Operations
Preventive Maintenance vs Reactive Maintenance: An ROI Comparison
Reactive maintenance feels free until it is not. We model the true cost of "wait until it breaks" vs. scheduled preventive work.
NNikhil Patel··6 min read
Two strategies, very different P&Ls. The math usually surprises people.
Reactive: the hidden cost
You pay only when something breaks. But you also pay for: the user's downtime, the rush shipping, the goodwill cost of a stalled meeting, the inflated repair quote on an emergency call, and the shorter overall lifespan of the asset.
Preventive: predictable spend
Scheduled checks at fixed intervals (battery health every 6 months, AC vent clean every 12 months). Per-unit cost is small; aggregate avoidance is large.
Worked example: 100 laptops over 3 years
- Reactive only: ~$32K in repairs + ~120 lost hours.
- PM every 6 months: ~$18K maintenance + ~$11K repairs + ~25 lost hours.
- Net savings ≈ $13K + 95 hours.
Set up recurring maintenance schedules in AssetMon's Maintenance module and let the system surface what is due each week.
#preventive maintenance#reactive maintenance#maintenance ROI#MTBF