Predictive vs Preventive Maintenance: Which Is Right for Your Operation?
June 5, 2025
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Dr.-Ing. Simon Spelzhausen
Predictive vs Preventive Maintenance: Which Is Right for Your Operation?
Unplanned downtime can cost manufacturers hundreds of thousands per hour, yet many still rely on reactive strategies. That’s why two leading approaches have emerged: predictive maintenance and preventive maintenance.
They sound similar, but differ vastly in cost, technology, and practicality — especially for OEMs and factories.
What Is Predictive Maintenance?
Predictive maintenance (PdM) uses sensors, analytics, and AI to monitor asset condition in real time. The goal is to predict failures before they occur.
Pros
Cons
Reduces unexpected equipment failure
Optimises maintenance timing with real data
Improves asset lifespan and reliability
Lowers long-term operational costs
Requires sensors and IoT infrastructure
Higher initial investment
Needs technical skill to interpret analytics
Can be excessive for low-value equipment
What Is Preventive Maintenance?
Preventive maintenance (PM) involves scheduling service tasks based on time, usage, or known failure patterns.
Pros
Cons
Reduces unplanned downtime
Extends asset lifespan
Improves safety and compliance
Predictable scheduling and resource planning
May lead to over-maintenance
Not condition-sensitive—can miss hidden issues
Labour-intensive without automation tools
Requires strict schedule discipline
Companies that implement preventive maintenance report up to 30% fewer equipment failures and 20–25% lower maintenance costs.
Higher setup cost, best for high-value or critical assets
Uses schedules based on usage hours or calendar time
Uses algorithms to detect wear patterns and predict failures
Which One Is Right for You?
If you're running a high-tech facility with the budget and data maturity, predictive maintenance can yield long-term gains.
But if you're a typical manufacturer or OEM looking to reduce downtime now without a six-figure analytics rollout, preventive maintenance delivers the biggest impact with the least friction.
World-class PMP (Planned Maintenance Percentage) targets 85% or more Infraspeak
What Makula Offers?
Makula offers a holistic platform for both factories and OEMs.
For factories, it acts as a modern CMMS with scheduling and asset tracking.
For OEMs, Makula’s Asset Hub enables remote setup of preventive schedules, QR access, and customer visibility via the Customer Portal.
It's not predictive — it's practical.
See Preventive Maintenance in Action
Book a demo to explore how Makula helps manufacturers and OEMs reduce downtime and streamline service with smart preventive workflows.
What’s the main difference between predictive and preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is time or usage-based, while predictive uses real-time data to anticipate failures.
Is preventive maintenance still effective without sensors or IoT?
Yes. Preventive strategies work well using service history, OEM manuals, and scheduled intervals.
Does Makula support predictive maintenance?
No, Makula focuses on preventive maintenance via CMMS for factories and Asset Hub for OEMs.
Can I switch from preventive to predictive later?
Absolutely. Many manufacturers start with preventive workflows before scaling up to condition-based or predictive strategies.
Dr.-Ing. Simon Spelzhausen
Co Founder & Chief Product Officer
Simon Spelzhausen, an engineering expert with a proven track record of driving business growth through innovative solutions, honed through his experience at Volkswagen.
