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CMA Intermediate · Operations Management and Strategic Management · Economics of Maintenance and Spares Management

Which statement best justifies choosing breakdown maintenance over preventive maintenance for an item?

Breakdown maintenance is justified for cheap, non-critical items whose failure causes negligible loss and which are easy to replace. Planned servicing would cost more than the small losses it prevents, unlike for critical or safety-regulated equipment.

  1. AThe equipment is critical and stoppage halts the entire line
  2. BFailure is sudden, with no wear pattern to predict timing
  3. CThe item is cheap, non-critical, and its failure causes negligible loss and is easily replacedCorrect
  4. DSafety regulations require periodic inspection

Explanation

Breakdown maintenance is economical when failure cost is low, the item is non-critical and replacement is quick, so planned servicing costs more than it saves. The other options point toward preventive or predictive approaches.

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