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Improve equipment efficiency through optimal maintenance

2007-12-19View Original

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I. Optimal Maintenance The criteria for optimal maintenance include: (1) 100% compliance of maintenance personnel with work instructions; (2) 90% of work orders are generated based on the results of preventive maintenance inspections ; (3) 30% of all work is preventive maintenance work ; (4) 90% of the work is carried out according to the plan/schedule ; (5) 100% compliance with the required reliability standards throughout all working hours ; (6) Parts shortages occur very rarely (less than once per month) ; (7) Overtime hours are less than 2% of the total maintenance time ; (8) Maintenance costs do not exceed the budget. The definition of optimal maintenance includes two categories: maintenance standards and methods. Maintenance standards refer to the measurable operational levels that maintenance should achieve; appropriate maintenance methods and strategies must be employed to meet these standards. Maintenance standards, along with elements such as maintenance methods and maintenance strategies, constitute a planned maintenance system. The optimal maintenance standards can only be achieved through the interconnection, interaction, and integration of a series of maintenance methods and strategies. II. Optimal maintenance focused on individual devices: At present, the focus of optimal maintenance standards has shifted from device maintenance management to maintenance tailored to specific devices. The key to solving this problem lies in corporate culture. To achieve success with an optimal maintenance strategy, it is necessary to shift from reactive maintenance to preventive maintenance; in this process, corporate culture plays an important role. Relevant data show that, with proper planning of maintenance tasks and schedules, and by adopting preventive maintenance approaches, a maintenance team of 25 people can accomplish the same amount of work as 40 people used to do in the past. Preventive maintenance includes improving employees’ work efficiency and reducing overtime hours, thereby boosting their confidence. III. Characteristics of preventive maintenance: To carry out optimal maintenance, it is necessary to develop the appropriate plans, preparing in advance schedules, assignments for individuals, various documents, and other elements. The key factors for the success of preventive maintenance organizations are attributed to: (1) providing maintenance workers with training in maintenance skills ; (2) Analyze changes in work processes and organizational structure ; (3) Establish a work instruction system ; (4) Prepare preventive maintenance task/program plans ; (5) Development of maintenance techniques ; (6) Identify, assign, and prepare training plans for personnel ; (7) Reasonably arrange the procurement and inventory management of materials and spare parts used for maintenance ; (8) Establish a computer maintenance management system ; (9) Conduct equipment maintenance management reviews, performance measurement, and tracking ; (10) Analyze the input-output ratio of equipment maintenance costs ; (11) Evaluate and select the contracting party. The analysis of the above-mentioned factors is as follows. 1. Provide skill training for maintenance workers: Analyze the tasks associated with each position, determine the skill levels required of maintenance staff, and conduct assessments of their knowledge and skills. Analyze the gap between the skills required and the existing skills, and determine the amount and level of training needed to close that skill gap. Establish a system of qualifications and certifications, use written tests and practical exercises to assess skill levels, provide feedback for skill training, and facilitate resource allocation when formulating maintenance plans. 2. Analyze changes in work processes and organizational structure: Make necessary changes to work processes and organizational structures to meet the requirements of the computer maintenance management system. When the workflow shifts from corrective maintenance to preventive maintenance, a computer-based maintenance management system is adopted to provide predictability for maintenance activities through an organized preventive maintenance process. 3. Establish a work order system. Work orders will serve as the core for the operation of the new preventive maintenance system, as well as for inputting information and receiving feedback in the computer maintenance management system. All tasks must be included in work instructions, and the 8 hours specified in those instructions should correspond to one working day at the job position. The equipment management department should determine the types of work instructions required, including planning, amendments, emergencies, etc. Work instructions should become the primary tool for managing human resources and measuring departmental efficiency. 4. Prepare preventive maintenance task/procedure plans. Standard maintenance procedure documents should include requirements for spare parts, materials, and consumables, the techniques and skill levels required to carry out the tasks, as well as the frequency of the tasks or the time required to perform them. The preventive maintenance plan document includes: (1) routine preventive maintenance. Lubrication, cleaning, inspection, replacement of minor spare parts, etc ; (2) Preventive replacement. Replace major spare parts based on operating hours ; (3) Retrofit or overhaul equipment according to the schedule ; (4) Preliminary maintenance ; (5) Condition-based or performance-based maintenance. 5. Development of maintenance techniques The primary task of the maintenance techniques department is to ensure the reliability of repairs. Its responsibilities include evaluating the effectiveness of preventive maintenance, developing predictive maintenance techniques and processes, monitoring equipment condition, preparing plans and schedules, guiding investigations into equipment failures, and analyzing the root causes of such failures. 