What type of maintenance focuses on improving equipment reliability?

Reliability-centered Maintenance (RCM) is specifically designed to enhance the reliability and performance of equipment by systematically evaluating their operational needs. This type of maintenance focuses on identifying ways to ensure that systems continue to perform reliably, effectively, and efficiently over time. RCM involves analyzing the functions of systems, identifying potential failure modes, and determining what actions can be taken to mitigate those failures or enhance system performance.

This proactive approach prioritizes the most critical components that impact overall reliability, allowing maintenance efforts to be allocated more effectively. RCM not only aims to improve day-to-day operations but also extends the life of equipment, ultimately leading to reduced downtime and maintenance costs.

In contrast, other maintenance types such as corrective maintenance address issues after they occur, preventive maintenance involves regular, scheduled inspections and servicing to ward off potential problems, and scheduled maintenance is a more generic term for maintenance activities that are planned and executed at predetermined intervals. While these approaches are important, they do not specifically target the improvement of equipment reliability in as strategic a manner as RCM does.