Maintenance, function, and malfunction in technology

Abstract

This paper takes a new look at the concept of maintenance through the notion of function and malfunction. I propose that different maintenance strategies have contrasting philosophical approaches about the nature of technology. I claim that the main difference between reactive and predictive maintenance is that the latter holds an underlying deterministic approach. On the one hand, the assumption behind predictive maintenance is that we can predict how technology works and even progresses, and because of this, we can predict when will malfunction appear. On the other hand, reactive maintenance is based on unpredictability, and it is led by the appearance of failure. Thus, the central notion in both strategies is the concept of malfunction.