6. Identify, assign, and train planning personnel. The planning personnel have the following responsibilities: (1) Establish a equipment numbering system and number all equipment ; (2) Establish preventive maintenance procedures for each piece of equipment ; (3) Create a detailed and accurate list of spare parts and materials for each piece of equipment ; (4) Create a detailed equipment history for each device ; (5) Determine the trends in equipment failures and areas requiring improvement by reviewing the equipment’s history ; (6) Formulate detailed work plan instructions (i.e., preventive maintenance procedures) ; (7) Provide the drawings required for maintenance to ensure that modifications and replacements can be made at any time and that everything remains valid ; (8) Arrange the special tools and equipment required for maintenance ; (9) Coordinate the relationship between equipment maintenance and production shutdowns on one hand, and normal production on the other ; (10) Determine the cost required for repairs ; (11) Assist in formulating the annual major maintenance plan for equipment ; (12) Prepare weekly maintenance progress reports. The planners need to be evaluated, and rigorous professional training should be provided if necessary. 7. Properly arrange the procurement and inventory management of maintenance materials and spare parts. Purchasing the spare parts needed for maintenance is an important way to save funds. When a contract or basic order agreement is signed, the equipment supplier usually agrees to ship the purchased goods in advance, which means that the large costs associated with purchasing spare parts for maintenance can be passed on to the supplier. Start by identifying the requirements for spare parts, materials, and consumables needed for repairs. All purchase list data should be entered into the computer repair management system. If these data are not available, one can turn to the equipment supplier, as they usually keep a list of spare parts categorized by device model. These lists in a unified format can also be directly downloaded into the computer repair management system. The computer maintenance management system has the capability to provide the spare parts needed for preventive maintenance planning, and it can generate a list of spare part requirements based on this. By entering into a \"just-in-time supply\" basic order agreement with suppliers, some spare parts do not need to be included in the procurement list. The barcode system is used to manage inventory spare parts, and the computerized maintenance management system enables inventory to be minimized while avoiding shortages of spare parts. 8. Computer Maintenance Management System: The computer maintenance management system plays a key role in enabling an organized and efficient transition to preventive maintenance; it is necessary to seize this ideal opportunity during the transition to a new maintenance model in order to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the databases of various modules, especially the equipment database. Disorder in the database can hinder or even prevent equipment maintenance from reaching optimal standards. 9. Conduct reviews of equipment maintenance management, as well as performance measurement and tracking. The latest upgrade to the computerized maintenance management system is the “report generation” feature, which enables the creation of accurate and effective reports for equipment maintenance, process research, production operations, spare parts procurement, and evaluation and management by senior management. The computer repair management system can provide the following reports and data: (1) Work order report ; (2) Completion Order Report ; (3) Average time between failures ; (4) Report on maintenance costs for individual equipment ; (5) Maintenance schedule implementation report ; (6) Report on Delay in Preventive Maintenance ; (7) Labor Distribution Report ; (8) Spare parts demand and consumption report ; (9) Input-output ratio analysis report. Cost is the fundamental factor in evaluating business activities. Before shifting to a preventive maintenance system, it may be necessary to accumulate at least two years’ worth of data on productivity (the cost per unit produced across the entire factory), maintenance labor costs, maintenance material costs, inventory/purchase costs, reliability/availability, and other related aspects. Once planning and carrying out the transformation and upgrading process begins, it is necessary to distinguish between the costs of preventive maintenance and those required for the daily operation of the equipment, in order to determine the total cost of implementing optimal maintenance. After the transition to maintenance mode is completed, it is necessary to continue accumulating various costs and operational data. Before collecting this data, a plan must be made in advance to identify the data from before and after the transition, so as to avoid comparing unrelated data and thus determine the true cost-benefit ratio. 10. Evaluate and select contract partners. It is necessary to determine the cost difference between internal repairs and outsourced repairs, as the entity responsible for repairs will affect the size of the repair department and its operating costs. Generally speaking, parties to the contract are considered potential candidates if they perform well in carrying out maintenance tasks, improving financial conditions, expanding projects, as well as in predictive maintenance and condition monitoring. Any maintenance activities, even those carried out by the contracted party, require the collection of relevant information and data, which must be entered into the computerized maintenance management system. All spare parts and materials supplied externally must come with detailed specifications, quality requirements, and terms regarding the responsibilities of the contracted party; only after meeting these requirements can a contract be signed. In short, shifting to a maintenance mode requires thorough planning, time, and effort, as well as the combined efforts of the entire organization. With such collective effort, the methods and measures mentioned above will be of great help.

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