Predictive maintenance is the practice of replacing or repairing parts of machinery and equipment in a factory by ‘predicting’ signs of faults or breakdowns in advance. When a machine or piece of equipment breaks down, there are certain ‘signs’. Maintenance work is carried out to catch these signs in advance and prevent breakdowns before they occur.

If the ‘signs of failure’ can be reliably detected, the costs (parts, labour costs, etc.) incurred in the event of a breakdown can be reliably reduced and the utilisation rate of equipment and machinery can be improved. Synonyms include ‘predictive maintenance’, ‘condition-based maintenance’ or ‘condition monitoring maintenance’.