Page 31 - An Introduction To Predictive Maintenance

Impact of Maintenance 21

and gain enough additional market share to ensure both survival and long-term posi-
tive growth. They must exercise extreme caution and base their long-range plan on
realistic goals.

Some plants attempt to implement continuous improvement programs that include too
many tools. They assume that full, in-house implementation of predictive mainte-
nance, CMMS, and other continuous improvement tools are essential requirements of
continuous improvement. This is not true. Small plants can implement a continuous
improvement program that achieves the increased performance levels needed without
major investments. Judicious use of continuous improvement tools, including outside
support and modification of in-house organizations, will permit dramatic improvement
without being offset by increased costs.

Continuous improvement tools, such as CMMS, information management systems,
and the like, are available for small plants. These systems are specifically designed
for this application and provide all of the functionality required to improve perfor-
mance, without the high costs of larger, more complex systems. The key to success-
ful implementation of these tools is automation. Small plants cannot afford to add
personnel whose sole function is to maintain continuous improvement systems or the
predictive maintenance program. Therefore, these tools must provide the data required
to improve plant effectiveness without additional personnel.

1.2.5 Large Plants
Because of the benefits generated by continuous improvement programs, large plants
can justify implementation; however, this should not be used as justification for
implementing expensive or excessive programs. A typical tendency is to implement
multiple improvement programs, such as total productive maintenance, just-in-time
manufacturing, and total quality control, which are often redundant or conflict with
each other. Frankly, this shotgun approach is not justified. Each of these programs
adds an overhead of personnel whose sole function is program management. This
increase in indirect personnel cannot be justified. Continuous improvement should be
limited to a single, holistic program that integrates all plant functions into a focused,
unified effort.

Large plants must exercise more discipline than their smaller counterparts. Because
of their size, the responsibilities and coordination of all plant functions must be clearly
defined. Planning and scheduling must be formalized, and communication within and
among functions is much more difficult.

An integrated, computer-based information management system is an absolute
requirement in larger plants. At a minimum, this system should include cost account-
ing, sales, production planning, maintenance planning, procurement, inventory
control, and environmental compliance data. These data should be universally avail-
able for each plan function and configured to provide accurate, timely management
and planning data. Properly implemented, this system will also provide a means to