Predictive maintenance is no longer a trend; it has become essential for companies seeking to reduce costs, increase asset reliability and prepare for the future.
By 2026, this type of maintenance will be even more strategic, particularly for those operating in sectors that rely on high-performance machinery and equipment.
But how do we put this concept into practice?
The journey begins with sound maintenance planning, analysing what happened in 2025 and setting priorities for the year ahead.
In this article, you will find a step-by-step guide connecting the concepts of PCM (Maintenance Planning and Control) and PPCM (Maintenance Planning, Scheduling and Control).
What Is Predictive Maintenance and Why Will It Be Essential in 2026?
Predictive maintenance uses data and analysis to identify failures before they occur. It differs from reactive maintenance, where intervention only takes place once the equipment has already stopped working.
Benefits of Predictive Maintenance
- Cost reduction
- Increased asset reliability
- Fewer unexpected downtime events
- Higher return on investment in equipment
Predictive vs Preventive
- Preventive: follows a fixed maintenance schedule to prevent failures.
- Predictive: uses indicators and analysis (such as vibration, thermography and oil analysis) to act only when there is a real need.
The two approaches complement each other: preventive maintenance creates routine, while predictive maintenance provides precision.
Global Trend
The use of IoT, smart sensors and artificial intelligence is accelerating the adoption of predictive maintenance worldwide.
By 2026, companies that still rely on reactive models will lose competitiveness compared to those embracing predictive practices.
The First Step in Maintenance Planning for 2026
Before planning the future, it is essential to understand what happened in 2025. The previous year’s diagnosis forms the foundation of any efficient maintenance programme.
Key Diagnostic Questions
- How many planned and unplanned shutdowns occurred?
- What was the total cost of maintenance and repairs?
- How was asset management carried out?
- What indicators and reports does the team already have?
Why Is This Important?
These data allow you to:
- Identify operational bottlenecks
- Compare costs and results
- Define realistic priorities for 2026
Without looking back, it is impossible to plan the next cycle strategically.
Quais ferramentas usar no planejamento de manutenção
With 2025 data available, it is time to organise it into practical tools for 2026 maintenance planning.
Useful Tools
- Criticality matrices: classify equipment according to operational impact.
- Failure and cost history: organises work orders, parts used and downtime.
- Production reports: show how failures affected performance.
- S360: a system integrating real-time oil and fluid analysis data.
- CMMS Dashboards: for advanced users, consolidating data into a single environment.
These Tools Help Answer:
- Which assets are most critical?
- How much did each failure cost in 2025?
- Where are the greatest downtime risks?
This transforms scattered information into useful knowledge for a structured maintenance programme.
Structuring PPCM: Maintenance Planning, Scheduling and Control
PPCM is the methodology that organises the entire maintenance process. It ensures data, planning and execution are connected in a continuous flow.
Steps to Structure PPCM
- Technical equipment inventory: organise machines, vehicles and systems.
- Definition of key indicators: MTBF, MTTR, costs, % preventive vs predictive vs corrective.
- Preventive plans: clear checklists, defined frequency and assigned responsibilities.
PCM vs PPCM: What Is the Difference?
- PCM (Planning and Control): focuses on planning and indicator analysis.
- PPCM (Planning, Scheduling and Control): goes further, including detailed activity scheduling and production alignment.
A well-structured PPCM increases MTBF (fewer failures), reduces MTTR (faster repair times) and places the company in a continuous improvement cycle.
MTBF and MTTR: What They Are, How to Calculate Them and Why They Matter
In predictive maintenance and PPCM, MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) and MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) are key indicators for understanding asset reliability and efficiency.
What Is MTBF?
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) indicates how long, on average, a piece of equipment operates between one failure and the next. It measures the reliability of the system — the higher the value, the better.
What is MTTR?
Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), on the other hand, shows how long it takes, on average, to restore equipment after a failure: diagnosis, repair, testing and return to operation. The lower this value, the more efficient your response.
How MTBF is calculated
In practical terms, MTBF can be calculated using the following formula:
MTBF=(TD−TM)/P
TD (total availability time): total period during which the asset was expected to be operating.
TM (maintenance time): total number of hours the asset was out of service for repair or maintenance.
P (number of stoppages): number of times the asset required repair.
Example:
A piece of equipment had 1,000 hours of total availability (TD), was down for 100 hours for maintenance (TM), and experienced 4 stoppages (P).
MTBF = (1000 − 100) / 4 = 900 / 4 = 225 hours
This means that, on average, the asset operated for 225 hours between each failure.
How MTTR is calculated
MTTR is calculated quite simply:
MTTR= TM/P
This indicator shows the average time required to repair an asset after a failure, from diagnosis through to full return to operation.
Example:
A piece of equipment experienced 3 stoppages during the month, totalling 3.5 hours of repair time.
