As maintenance professionals, we rarely use the term Run To Failure (RTF). However, the term Breakdown Maintenance is more commonly used. In my previous article, I tried to explain the details of the RTF maintenance strategy. In this article, I will provide information about the Breakdown Maintenance strategy. Although Breakdown Maintenance and Run To Failure maintenance strategies are included within the Corrective Maintenance Strategy, there are some differences. Corrective

Run-to-Failure (RTF) maintenance is a strategy applied to low-risk, low-cost, and easily replaceable equipment, where maintenance is performed only after failure occurs. After conducting an equipment risk analysis, assets with minimal safety, environmental, quality, and operational impact can be assigned to RTF. When supported by clear instructions, trained staff, and available spare parts, RTF can reduce maintenance costs, save time, and allow teams to focus on more critical

Maintenance problems are often labeled as failures, but they should be distinguished as breakdowns, failures, and defects. Defects are any conditions causing downtime, risk, or waste. A strong maintenance system focuses on defect elimination and downtime reduction. Downtime stems not only from equipment failure but also from design, quality, and human factors. Effective reduction requires both root cause analysis for major losses and bottom-up, low-cost solutions for small, f