Run-to-Failure Maintenance

Run-to-failure is a maintenance strategy in which equipment is deliberately operated until it fails and is then repaired or replaced, chosen when the consequences of failure are acceptable and preventive tasks would cost more than they save.

Under a run-to-failure policy, no scheduled maintenance is performed to prevent a particular failure; work is done only after the item stops performing its function. This differs from unplanned reactive maintenance, where breakdowns occur because no strategy exists. In a deliberate run-to-failure policy, the decision is documented, spares and repair methods are prepared in advance, and the failure is expected not to cause safety, environmental or major production consequences. Maintenance carried out after a failure is called corrective maintenance.

Run-to-failure is appropriate for inexpensive, non-critical or redundant items, such as light fittings, small motors with standby units, or components whose failures are random and give no warning. Reliability-centred maintenance explicitly recognises it as a valid outcome where no proactive task is technically feasible and worth doing and the failure has no safety or environmental consequences.

Applied without analysis, run-to-failure leads to unpredictable downtime, secondary damage, higher repair costs and emergency purchases. Asset criticality ranking helps decide where it is acceptable. Records of failures under this policy still provide valuable data on failure rates and repair times, which can show when a change of strategy is justified.

Key points

Equipment is deliberately run until it fails, then repaired or replaced.
Suitable for non-critical, inexpensive or redundant items.
A valid RCM outcome when no proactive task is worth doing.
Differs from unplanned reactive maintenance done without any strategy.

Where AiVibe comes in

AiAmbA AI Factory use cases include predictive maintenance and visual inspection on textile, automotive and electronics lines. AiAmbA IoT normalises industrial signals from protocols such as OPC UA and MQTT, with driver availability confirmed per installation.

Explore AiVibe’s work in Quality, Reliability & Maintenance →

Run-to-Failure Maintenance

Key points

Where AiVibe comes in

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