Electrical Preventive Maintenance Plans for Warehouses & Factories

In an interaction with Industry Outlook, Mangesh Gokuldas Sonar, Founder & CEO at Prasun Multiservices, sheds light on how Indian manufacturing and warehouse operations are rapidly evolving their preventive electrical maintenance strategies to combat rising equipment failure rates and minimize costly downtimes. Drawing from deep industry expertise, Mangesh explains how thermal imaging, condition-based monitoring, IEC-compliant audit systems, and tiered maintenance models are transforming the reliability and efficiency of electrical systems in high-load environments. With a forward-looking lens, he also discusses the role of predictive analytics and IoT-integrated switchgear systems in shaping the future of smart, sustainable industrial infrastructure across India.

With rising equipment failure rates and unplanned downtimes impacting Indian manufacturing, how are warehouses and factories evolving their preventive electrical maintenance strategies to address this growing operational risk? 

Nowadays manufacturers are preparing the checklist for the preventive maintenance. Accordingly, equipment user or operators are conducting regular inspections, testing, and maintenance of critical electrical components to identify issues before failures occur. Frequency has been decided for the maintenance activities like 6 months or 1 or 2 years etc. Results are being recorded in document sheet for tracking purpose.  

What role do thermal imaging and infrared scanning tools play in improving the accuracy and efficiency of electrical preventive maintenance in high-load industrial settings? 

Thermal cameras can scan machinery and electrical installations to detect inefficiencies or overheating components that could lead to equipment failure. In other words, thermal imaging also known as infrared scanning cameras detect heat emitted by objects and convert it into visual images, showing temperature differences. This helps inspectors to identify potential problems. Non detected overheating in equipment can cause fires, that stops the production for which, repair cost may be very high.  

How are Indian factories leveraging condition-based monitoring over time-based electrical maintenance to optimize uptime and extend asset life in mission-critical environments? 

Condition-based monitoring is helping in predicting equipment failure chances before they are occurring, allowing for timely maintenance and reducing the overall maintenance costs. 

Condition monitoring is helping in identifying issues such as equipment vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and abnormal noise levels, which if left unchecked, could lead to accidents or environmental hazards. 

In what ways do compliance with IEC standards and factory electrical safety audits influence the structuring of preventive maintenance plans across large Indian industrial zones? 

Adhering to IEC standards and periodic factory electrical safety audits are essential for developing stronger preventive maintenance plans within large Indian industrial zones. These systems will help maintain a methodical Hazard Zones Management approach that signifies clearly defined high-risk zones, where risk mitigations will be enforced. Scheduled Checks and Maintenance become obligatory under auditing systems, so not only will electrical systems be timely inspected, serviced, and calibrated, but obligations will help support preventative failures.  

In addition, Equipment Data Tracking eliminates confusion when understanding when equipment was last in operation and can lead to assessments of historical knowledge to help predict future maintenance, and provide increased operational safety, reduced downtime, and avoid licensing compliance issues. 

How are tiered electrical maintenance models being adopted in multi-facility operations to balance cost, criticality, and resource availability across warehouse clusters? 

Tiered electrical maintenance models are becoming more commonly used within multi-facility organizations with the intention of managing resources optimally, while considering cost and criticality of systems being maintained across warehouse clusters. This approach starts with an analysis of critical problems and root cause, providing to facilities critical risk systems to focus intensive maintenance on.  

The further diagnosing common problems and root causes across locations also permits the standardization of low tier maintenance activities. By tiered maintenance according to system importance and overall impact of failure, organizations will be able to use skilled resources more effectively, minimize potential unplanned downtimes, and exert greater control on expenses - without sacrificing performance and safety. 

As smart manufacturing gains ground, how will predictive analytics and IoT-integrated switchgear systems redefine the future of electrical preventive maintenance in Indian industrial infrastructure? 

By analyzing historical and real-time data from switchgear systems, predictive analytics enables operators to make informed maintenance decisions.  The ability to predict potential failures before they occur can significantly enhance the reliability of equipment and reduce downtime, ensuring uninterrupted power supply and operations. 

By predicting electrical faults and system failures, these technologies improve safety for both personnel and equipment, while also mitigating the risk of costly damages and accidents. As switchgear systems become more connected and intelligent, they are increasingly susceptible to cybersecurity threats, necessitating stringent security measures to protect data and infrastructure.