What is demand or breakdown maintenance characterized by?

Demand or breakdown maintenance is characterized by actions that are only initiated when equipment fails or breaks down. This reactive approach means that maintenance activities typically occur after an issue has arisen, without any prior planning or scheduled intervention based on expected performance or condition monitoring.

The reliance on this method implies that maintenance is essentially neglected until a failure is experienced, emphasizing the reactive nature of the maintenance strategy. This can lead to unplanned downtime, which often results in higher repair costs and potentially extended periods of equipment inoperability. Effectively, demand maintenance focuses solely on dealing with circumstances as they occur, which is aligned with the nature of the chosen answer. It is important to understand that this approach can be less efficient compared to proactive strategies like preventive or predictive maintenance, which aim to address potential issues before they result in equipment failures.