This article emphasizes the need to bring maintenance management to the forefront of chemical process industries to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The push for higher productivity and higher quality manufacturing is encouraging chemical process industries to seek better methods of maintaining existing processes and equipment. Companies are also turning to new materials such as corrosion-resistant, high performance plastics and metal alloys. There is an emphasis on identifying and eliminating environmental problems, such as leaks, before they start. This is accomplished by using such devices as leakproof valves, chemically inert linings and gaskets, and sealless magnetically-coupled pumps.