Choosing the right maintenance program
In today's fast-paced manufacturing climate, unplanned downtime is not just inconvenient, it's a financial liability. To operations and production managers, equipment reliability is key to success. If your equipment is running well, so is your output, quality, and customer satisfaction. But keeping it that way takes more than emergency repairs. It takes a proactive, strategic approach to equipment maintenance.
This is where scheduled maintenance programs make all the difference. There are multiple support models available, each with different inclusions, costs, and functionality, so how do you know which one is optimal for your site?
Let's dissect the three main types of maintenance support using insignia's Safeguard service levels as a practical example so you can make an informed decision that protects your productivity and empowers your team.
Preventative Maintenance (Safeguard Silver): A Good Starting Point
Preventative Maintenance Agreements (PMAs) offer a scheduled, structured solution for maintenance. Think of them as your insurance policy against unexpected downtime.
What you receive:
• Scheduled servicing, planned by use and age
• Labour and basic consumables (i.e. belts, filters)
• Discounted wear-and-tear parts
• A planned, predictable maintenance schedule
Why it's effective: PMAs like Safeguard Silver remind you to stay on top of regular maintenance, reducing the chance of unexpected downtime and extending the life of your equipment. For small and medium-sized operations, it's an inexpensive way to make maintenance an acceptable operating expense.
While PMAs maintain operations, they're not for emergency fixes or surprise failures. If something breaks outside of the scheduled checklist, the additional expense - and downtime - are yours.
Best for: Sites that need predictable maintenance with moderate costs and low complexity.
Extended Warranty (Safeguard Gold): Full Coverage and Peace of Mind
When you operate multiple shifts or high-speed lines, waiting for quotes or approval for same-day repairs is just not possible. That's when extended warranty plans are useful.
What you get:
• Parts, labour, and travel coverage in complete
• Scheduled preventative maintenance
• Training for the operators and the maintenance personnel
• One set monthly price
Why it works:
Safeguard Gold simplifies your admin overheads and gives you total cost transparency. No surprise invoices. No waiting around for approval chains. And because your support partner - insignia, has skin in your uptime, you get faster response times and a more cooperative service partnership.
Real-world application:
Picture a beverage line running 18 hours a day. If a sensor fails under a basic PMA, you’re facing delays while the issue is diagnosed, a part is sourced, and a tech is dispatched. Under Safeguard Gold, it’s covered and your insignia tech is already familiar with your equipment and ready to go.
Best for: High-throughput facilities needing full coverage, cost control, and stronger service partnerships.
Predictive Maintenance (Safeguard Platinum): Real-Time Intelligence for Peak Performance
For businesses that want to maximise every shift, every asset, and every result, predictive maintenance is the future - and Safeguard Platinum brings it to life.
What you get:
• Everything Silver and Gold have to offer
• Live monitoring of equipment via 4G/5G or network
• Real-time performance reports and notifications
• Remote diagnostics and faster problem resolution
• Quarterly data reports and trend analysis
• Biannual optimisation visits with targeted action plans
Why it works:
Predictive maintenance transforms your maintenance strategy from scheduled to smart. By capturing thousands of machine data points in real time, it identifies anomalies before they cause downtime. The reward? Fewer repairs, faster repairs, and much better utilisation of your equipment.
Data that drives decisions
Platinum's quarterly reports give detailed analysis of your line's health - spiking slowdowns, wear patterns, and opportunity to boost performance. Site visits have our specialists help you translate that information into focused enhancements that reduce micro-stoppages and deliver maximum throughput.
Best for: Digitally focussed operations aiming for ongoing improvement and maximum uptime.
Choosing the Right Program for Your Business
In brief, each maintenance program has its place and ideal application.
• Silver (PMA): Operations with established servicing needs and regular maintenance focus
• Gold (Extended Warranty): High-output environments that need comprehensive protection and simple budgeting
• Platinum (Predictive): Smart factories that need real-time insight, reduced downtime, and continuous improvement
Ask yourself the following before you decide which plan is best for you:
• How critical is each machine to your production?
• Do you have internal capabilities to handle advanced maintenance?
• What is the cost of unplanned downtime?
• Are you ready to adopt real-time, data-driven support?
• Do you have easy access to on-site technicians when the need arises?
Maintenance is strategic
Maintenance in the production environment is not merely fixing machines, it's keeping your company smarter, longer, and less unexpected. Regardless of whether you start with a preventative approach, upgrade to total coverage, or go with predictive intelligence, spending on the right maintenance strategy puts you in command of protecting uptime, controlling cost, and getting to your production targets with certainty.
Speak to an expert
Talk with insignia's technical experts to plan out which Safeguard tier best suits your needs and start building a stronger operation today.
