A fixed visit date tells you when someone is due to attend. Condition information helps explain whether an asset needs cleaning, adjustment, repair or a closer investigation. The approach works best when deterioration can be identified early enough for action.
Maintenance
Condition-Based Maintenance
Condition-based maintenance uses observations, inspections or measurements to decide when an asset needs attention. Work is triggered by its actual condition, with a defined basis for assessing change.
Discuss your requirementsMaintenance is work organised over time.
How the approach works
A reading only becomes useful when its context is known. Measurements taken under different loads or at different points can create a misleading trend. We establish what is being checked, how results are compared and which finding changes the maintenance decision.
For a commercial estate, comparable asset references and consistent reporting allow local findings to inform central maintenance priorities. We retain the operational importance of each asset so apparently similar readings are not treated as identical risks.
Who this is for
For estates teams, commercial occupiers and managing agents seeking a consistent way to assess deteriorating assets, repeated faults or differences between similar systems across a portfolio.
Scope and deliverables
The brief identifies the assets, condition checks, baseline, review points and intervention criteria. Outputs include inspection or measurement records, condition findings and a prioritised work recommendation. Physical repairs and specialist investigations have a defined scope alongside the assessment.
Typical activities
Inspect accessible components; record relevant temperatures, vibration or other agreed indicators; compare results with an appropriate baseline; review recurring symptoms; and define repairs or further tests. The method follows the asset and the type of deterioration being investigated.
How we deliver the work
We review the asset history and purpose of the assessment, agree the checks, gather comparable observations and interpret the findings. We then explain the recommended action, its timing and how the result will be verified.
Access and preparation
Provide equipment details, previous readings, service records and the conditions under which faults occur. Agree access, operating state and any required shutdown before measurement. A check under normal load may answer a different question from a check with equipment stopped.
Responsibilities and safe working
01
We coordinate the assessment or work assigned to us and return findings to the named site or estates contact. The client confirms authority, operational constraints and access; the relevant technical resource establishes the safe method for the task.
02
Condition checks complement required maintenance and inspection. They do not remove an obligation simply because the latest reading appears normal. HSE explains how risk and operating conditions inform work-equipment inspection.
Priorities and response arrangements
Intervention criteria link the finding to its consequence. We agree who receives an abnormal result, when it needs technical review and which conditions require immediate escalation. A routine measurement report is separate from an emergency attendance arrangement.
Asset and work records
01
Each observation records the asset, location, date, method and relevant operating conditions. Keep the baseline and previous results available, with instrument or inspection details where needed. Record why an action threshold or review interval changes.
What affects scope and cost
Asset numbers, access, measurement method, specialist input and the frequency of review affect cost. A targeted assessment of a recurring fault differs from an ongoing route across several systems. Further investigation is priced against the question it needs to answer.
Completion and follow-up
The completion record states what was assessed, what the findings mean and what remains unresolved. Repairs return to the same asset history, with a follow-up check where required to establish the new condition. Handover includes the baseline, comparison method and open actions.
Outcomes and our approach
The aim is a maintenance decision supported by the asset's condition. We connect observations to practical work so a report identifies the next step rather than leaving the reader with unexplained readings.
Locations we cover
We cover Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and the Tees Valley, including Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick, Morpeth, Hexham, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough. The full locations directory includes the recorded towns and surrounding areas.
Provide every site address when planning a programme so access, travel and operating windows form part of the arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from predictive maintenance?
Condition-based maintenance responds to assessed condition, such as a measured change or inspection finding. Predictive maintenance uses patterns and trends to estimate future deterioration or intervention timing. The two can use the same data but answer different questions.
Does it replace planned servicing?
No. Required servicing and inspections remain in the programme. Condition information can inform additional work and justified changes to suitable tasks.
Do we need permanently installed sensors?
No. Repeat inspections or portable measurements can provide useful condition information. Continuous sensors are considered where the asset and decision justify them.
Can one unusual reading justify replacement?
It may justify prompt investigation. Interpretation should consider the measurement, operating state, history and consequence before deciding the appropriate action.
Discuss your maintenance requirement
Send your site or asset list, current maintenance information and the operational issue you need to address. Include relevant records, proposed work windows and the person who can authorise access and decisions.
Contact Black & White Facilities to define the work, required outputs and next step.