MTTR = 3.5 / 3 = 1.16 hours
Which is approximately 70 minutes per repair.
The rule therefore becomes clear: the lower the MTTR, the better the maintenance team’s performance.
Why these indicators matter in Maintenance Planning and Control (PPCM)
Ultimately, these are not just figures in reports. MTBF and MTTR are the compass of industrial maintenance: they show when an asset is reliable, when there are bottlenecks in the repair process, and where action is needed to optimise resources.
Within the context of PPCM, these indicators allow you to:
- Prioritise critical assets based on real data.
- Adjust preventive plans to reduce recurring failures.
- Identify whether teams and resources are being used efficiently.
- Increase availability and reduce operating costs.
The ideal balance is simple to understand: High MTBF + Low MTTR = a more stable, productive and strategic operation.
This is where predictive maintenance connects with planning, turning information into decisions that deliver measurable results.
How Oil Analysis Strengthens PCM and Predictive Maintenance
Oil and fluid analysis acts like a blood test for machinery: it reveals what cannot be seen with the naked eye, enabling informed decisions.
It contributes in three dimensions:
- Early detection: identifies contamination, metal wear and viscosity changes.
- Failure prevention: prevents small issues becoming major shutdowns.
- Historical data generation: builds a database supporting asset management.
Practical example: an engine may appear healthy, but an oil sample reveals coolant contamination. Early intervention avoids high repair costs.
Another important point is the frequency of analyses.
- The manufacturer may indicate collections every 500 hours.
- ALS suggests reducing this interval by half (250 hours), ensuring greater safety.
With the support of S360, these results cease to be mere numbers and become real-time monitoring dashboards, clearly signaling trends and risks.
More than a report, oil analysis is the link between planning, execution, and operational intelligence.
From Theory to Practice: Executing the Maintenance Programme
Planning without execution is merely intention. The challenge is turning PCM/PPCM plans into daily operational activities through work orders.
In practice
- Consolidation of Activities
All tasks, whether preventive, predictive, or corrective, need to be recorded and organized in a single schedule.
- Definition of Downtime Windows
No machine can stop without alignment with production. This involves agreements on when and for how long assets can be out of operation without compromising results.
- Prioritization of Critical Assets
Not all equipment has the same importance. Those that directly affect safety, production, or costs should always be at the top of the list.
- Resource Allocation
Before execution, it is necessary to confirm:
- Parts available?
- Tools ready?
- Trained and designated team?
- Feedback log
Each work order should record: hours spent, parts replaced, and anomalies found. This data goes back into planning, closing the continuous improvement cycle.
To ensure that this cycle of planning, executing, recording, and adjusting is truly effective, it is essential to transform planning into clear and measurable objectives. This is where SMART goals come in: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
By applying this methodology, the maintenance manager creates goals that guide execution, allow for monitoring progress, and prove the results obtained by the maintenance program.
Some practical examples for PPCM
- Cost reduction with corrective maintenance: reduce costs by 20% in the next 12 months, measured by comparing before and after implementation.
- Increased operational availability: raise the availability of critical assets from 85% to 92% by the end of next year, with monthly monitoring.
- Implementation of oil analysis: ensure that 100% of critical assets have an active program by December 2025, proven by reports.
- Maintenance training and culture: train the entire team in PPCM concepts by the next semester, with records and tests.
- Reduction of unscheduled downtime: decrease downtime in critical assets by 25% by the next semester, comparing semesters.
- Balance between maintenance types: achieve a ratio of 70% preventive/predictive and 30% corrective maintenance by the end of the annual cycle, according to PCM reports.
With SMART goals, the maintenance program ceases to be just a set of tasks and becomes a results-oriented system, capable of demonstrating financial, technical, and cultural gains within the company.
Are you ready for 2026?
Planning is just the beginning. For predictive maintenance to yield results, it needs to be part of the daily routine of operations.
This means integrating PCM/PPCM practices into each production cycle.
What can’t be missing from this routine?
- Monitoring of indicators: MTBF, MTTR, availability, and the ratio between corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance.
- Frequent analyses with ALS: each oil and fluid sample feeds into a history that anticipates failures and reduces costs.
- Continuous feedback: reports and inspections should generate concrete actions in planning.
- Adjustments and standardization: very frequent activities can be rescheduled; late tasks need to be brought forward; good practices should be replicated in other assets.
In other words: it’s not enough to execute, it’s necessary to measure, learn, and continuously improve.
This is the culture that differentiates companies that only repair machines from those that build operational intelligence.
The year 2026 will be decisive for those seeking to strengthen their industrial maintenance strategy.
The evolution lies in uniting preventive and predictive maintenance within a well-structured PPCM (Preventive and Predictive Maintenance Plan), capable of transforming data into decisions and decisions into results.
At ALS, we believe that every analysis is a step towards safer, more economical, and sustainable operations.
Ready to take the next step?
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