowns and optimize overall facility performance. Here are some emerging trends:

• Space utilization analytics. Advanced data analytics will enable facility managers to track how office spaces are used, identify underutilized areas, and optimize layouts to improve productivity.
• Automation and smart building systems. Automated systems for lighting, HVAC, and room scheduling will streamline operations, using real-time data to adjust conditions based on occupancy and usage patterns.
• IoT integration. The Internet of Things (IoT) will further connect office equipment and building systems, allowing facility managers to monitor performance remotely and detect issues before they cause disruptions.
• Sustainability initiatives. Predictive maintenance will support sustainability goals by reducing energy consumption, prolonging the life of office equipment, and minimizing waste through proactive care.
• Artificial intelligence maintenance scheduling. AI-driven maintenance schedules will predict when equipment needs servicing, preventing unexpected breakdowns and keeping the office running smoothly without manual intervention.

Workplace management tools like OfficeSpace are crucial for understanding space and maintenance needs so teams can be proactive rather than reactive. 

By harnessing real-time data, OfficeSpace allows business leaders to predict department growth to plan smarter spaces, accurately budget for operations and resources and reduce disruptions, and create a more sustainable, adaptive workplace. 

Request an OfficeSpace demo to learn more.