Preventive Maintenance in Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 29, 2025
Manufacturing facility managing 100 production machines creates maintenance disaster: critical assembly robot failing mid-production causing 12-hour downtime 45K lost production because preventive maintenance scheduling forgotten, no systematic inspection causing bearing wear undetected until catastrophic failure requiring 25K emergency replacement versus 500 dollar scheduled bearing change, work center drill station breaking during high-priority order forcing rush 3-day repair delaying customer delivery incurring penalty fees, equipment maintenance history lost in spreadsheets unable determining which machines requiring frequent repairs identifying replacement candidates, and reactive-only maintenance averaging 8K monthly emergency repair costs versus industry benchmark 2K preventive maintenance—generating production interruptions excessive repair costs customer delivery failures asset replacement uncertainties and operational inefficiency from reactive fire-fighting maintenance without scheduled preventive inspections automated maintenance request generation and equipment usage-based servicing requiring systematic proactive maintenance management system.
Odoo 18 Preventive Maintenance enables proactive equipment care through scheduled maintenance requests automatically generating based time intervals or usage metrics, recurring maintenance patterns weekly monthly yearly cycles preventing failure, equipment-specific scheduling assigning maintenance to machines tools work centers, maintenance type distinction separating preventive from corrective repairs, request automation creating future maintenance requests upon completion, stage workflow tracking New Request In Progress Repaired states, work center blocking preventing production scheduling during maintenance, maintenance team assignment routing requests to specialized technicians, equipment history tracking complete maintenance record per asset, and calendar-based or consumption-based triggers scheduling by date or operating hours—reducing unplanned downtime 80 percent through scheduled inspections lowering repair costs 75 percent via preventive versus emergency service extending equipment lifespan 40 percent through proper maintenance and enabling production continuity through planned maintenance windows achieving operational reliability cost optimization asset longevity through systematic automated preventive maintenance management.
Preventive Features: Scheduled requests, Recurring patterns, Equipment-specific, Type distinction, Request automation, Stage workflow, Work center blocking, Team assignment, Equipment history, Calendar/consumption triggers
Preventive vs Corrective Maintenance
Understanding maintenance types:
Maintenance Type Comparison:
| Aspect | Preventive Maintenance | Corrective Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Scheduled regularly before failure | Reactive after equipment fails |
| Purpose | Prevent breakdowns | Fix broken equipment |
| Cost | Lower planned maintenance | Higher emergency repairs |
| Downtime | Minimal scheduled windows | Unplanned production stops |
| Trigger | Calendar or usage based | Equipment failure |
| Example | Monthly oil change | Repair broken motor |
Preventive Maintenance Benefits:
Minimizes Downtime
Scheduled vs unexpected failures
Extends Lifespan
Proper care delays replacement
Enhances Safety
Identifies hazards early
Boosts Efficiency
Optimal machine performance
Reduces Costs
Prevents expensive breakdowns
Ensures Compliance
Meets safety regulations
Installing Maintenance Module
Module Installation:
- Go to Apps
- Search for Maintenance
- Click Install
- Module installed and ready
Equipment Setup
Configuring equipment for maintenance:
Creating Equipment:
- Go to Maintenance → Equipment → Machines and Tools
- Kanban view shows existing equipment
- Open equipment or click New
Equipment Configuration:
Example: Samsung Monitor 15 inch
- Equipment Name: Samsung Monitor 15"
- Category: Monitors
- Company: Main Company
- Maintenance Team: IT Support Team
- Technician: Assigned employee for servicing
- Used in Location: Office Floor 2
- Work Center: If equipment part of production
Creating Preventive Maintenance Equipment
Maintenance Request Creation:
- Go to Maintenance → Maintenance → Maintenance Requests
- Click New
- Fill request details
Request Configuration:
Basic Fields:
- Description: Screen Not Working
- Equipment: Samsung Monitor 15" (select from dropdown)
- Maintenance Type: Preventive Maintenance
Critical: Selecting Preventive Maintenance type reveals Recurrent option. This distinguishes one-time corrective repairs from scheduled preventive maintenance.
Recurring Maintenance Configuration
Enabling Recurrence:
- Enable Recurrent checkbox
- Repeat Every field appears
- Configure recurrence pattern
Recurrence Options:
| Frequency | Example | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Every 1 day | Critical equipment inspection |
| Weekly | Every 1 week | Regular cleaning lubrication |
| Monthly | Every 1 month | Standard preventive check |
| Yearly | Every 1 year | Annual certification compliance |
End Date Configuration:
Forever Option:
No end date. Maintenance continues indefinitely. Suitable for permanent equipment requiring ongoing maintenance.
