Functional failures are a problem in every industry. They’re a silent way to lose money, waste time, and squander precious manpower. You need to understand them—so you can prevent them. We’ll show you what functional failure is, explain the difference between functional and partial failures, and share the most common causes behind equipment failures.

What is functional failure?

Simply put, an asset is a functional failure if it can no longer perform its function. The term “functional failure” can refer to a wide range of problems, symptoms, and effects.

The most extreme example is a machine that won’t turn on or run at all. A lighter version of functional failure is when a machine doesn’t have the same yield, speed, or throughput it used to have.

In fact, anything short of peak performance is considered a functional failure.

Total functional failure vs. partial functional failure

We can break down functional failures into two distinct categories:
• Total functional failure: The machine doesn’t work at all.
• Partial functional failure: The machine still works, but it can’t achieve peak performance.

 …