Page 54 - An Introduction To Predictive Maintenance

44 An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance

3.1.2 Optimum Operating Condition

Availability of critical process machinery is not enough to ensure acceptable plant per-
formance levels. The maintenance organization must maintain all direct and indirect
manufacturing machinery, equipment, and systems so that they will continuously be
in optimum operating condition. Minor problems, no matter how slight, can result in
poor product quality, reduced production speeds, or other factors that limit overall
plant performance.

3.1.3 Maximum Utilization of Maintenance Resources
The maintenance organization controls a substantial part of the total operating budget
in most plants. In addition to an appreciable percentage of the total-plant labor budget,
the maintenance manager often controls the spare parts inventory, authorizes the use
of outside contract labor, and requisitions millions of dollars in repair parts or replace-
ment equipment. Therefore, one goal of the maintenance organization should be effec-
tive use of these resources.

3.1.4 Optimum Equipment Life

One way to reduce maintenance cost is to extend the useful life of plant equipment.
The maintenance organization should implement programs that will increase the
useful life of all plant assets.

3.1.5 Minimum Spares Inventory

Reductions in spares inventory should be a major objective of the maintenance orga-
nization; however, the reduction cannot impair their ability to meet the first four goals.
With the predictive maintenance technologies that are available today, maintenance
can anticipate the need for specific equipment or parts far enough in advance to pur-
chase them on an as-needed basis.

3.1.6 Ability to React Quickly

All catastrophic failures cannot be avoided; therefore, the maintenance organization
must be able to react quickly to the unexpected failure.

3.2 EVALUATION OF THE MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION
One means to quantify the maintenance philosophy in your plant is to analyze the
maintenance tasks that have occurred over the past two to three years. Attention should
be given to the indices that define management philosophy.

One of the best indices of management attitude and the effectiveness of the mainte-
nance function is the number of production interruptions caused by maintenance-
related problems. If production delays represent more than 30 percent of total