Which maintenance strategy focuses on preventing failures before they occur?

The correct answer is proactive maintenance, which centers on identifying and addressing potential issues before they lead to equipment failure. This approach often involves thorough inspections, monitoring of equipment conditions, and analysis of historical data to anticipate when maintenance should occur. The goal is to minimize unplanned downtime and optimize equipment performance by addressing potential problems during planned maintenance windows.

Proactive maintenance includes strategies such as predictive maintenance, which involves using data collection and analysis to forecast when equipment failures might happen. Though similar in intent, proactive maintenance encompasses a broader range of preventive actions that may include regular inspections and systematic replacement of components based on their wear and tear before they fail.

Other options like reactive maintenance focus on addressing problems only after they occur, which can lead to increased costs and downtime. Routine maintenance generally refers to scheduled tasks that are performed to maintain equipment but do not necessarily involve the predictive analytics aspect that characterizes proactive and predictive strategies.