What is a significant disadvantage of hard-time maintenance?

Hard-time maintenance is a scheduled maintenance strategy that involves performing maintenance or inspections at predetermined intervals, regardless of the actual condition of the equipment. A significant disadvantage of this approach is the loss of any usable operational remaining life. When maintenance is performed strictly at set intervals, equipment may be taken offline and serviced even if it still has remaining life and does not necessarily require immediate maintenance. This can lead to unnecessary downtime and a reduction in the overall efficiency of operations, as equipment that could still be functioning well is taken out of service prematurely. By not allowing the equipment to continue operating until it shows clear signs of needed maintenance, companies may incur additional costs and decrease productivity.