Maintenance Strategy

Maintenance Strategy

By :- 

Sumegh bandewar 

Atharva Bharaswadkar 

Rushikesh gadekar 

Saurabh suryawanshi 

WHAT IS MAINTENANCE STRATEGY? 

A maintenance strategy defines the rules for the sequence of planned maintenance work. It contains general scheduling information, and can therefore be assigned to as many maintenance task lists and maintenance plans as required.

There are a number of maintenance strategies available today that have been tried and tested throughout the years. 

These strategies range from optimization of existing maintenance routines to eliminating the root causes of failures altogether, to minimize maintenance requirements. Ultimately, the focus should be on improving equipment reliability while reducing cost of ownership.

An effective maintenance strategy is concerned with maximizing equipment uptime and facility performance while balancing the associated resources expended and ultimately the cost. We need to ensure that we are getting sufficient return on our work. 

TYPES OF MAINTENANCE STRATEGY :- 

 A. Reactive maintenance or breakdown maintenance

B. Preventive maintenance or scheduled maintenance 

C. Predictive maintenance 

D. Reliability-centred maintenance 

A. Reactive maintenance or breakdown maintenance :- 

It is also known as breakdown or run-to-failure maintenance. 

Since repairs are not planned, it’s a good method to employ for equipment that is not essential for operations or has a low cost.

Merits of Reactive maintenance :- 

1. Little planning required.

2. Ideal for low-priority or inexpensive equipment.

Demerits of Reactive maintenance :- 

1. Can cause maintenance backlog.

2. Can cause excessive downtime that impacts production.

3. High costs associated with parts and supplies.

B. Preventive maintenance or scheduled maintenance :-

It is also known as proactive maintenance. It  involves periodically taking assets offline and inspecting or repairing them at predetermined intervals.

The goal of this approach is to extend the useful life of an asset and prevent breakdowns from occurring.

Merits of Preventive maintenance :- 

1. Extends the useful life of assets.

2. Fewer unexpected breakdowns.

3. Audits can be passed easily.

4. When used with a CMMS, asset knowledge and work history is recorded centrally

Demerits of preventive maintenance:- 

1. PM creep can occur, leading to a strain on resources.

2. Post-maintenance breakdowns can occur when tasks are not completed properly.

C. Predictive maintenance :-

It aims to predict failures before they happen so maintenance can occur at just the right time.

Predictive maintenance uses data from machine sensors and smart technology to alert the maintenance team when a piece of equipment is at risk of failing. 

Merits of predictive maintenance :-

1. Uptime is optimized as maintenance only occurs when necessary.

2. Decision making is completely data-driven and condition-based.

Demerits of predictive maintenance :- 

1. There can be high costs associated with implementing.

2. It’s an advanced approach that requires analysis and specific skill sets.

D. Reliability-centred maintenance :-

It addresses the fact that failure is not always linear. Process used to determine maintenance requirements of any physical asset in its operating context.

Plan is based upon reliability criteria with priority given to the most critical components.

The ultimate goal of RCM is to increase equipment availability or reliability.

Merits of reliability centered maintenance:- 

1. Reliability is maximized as each piece of equipment gets its own maintenance plan. 

2. Maintenance is proiritized according to equipment ciriticality, which reduces risk.

Demerits of reliability centered maintenance:

1. Requires large investments in time and money.

2. Many teams do not have the resources to adopt this approach

Total Productive Maintenance 

Workers perform preventive maintenance on the machines they operate. Skilled maintenance personnel train the operators and develop ‘one-point lessons’. 

Maintenance department moves from a ‘fire-fighting’ mode to a prevention mode & re-engineering.

Restore deteriorated equipment through Improvement-Related Maintenance.

Identify design weaknesses and improve equipment.

Preventive (equipment manufacturers/operators data). Predictive (data analysis and periodic diagnostic tests).

Trends in Maintenance

Production machinery is becoming more and more complex and maintenance personnel must keep pace.

Special training programs to maintain worker skill level.

Subcontracting service companies. Production workers maintain own equipment. Computer assistance in maintenance.

Even though predictive and prescriptive approaches have a huge potential and are rather the strategies corresponding the most to today’s digitalization trends, preventive maintenance remains the mostly spread maintenance program. 

This is mainly due to its largely appreciated advantages as: 

1. Reduced Energy Waste.

2. Improved Customer Service and Reputation.

3. Extended Equipment Life.

4. Eliminate Ambiguity in Maintenance Tasks.

5. Improved Productivity.

6. Cost Savings.

7. Reduced Breakdowns.