How to establish a maintenance system with Chinese characteristics

There is still a portion of inspection, maintenance, and repair work that should not be separated from the main structure

Maintenance work in refineries and chemical plants can be divided into two categories: 1. Major maintenance, 2. Routine maintenance. I. Major Maintenance: For major maintenance, it is necessary to select construction companies with the appropriate qualifications through bidding, and these companies should submit plans for maintenance once the maintenance period arrives. II. Routine Maintenance: There are two options for routine maintenance: 1. The company establishes its own maintenance system, which typically includes mechanical repairs, electrical repairs, instrumentation repairs, as well as comprehensive maintenance services. 2. The company entrusts a construction company to carry out the maintenance work: The company enters into long-term maintenance contracts with construction units that have sufficient capabilities and that have been working for the company for a long time. The maintenance tasks are assigned to these construction units via maintenance orders, which then organize their own teams to carry out the work. The client conducts inspections, issues maintenance vouchers, and settlements are made on an annual basis based on these vouchers. Materials can be ordered by the construction unit, approved by the client, and then supplied to the construction unit for use in the maintenance work. Comparison of the two options: 1. The construction company can overcome the problem of insufficient resources, as it needs to maintain a presence in companies that possess potential resources in order to gain a foothold in the market. During periods when there are no major projects, it is necessary to find ways to cover the operating costs of these companies. Daily maintenance tasks represent a suitable option for construction companies. Moreover, in order to maintain a good reputation with their clients, construction companies will surely go all out to ensure work is done to high standards and on time. 2. In a company’s own maintenance department, there is inevitably a tendency for everyone to share the workload equally; people don’t put in enough effort and delay tasks whenever possible. Moreover, when emergency repairs are needed in the middle of the night or in bad weather, it’s even difficult to ensure that enough staff are available. Companies’ own employees are often delicate, especially those in state-owned enterprises; they are not willing to endure hardship. If operations are forced to continue through maintenance efforts, it will inevitably lead to the use of temporary workers to fill the gaps, resulting in poor quality of work. I believe that having the construction company undertake the repairs can help to minimize the aforementioned shortcomings; hard work and perseverance are inherent traditions of a good construction company. These are just my humble opinions; let’s continue the discussion. This post was last edited by lonelyghost_li on 2007-12-9 20:24]

Our organization operates according to the system outlined on the fourth floor; such a system is suitable for state-owned enterprises to function under the new framework, as it reduces the required workforce while also solving problems for related entities

Maintenance is not done on one’s own; the cost is calculated based on the amount of work required. As long as the equipment meets the standards, it doesn’t matter whether it can operate for a long period of time or not. There is no incentive to make technical improvements. On the contrary, the more times the equipment is maintained, the more money can be earned – so why not do it? This post was last edited by hngsw on 2007-12-9 23:27]

The construction party carries out the work in full accordance with the \"maintenance request forms\" issued by the owner; it only needs to perform its duties as required by the owner. As for the extent of the repairs needed and whether the system can operate for a long period of time, those are matters that concern the owner. If the owner fails to consider these aspects when issuing the request forms or does not specify relevant requirements, the construction party has no obligation to take on such responsibilities on behalf of the owner.

It’s impossible for property owners to do this if they don’t have strong repair skills. I work in on-site repairs, and I’ve never received a \"repair request form\" to that extent. There are things that cannot be done just on paper. Sometimes, it also happens that laypeople try to give orders to experts. Of course, I don’t think the current maintenance system is poor; rather, I believe it’s necessary to improve the professional skills of property owners. It’s not enough for them to focus only on major issues. I remember a book that said that details determine success or failure – property owners should recruit some experienced maintenance professionals to form specialized teams for equipment diagnosis and quality control, so as to ensure oversight at the detailed level and throughout the various processes involved. Only in this way can it be effectively controlled. This post was last edited by hngsw on 2007-12-10 00:01]

I recommend a book—\"New Thinking and New Models for Equipment Management\" http://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-97320-1-1.html. Having been involved in equipment management for many years, I find this book to be excellent!

I think that if the property owner is very capable and the construction company has the skills and resources, it would be best to follow Haier’s service philosophy. For the projects carried out by my company, we offer a turnkey solution that includes both construction and maintenance. We establish a strong service network and partnership relationship with the client: you provide the investment, while we handle the construction work, ensuring smooth operations for you. This approach fosters mutual benefit and leads to a win-win outcome.

Discussion on the maintenance model for chemical enterprises: Due to the differences among various enterprises, as well as variations in the expertise of their maintenance teams, there is no unified standard for maintenance models. I used to be the manager of the maintenance department in a chemical company, and I experienced various integration and attempts at different maintenance approaches, which gave me a lot to think about. The following are my personal thoughts and suggestions: 1. Maintenance model for electrical and instrumentation equipment: Given the high versatility of the electrical and instrumentation team, as well as the tendency for skilled personnel to leave, a centralized management approach can be adopted for the maintenance of such equipment. The electrical and instrumentation maintenance team is fully responsible for the professional maintenance, routine inspections, as well as the repair and servicing of electrical and instrumentation equipment, while the user units are only responsible for basic cleaning and daily upkeep. The electrical and instrumentation maintenance team is responsible for providing training to operators on maintenance, proper use, and other related matters. 2. Maintenance model for mechanical equipment: Due to the specialized nature of mechanical equipment, a simple centralized management approach is not sufficient to meet the requirements of production and maintenance. Therefore, mechanical equipment requires a centralized + decentralized management approach; that is, the production units have a certain number of maintenance personnel who are responsible for routine maintenance, emergency repairs, and minor repairs to the equipment, which falls under the category of production maintenance models ； The maintenance company has a strong team of specialized technicians who are responsible for scheduled maintenance of equipment, major and medium-scale repairs, as well as other types of specialized maintenance; it operates on a model based on specialized and scheduled maintenance. Pipeline maintenance follows the management model for mechanical equipment: minor tasks such as leak repairs are handled by the maintenance staff, while the rest is carried out by specialized maintenance companies. 3. Installation work: The production department is not responsible for installation work; it is entirely the responsibility of the maintenance company or an installation company to carry out the installation tasks. The aforementioned maintenance management model can largely resolve the conflict between production departments and maintenance companies regarding emergency and planned work, but it is necessary to clarify the boundaries between them, strengthen the central coordination and management role of the functional management departments, enhance the assessment of comprehensive equipment management, and gradually establish a simulated market mechanism within the enterprise. Implement an autonomous operation mechanism for equipment management, gradually enable production units to strengthen basic management on their own, enhance equipment maintenance and proper use, reduce equipment failure rates, and increase equipment availability, thereby ensuring cost savings in production ； The maintenance company continuously improves its technical capabilities and service quality to ensure the long-term, stable operation of the production system.

Discussion on maintenance models (supplement): There are several companies whose maintenance models worth examining, namely the market-based approach to maintenance teams: Sichuan Vinylon Company and Lutianhua Company； Maintenance and installation: internal marketization – Tianjin Dagu Chemical Plant, Haijing Chemical Plant, etc.