How to Plan for Spare Parts Obsolescence Before It Strands a Line
Somewhere in every storeroom sits a shelf of parts for machines that stopped being sold when dial-up was still a thing. The original supplier may be gone, drawi... Read more.
What Is Defect Elimination in Maintenance, and Why Programs Stall
Every plant has seen it happen. A new defect elimination initiative is announced with real fanfare, the leadership team nods along, and three months later the s... Read more.
How to Identify Failure Modes Before They Find You First
Every asset has multiple ways it can fail to perform its required functions. Identifying those scenarios before failure lets a team decide which ones deserve pr... Read more.
Asset Identification Best Practices That Keep Work Orders on the Right Machine
A maintenance recommendation is only as good as the asset number attached to it. Get that number wrong and a perfectly sound instruction — replace the belt, g... Read more.
Continuous Improvement in Smart Factories Still Runs on Human Judgment
It is easy to assume that once a plant is wired with sensors, networked controls, and dashboards updating in real time, improvement takes care of itself. In pra... Read more.
What Is Prescriptive Maintenance, and How Is It Different From Predictive?
Predictive maintenance aims to identify a developing problem or estimate future asset condition. Prescriptive maintenance adds a recommendation about what actio... Read more.
What Causes Bearing Fatigue Failure, and How to Catch It Before the Breakdown
Rolling-bearing fatigue develops over repeated rolling contacts, but it does not always begin the same way or end in seizure. ISO 15243 distinguishes subsurface... Read more.
How to Assess Maintenance Maturity Before You Spend a Dollar Improving It
Every improvement plan starts with a quiet fiction: the belief that you already know how good your maintenance program is. Ask people in planning, operations, m... Read more.
Best Field Service Management Software for 2026: An Independent Comparison
The Short Version: For field-heavy service and reliability teams in 2026, Salesforce Field Service (Agentforce Field Service) is the strongest fit for Salesforc... Read more.
Condition-Based Maintenance vs Predictive Maintenance
The Short Version: Plants use both names, and the official public pages do not all split them the same way. You will see condition-based maintenance (CBM) and p... Read more.
ISO 55000 Asset Management: What ISO 55001 Requires
The Short Version: ISO 55000, ISO 55001 and ISO 55002 are three separate documents that do three separate jobs. ISO 55000:2024 covers vocabulary, overview and p... Read more.
IBM Maximo vs SAP EAM: Which Enterprise Platform Fits
The Short Version: IBM Maximo Application Suite and SAP’s enterprise asset management business area are two enterprise-scale options. IBM publishes Maximo... Read more.
How to Build an Asset Hierarchy in a CMMS: Structure and a Worked Example
The Short Version: An asset hierarchy in a CMMS is a structured classification of equipment that lets a maintenance and reliability team collect, navigate, and ... Read more.
Signs of Grease Incompatibility to Catch Before a Bearing Fails
Two greases can each perform well on their own and still perform poorly when mixed. Thickener chemistry is an important part of grease compatibility, but it is ... Read more.
How to Select Bearing Grease That Matches the Application
A grease can have a beautiful spec sheet and still be wrong for the bearing in front of you. Application fit, not price or brand, determines whether it can lubr... Read more.
How to Improve OEE Score by Fixing the Real Production Losses
Availability, performance, and quality are the three factors that combine into overall equipment effectiveness, and when a production line falls short, it is te... Read more.
How to Prioritize Failure Modes When the Fix Is Out of Reach
Every failure mode and effects analysis eventually reaches an uncomfortable point: the team has identified an important failure mode, evaluated its effects and ... Read more.
Reliability vs Availability: Formulas and a Worked Example
The Short Version: Reliability and availability describe two different questions about the same asset. Reliability is the probability that an item runs without ... Read more.
CMRP vs CRL vs CRE: Which Reliability Certification Fits
The Short Version: CMRP, CRL, and CRE are three different reliability credentials issued by three different bodies, and they are not interchangeable. The Certif... Read more.
How to Start a PdM Program: Predictive Maintenance Steps and Worked Examples
Last updated: August 16, 2026. The Short Version: A predictive maintenance (PdM) program uses condition monitoring to catch developing faults early, so repairs ... Read more.
