The main goal of preventive maintenance is to avoid future equipment problems, which is achieved by:

• A. Increasing inventory of spare parts
• B. Proactive inspections
• C. Waiting for failure
• D. Ignoring manufacturers' recommendations

Answer: (B)

Preventive maintenance works by catching issues before they become problems. The key idea is to regularly inspect and monitor equipment so you can address wear, misalignment, lubrication needs, corrosion, and other signs of impending failure before they lead to downtime or costly repairs. Proactive inspections create a schedule of fixes and replacements that keep things running smoothly and reduce unexpected outages.

Giving primary attention to proactive inspections makes sense because they directly target early detection and timely intervention. Increasing spare parts inventory helps you respond when something does fail, but it doesn’t reduce the likelihood of a failure happening in the first place. Waiting for a failure is reactive maintenance, and it defeats the purpose of preventive upkeep. Ignoring manufacturers’ recommendations undermines proven maintenance practices and can lead to avoidable problems.