In industrial and manufacturing facilities, unexpected equipment failure isn’t just an inconvenience—it can lead to expensive downtime, lost productivity, and costly emergency repairs. Yet, many companies take a reactive approach to maintenance, waiting until something breaks before addressing the issue.
The smarter, more cost-effective strategy is Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM)—a proactive approach that helps you avoid breakdowns, extend equipment lifespan, and reduce operational costs. By implementing a structured maintenance plan, you can catch minor issues before they become major failures, ensuring your facility runs smoothly.
In this post, we’ll explain what an effective EPM program should include, the three biggest ways EPM improves operations, and the key to getting the most out of your facility’s EPM annual assessment.
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What is Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM)?
A proactive maintenance strategy is always better than a reactive one. Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM) is the practice of “fixing before failure” by identifying and addressing potential electrical issues before they cause costly disruptions or, worse, a dangerous explosion.
An effective EPM program includes:
- Annual Maintenance Assessment & Reports: Utilizing advanced technologies like infrared (IR) testing, expert electrical contractors can perform facility-specific assessments to determine maintenance needs. They can also provide detailed reports highlighting critical issues and repair priorities.
- Planned Maintenance & Emergency Repairs: Maintenance inspections allow you to identify the severity of an issue and how to best allocate time to make any needed repairs or updates with minimal impact on operations. While inspections are most effective when equipment is running, facilities should be prepared for potential shutdowns if critical repairs are needed immediately.
- Code Compliance: Maintenance inspections ensure adherence to the National Electrical Code (NEC) and identify safety risks in electrical panels and production equipment.
- Detailed Documentation: Accurate record-keeping is just as important as the inspection itself. Your electrical contractor should provide two reports after each annual EPM inspection:
- A complete report with full documentation of all scanned machinery components.
- An incident report highlighting only detected issues for quick review.
Now, let’s look at the top three ways EPM benefits your business and operations.
How Can Electrical Preventive Maintenance Improve My Operations?
1. Preventive Maintenance Costs Less Than Emergency Repair
Unplanned electrical failures can be one of the most costly disruptions to operations. Emergency repairs, replacement parts, and downtime quickly add up—often exceeding the cost of regular maintenance.
An Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM) program helps avoid these expenses by proactively identifying and addressing minor issues before they escalate into costly repairs or complete system failures. Well-maintained electrical systems also operate more efficiently, preventing unnecessary energy waste and reducing electricity costs.
In the event of an equipment issue or failure, a well-documented EPM plan streamlines troubleshooting. With a detailed maintenance record, technicians can quickly assess the history of the system, diagnose problems accurately, and implement solutions without the guesswork saving both time and money.
2. Electrical Maintenance Prevents Bigger Problems
It’s important to see your company’s machinery like an ecosystem — every piece of equipment serves a purpose, and when one fails, another may have to work harder to make up for it. Delaying maintenance doesn’t just increase repair costs; it can also cause cascading failures across your facility. For example:
- Overloaded Circuits: A neglected electrical panel with loose connections or worn-out components can overheat and cause failures across multiple systems.
- HVAC Strain: If an air conditioning system malfunctions due to poor electrical connections, other cooling equipment must work harder, increasing wear and tear.
- Fire Hazards: Faulty wiring or aging electrical components can overheat and spark fires—posing a serious safety risk to employees and property.
Ready to create your facility's tailored Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM) plan? Click here to learn everything you need to know!
3. Proactive Electrical Maintenance Boosts Productivity & Safety
Regular electrical maintenance plays a crucial role in creating a safe, comfortable, and highly productive work environment. A well-maintained electrical system minimizes disruptions, optimizes efficiency, and protects both employees and equipment.
The following are all ways scheduled maintenance helps boost productivity:
- Uninterrupted Operations: Preventative maintenance reduces the risk of unexpected power failures, keeping production lines running smoothly and minimizing costly downtime.
- Consistent Climate Control: Ensuring electrical systems powering HVAC units are in top condition helps maintain a comfortable and safe workplace, improving employee productivity and well-being.
- Enhanced Workplace Safety: Routine inspections and timely repairs prevent electrical hazards such as short circuits, overheating, and equipment failures—protecting employees while ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
Check out our case studies to see how Lemberg’s electrical services have kept Milwaukee-area businesses up and running for nearly 100 years.
The Key to an Effective Electrical Maintenance Plan
The key to an effective EPM program is meticulous documentation/reports and the use of comprehensive maintenance checklists. Some would even go so far as to say that without them, your EPM goals will likely flounder and fail.
Keeping a detailed record of all elements of an electrical assessment and any maintenance that results from it are imperative for several reasons:
- Maintains a Historical Record and Traceability: Every breakdown, repair, or replacement is cataloged. When you schedule maintenance, you’ll be able to easily find the relative age of parts and quickly do a repair-to-replacement assessment.
- Enables Faster Repairs: Helps maintenance teams quickly identify previous repairs, reducing troubleshooting time and minimizing downtime.
- Ensures Regulatory Compliance: Provides documentation for OSHA, NFPA 70E, and NEC compliance.
- Prioritizes Critical Repairs: Categorizes issues by severity (low, medium, high, immediate) to ensure urgent problems are addressed first, so your time and budget are used wisely.
- Supports Facility Planning & Budgeting: Helps forecast maintenance costs, plan for replacements, and prevent unexpected expenses.
- Improves Team Communication: Standardized reports keep facility managers, electricians, and safety officers aligned with the same information.
- Provides Proof of Equipment Performance: Documenting system conditions over time can help determine if failures are due to aging or external factors. This is also beneficial if you need to push back on the equipment manufacturer if the equipment’s overall performance is in question.
Creating an electrical preventive maintenance checklist is an effective way to track and manage preventive maintenance tasks. In addition to your annual EPM assessment, regular inspections by properly trained personnel can help identify potential risks early, such as unusual odors or debris buildup around equipment. Training staff to recognize these warning signs allows for early intervention, preventing minor issues from escalating into major system failures.
Download our Electrical Preventive Maintenance Checklist to identify areas in your organization that would benefit from routine maintenance and review.
Invest in Electrical Preventive Maintenance for Long-Term Reliability and Savings
An EPM program isn’t just an expense—it’s a smart investment that reduces costs, prevents downtime, and enhances overall operational efficiency.
At Lemberg, we’ve been serving businesses in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin for nearly 100 years, providing expert electrical maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting services. Our experienced electricians take the time to thoroughly assess your facility and create a customized EPM plan tailored to your specific needs.
We’ll help you prioritize maintenance tasks, from immediate repairs to long-term planning, ensuring your electrical systems operate at peak performance. With a proactive approach, you can minimize risks, improve efficiency, and extend the lifespan of your equipment.
Ready to establish a preventive maintenance program for your organization? Contact Lemberg today to get started.
