Page 53 - An Introduction To Predictive Maintenance

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ROLE OF MAINTENANCE

ORGANIZATION

Too many maintenance functions continue to pride themselves on how fast they can
react to a catastrophic failure or production interruption rather than on their ability
to prevent these interruptions. Although few production engineers will admit their
continued adherence to this breakdown mentality, most plants continue to operate in
this mode.

3.1 MAINTENANCE MISSION
Contrary to popular opinion, the role of maintenance is not to “fix” breakdown in
record time; rather, it is to prevent all losses that are caused by equipment or system-
related problems. The mission of the maintenance department in a world-class orga-
nization is to achieve and sustain the following:

• Optimum availability
• Optimum operating conditions
• Maximum utilization of maintenance resources
• Optimum equipment life
• Minimum spares inventory
• Ability to react quickly

3.1.1 Optimum Availability
The production capacity of a plant is partly determined by the availability of produc-
tion systems and their auxiliary equipment. The primary function of the maintenance
organization is to ensure that all machinery, equipment, and systems within the plant
are always online and in good operating condition.

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