What is the difference between maintenance and preventive maintenance?

What is the difference between maintenance and preventive maintenance?

Maintenance is a broad term which may be applied to different activities. Basically Preventive Maintenance  is as the name suggests (maintenance done based on a schedule which factors in routine checks & changes that are done BEFORE failure of the part). Predictive maintenace is similar but is not based on a schedule per se but with the use of technolgies / instrumentation measures machine data that would assist in judging whether a part change should be made. And lastly there is corrective maintenance (which probably might be referred to as "maintenance") which is done after a problem occurs and repair is made.

The keyword is preventive.

Preventive = Done in a planned way before a problem occurs

Not Preventive = Done in an unplanned way when a problem or failure occurs

Prior to outright failure there is usually a reduction in performance, which in a food operation (in some instances) could put food safety or quality at risk.

It is far better to live a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart problems than to fix a failing or broken heart.  Prevention is better than cure!

Regards,
Simon

Ditto the above.

Another example....A machine may require an oil change or seal change etc every 1000hrs or so or every 3 months. This would be put into a schedule and there would be planned downtime.This is preventative maintenance.   If the machine blew a seal or the pump stopped working and required repair, this is maintenance (breakdown maintenance).

I service my car every 10,000km this is preventative maintenance. If my car blew a head gasket then it would require maintenance (repair). 

Preventative Maintenance is planned out in advance in order to prevent the machine from having a catastrophic breakdown later.  It also helps to ensure that the machinery remains at peak performance by restoring things to a like new condition.  An example of this could be going to the dentist regularly: we plan out a regular visit so we can assess and fix things before they get out of hand.