What maintenance means: definition and areas of application

The meaning of maintenance

Maintenance indicates the set of activities performed to maintain or restore the functionality, safety, and efficiency of an asset, a plant, or a system. According to the most widespread technical definition, maintenance includes all technical, administrative, and management actions necessary during an entity's lifecycle, with the aim of ensuring its ability to perform the required function.
In common language, maintenance refers to periodic or extraordinary interventions on buildings, machinery, vehicles, infrastructure, and IT systems, to prevent failures or resolve malfunctions.

Objectives and advantages of maintenance

Maintenance activities are fundamental to:

• Extend the useful life of assets and plants
• Ensure the safety of people and environments
• Reduce costs related to sudden failures and machine downtime
• Maintain operational and productive efficiency
• Prevent major damage and expensive future interventions

Effective maintenance management allows for optimizing resources and improving the sustainability of corporate and public activities.

Types of maintenance

Maintenance is divided into different types, each with specific characteristics and purposes:

• Routine maintenance: includes periodic and scheduled operations (such as cleaning, lubrication, replacement of parts subject to wear) necessary to keep the asset in good condition.
• Extraordinary maintenance: concerns unscheduled or larger interventions, often due to failures, breakages, or the need for technical adaptations.
• Corrective maintenance: action is taken after a failure occurs to restore the functionality of the asset.
• Preventive maintenance: based on regular inspections and checks to prevent the occurrence of failures, reducing the risk of sudden interruptions.
• Predictive maintenance: uses monitoring and analysis tools to predict when intervention will be necessary, optimizing time and costs.
• Improvement maintenance: aims to increase the performance or reliability of the asset, going beyond simple restoration of original conditions.

Areas of application of maintenance

Maintenance is a cross-cutting practice, applied in numerous sectors. The main areas of application include:

• Building and construction: maintenance of buildings, condominiums, public and private infrastructure to ensure safety and functionality.
• Industry and production plants: interventions on machinery, production lines, electrical and mechanical systems to ensure operational continuity.
• Transport and vehicles: maintenance of cars, heavy vehicles, trains, planes, and ships to prevent failures and accidents.
• Public infrastructure: roads, bridges, water, sewage, and energy networks require constant checks and interventions.
• IT systems and software: updates, backups, monitoring, and repair of hardware and software to ensure data security and service continuity.
• Equipment and devices: maintenance of work tools, medical equipment, safety devices, and sports facilities.

Regulations and technical references

Maintenance is regulated by technical standards and legislative provisions that define its methods, responsibilities, and minimum requirements. Among the main ones:

• UNI EN 13306: defines maintenance terminology and fundamental concepts
• DPR 380/2001: regulates building maintenance in Italy
• Other specific UNI standards for sectors and types of systems

Complying with regulations is essential to ensure the safety, compliance, and quality of interventions.

Benefits of correct maintenance management

Well-planned and managed maintenance offers numerous advantages:

• Reduction of failures and operational interruptions
• Economic savings thanks to timely and targeted interventions
• Improvement of safety for people and environments
• Asset valorization and increase of their value over time
• Sustainability thanks to efficient resource management

Inadequate management, on the other hand, can lead to high costs, production downtime, and safety risks.

Key points to remember about maintenance

• Maintenance means taking care of assets and plants to ensure their efficiency and safety
• Different types of maintenance exist, each with specific purposes
• Maintenance applies to multiple sectors and assets
• Technical standards and laws regulate maintenance activities
• Effective management leads to economic, operational, and environmental benefits