Page 421 - Intro Predictive Maintenance

412 An Introduction to Predictive Maintenance

they function, why they are there, the company’s mission, and what kind and level of
competition they are facing or expecting to face. If the workers are prepared to make
the changes necessary in terms of their work habits to ensure the long-term survival
of the organization, a proactive culture is defined.

Operators have the most knowledge about how a machine or process works. They
know what to do to increase the company’s profitability at the shop-floor level, to
make the company competitive worldwide. That’s why it is absolutely essential that
shop-floor workers be involved in the decision-making process, that they have the
facts and information at hand to make informed choices. Armed with proper and suf-
ficient information, workers don’t have to wait to get something done. They don’t
have to wait for the process of going up the ladder and then back down. They go
across functions, saving a lot of time. Efficiency is the result.

18.8 RESPONSIBILITIES
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 will admit their continued adherence to this
breakdown mentality, most plants continue to operate in this mode. Contrary to
popular belief, the role of the maintenance organization is to maintain plant equip-
ment, not to repair it after a failure. The mission of the maintenance department in a
world-class organization is to achieve and sustain optimum availability, optimum
operating condition, maximum utilization of maintenance resources, optimum equip-
ment life, minimum spares inventory, and the ability to react quickly.

18.8.1 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.

18.8.2 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 continue to 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.

18.8.3 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,