Breakdown maintenance—also referred to as reactive or corrective maintenance—is a maintenance strategy in which maintenance and repair activities are carried out only after a machine or system failure has occurred. This form of maintenance therefore becomes necessary when a piece of equipment or system is no longer operational or its performance is severely impaired.

Difference from “Reactive Maintenance”

Reactive maintenance and breakdown maintenance mainly differ in terms of scope and focus. Reactive maintenance refers to maintenance and repair activities carried out when a problem or malfunction occurs. This approach covers a broad range of issues, including minor disruptions as well as complete failures, and is performed without prior planning or scheduled maintenance intervals.

Breakdown maintenance, by contrast, focuses specifically on resolving complete failures or operational shutdowns. This type of maintenance is applied when a machine or system has completely failed and requires extensive repair. While reactive maintenance aims to address any issues that arise and restore operation as quickly as possible, breakdown maintenance concentrates exclusively on severe faults that bring the entire operation to a standstill.

Objectives and Benefits

• Focus on actual need: Maintenance activities are performed only when there is a genuine requirement, which can help reduce unnecessary maintenance costs.
• Minimal planning effort: Since maintenance takes place only after a failure occurs, no extensive advance planning is required.
• Full utilization of asset life: Machines and systems are used until actual failure, which in some cases allows maximum use of invested resources.

Disadvantages

• Unplanned downtime: Because maintenance is performed only after a failure, unexpected production interruptions may occur, leading to significant costs and delays.
• High repair costs: Repairs following a failure can be more expensive than preventive maintenance measures, especially if the damage is extensive.
• Safety risks: Failures can lead to hazardous situations, particularly in safety-critical machines and systems.

Typical Measures

• Fault diagnosis: Identification and analysis of the cause of failure in order to determine the required repair actions.
• Repair and replacement: Replacement of defective parts or repair of damaged components to restore the functionality of the affected machine or system.
• Recommissioning: After repairs, the machine or system is tested and returned to operation to ensure proper functionality.

Implementation

Breakdown maintenance requires fast response times and efficient organization. Key steps include:

• Spare parts inventory: Ensuring that critical spare parts are available to minimize downtime.
• Staff training: Maintenance personnel must be able to respond quickly and effectively to failures and carry out repairs.
• Documentation: Recording all failures and repair activities to collect data for future optimization of the maintenance strategy.