Just as you should be exercising and eating healthy for long-term health, preventative maintenance on equipment is also just as important for long-term health and longevity of a plant. A broken machine is always an unwanted expense. There are costs due to unplanned downtime, lost production and the cost of repairs. A scheduled maintenance program will keep equipment running the way it was designed to and save money in the long run. Good examples of preventive maintenance (or PM) are scheduled lubrication cycles, frequent inspections and cleaning.