Nobody plans to run to failure. It happens because the day gets consumed by whatever broke that morning, and the loop never breaks on its own.
Where the multiplier comes from
The identical job costs more reactively for reasons that compound:
- Premium parts pricing and expedited freight.
- Overtime, call-out rates and contractor premiums.
- Collateral damage — a failed bearing rarely fails alone.
- Lost production while the job happens at the worst possible moment.
- Rushed work that shortens the life of the repair itself.
You cannot plan what you cannot see
Planning requires warning. Condition monitoring supplies it: a bearing trending upwards over three months can be scheduled into a shutdown with parts on the shelf and the right people booked.
This is the whole argument for predictive maintenance in an SME. It is not about sophistication; it is about converting surprises into scheduled work.
A realistic target
World-class plants run around 80% planned work. Most SMEs start nearer 30%. Getting to 60% is achievable within a year on a monthly route, and the improvement is felt in the working week long before it shows in the accounts — fewer 2am calls, fewer scrapped batches, calmer Mondays.