Until Option:
Select end date from calendar. Maintenance stops after date. Example:
- Repeat Every: 1 month
- Until: 12/31/2025
- Result: Monthly requests through end of 2025 then stop
Request Workflow
Maintenance Stages:
New Request
Request created awaiting technician assignment or scheduling. Initial stage.
In Progress
Technician working on maintenance. Equipment being serviced repaired inspected.
Repaired
Maintenance completed. Equipment operational. Next request auto-generated if recurring.
Moving Stages:
- Request starts in New Request
- Technician begins work moving to In Progress
- After completion move to Repaired
- System automatically creates next scheduled request
Automatic Request Generation
Recurring maintenance automation:
Example Scenario:
Initial Request:
- Request Date: 07/28/2025 (today)
- Scheduled Date: 08/28/2025 (one month later)
- Recurrence: Every 1 month
- Until: 12/31/2025
After marking Repaired:
- System auto-creates second request
- New Scheduled Date: 09/28/2025
- Process repeats monthly until 12/31/2025
Viewing Equipment Maintenance:
- Open equipment record (Samsung Monitor)
- Click Maintenance smart button
- Shows all maintenance requests:
- Current active requests
- Future scheduled requests
- Completed historical requests
Work Center Preventive Maintenance
Production equipment maintenance:
Work Center Importance:
Work centers are production equipment performing manufacturing operations. Preventive maintenance critical preventing unplanned breakdowns stopping production. Regular scheduled maintenance ensures continuous production meeting deadlines maintaining efficiency.
Creating Work Center Maintenance:
- Go to Maintenance → Maintenance → Maintenance Requests
- Click New
- Configure request:
- Description: Drill Bit Replacement
- Work Center: Drill Station
- Maintenance Type: Preventive Maintenance
- Recurrent: Enabled
- Repeat Every: 1 week
- Until: Forever
Block Work Center Option:
Critical Feature for Production Planning:
Enable Block Workcenter checkbox preventing:
- New work orders scheduled to work center during maintenance
- Other maintenance requests conflicting with current maintenance
- Production planning errors double-booking unavailable equipment
Use when maintenance requires work center downtime preventing production scheduling conflicts.
Work Center Maintenance Workflow:
- Create weekly preventive request for Drill Station
- Mark request New Request → In Progress → Repaired
- Open work center record
- Click Maintenance smart button
- View auto-generated next maintenance request
- Next Scheduled Date: 08/04/2025 (one week later)
Best Practices
Schedule Preventive Maintenance During Low-Production Periods Minimizing Impact: Scheduling drill station maintenance during peak production equals production halt order delays customer dissatisfaction. Analyze production calendar identifying low-demand periods night shifts weekends. Schedule preventive maintenance non-critical windows achieving equipment care without production disruption optimizing maintenance timing operational continuity.
Use Forever Recurrence for Permanent Equipment Until for Temporary Assets: Setting lease copier maintenance Until 12/31/2025 when lease ends prevents unnecessary future requests after equipment returned. Permanent production equipment uses Forever ensuring continuous maintenance indefinitely. Appropriate recurrence end dates prevent maintenance request clutter for disposed equipment.
Enable Block Workcenter for Critical Production Equipment Maintenance: Not blocking work center during maintenance equals MRP scheduling production to unavailable equipment causing execution failures. Enable Block Workcenter for all work center preventive maintenance ensuring production planning respects maintenance windows preventing scheduling conflicts achieving production schedule reliability through maintenance visibility.
Conclusion
Odoo 18 Preventive Maintenance enables proactive equipment care through scheduled maintenance requests recurring maintenance patterns equipment-specific scheduling maintenance type distinction request automation stage workflow work center blocking maintenance team assignment equipment history tracking and calendar or consumption-based triggers. Reduce unplanned downtime 80 percent through scheduled inspections lowering repair costs 75 percent via preventive versus emergency service extending equipment lifespan 40 percent through proper maintenance enabling production continuity through planned maintenance windows achieving operational reliability cost optimization asset longevity regulatory compliance and safety enhancement through systematic automated preventive maintenance management preventing catastrophic failures supporting predictable maintenance budgets and maximizing equipment ROI through proactive care.
