Much of this book is dedicated to defining the
maintenance function as it relates to physical asset
management. This is due to the fact that maintenance is
an ongoing activity that typically has the most significant
impact on a physical asset throughout the physical assets
life. It affects factors such as; appearance, safety, health,
comfort, efficiency, reliability, productivity, longevity,
value and quality.
When properly defined and implemented, a maintenance
program will provide a value added service that ensures
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that the physical asset will always meet the expectations
of the stakeholders. Many organizations have hundreds
and even thousands of physical assets that must be cared
for at regularly scheduled intervals with a multitude of
involved tasks and activities. These activities can be
extremely difficult to track without the use of some type
of automated scheduling system. Maintenance activities
can be classified into different categories. The most
useful maintenance activity consists of regularly
scheduled preventive measures such as cleaning and
inspections. Certain physical assets have components
and devices that will fail at known or approximated
predictive intervals. These activities must be scheduled
as well. To make matters even more complex, physical
assets also experience failures that in many cases need
to be addressed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
This type of work is known as reactive. In many cases,
reactive maintenance is the most costly form of
maintenance due to the fact that it usually affects
physical asset availability. In some cases the failure of
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one component can cause other components to fail as
well causing a domino effect. Reactive maintenance
scenarios are sometimes purposely put into place. This is
due to the fact that in some instances running to failure
does not have negative effects and it would be more
costly to have a preventive or predictive program in place
to counter the failure. The typical maintenance entity
within an organization is also utilized to perform
responsive projects such as expansions, upgrades and
rebuilds to name a few.
We have identified four types of maintenance activities
that typically need to be accommodated as part of an
effective maintenance program. These are Preventive,
Predictive, Reactive and Responsive. A well planned
maintenance program will minimize any unwanted or
unacceptable reactive maintenance by implementing
preventive and predictive maintenance. It is extremely
important that these maintenance activities are tracked
and recorded properly. The typical method for managing
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these activities is through the use of an inventory control
and work order system.
Many maintenance activities also require the use of
supplies and materials. Consumables such as cleaning
products, lubricants, paper products and spare parts for
buildings, machinery and equipment usually require
some type of inventory control system.
Personnel protective equipment and tools are also
needed to perform many maintenance activities. Many
organizations utilize a tool inventory system to monitor,
track and control the use of these.
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Environmental Maintenance
Based on the condition that the majority of schools,
parks, stores, casinos, hotels, banks, restaurants,
hospitals, airports and theaters are kept in, it is apparent
that people prefer a clean, organized, manicured and
comfortable environment. In many cases, environments
like these contribute to positive feelings and thoughts.
This type of environment also requires that regularly
scheduled maintenance activities be performed. The
environment in which we live affects the attitude,
productivity and efficiency of people. It leaves us with
positive or negative thoughts, feelings and impressions.
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We enjoy living and working in environments that
promote
positive
thoughts
and
feelings.
The
thoroughness of an organizations maintenance activities
can be easily assessed by the condition and cleanliness of
their restrooms, designated eating areas and work
environment. Activities such as 5S serve to organize and
clean the environment whereas kaizen activities can
optimize efficiency but it requires maintenance activities
to maintain these established environments.
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Maintenance Program
The way in which a maintenance program functions can
vary dramatically in different organizations. This is once
again influenced by the size and nature of the
organization. The required functions and activities can
vary considerably based on the types of physical assets
that are being maintained and the functions that they are
utilized for.
So where do we start? The success of a maintenance
program relies on several factors which we will discuss in
detail. Some of these factors include;
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Resources such as people, tools, materials and
equipment.
Available and accurate information.
Work flow structure and process.
Accountability and traceability.
Stakeholder support.
Resources are of vital importance. Let’s face it, people
are your number one asset. The skills, experience and
knowledge that they possess should complement the
maintenance group and is a primary influencing factor
towards proper maintenance program implementation
and support. Collectively, and through proper guidance
and support, this group is what keeps the maintenance
engine running smoothly. People can’t do the work
properly or efficiently without the right tools, materials,
parts and supplies. A properly managed, organized and
regularly monitored inventory control system is a must.
Don’t underestimate the amount of work that is required
to setup a detailed and functional inventory control
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system. Keep in mind that the objective should be to
provide true traceability and accountability for the
materials, parts, supplies and tools that will be used.
Accurate physical asset information and documentation
is extremely important. This information is used to
determine a physical assets needs and requirements.
Preventive and predictive maintenance schedules are
typically derived through the use of this information. In
many instances, maintenance activities require service,
repair and support information. This information usually
includes specifications, documents, drawings and
manuals. The information that is collected and recorded
is invaluable. It provides historical data that can be used
to refine the maintenance program thus promoting
continual process improvement.
The following described work flow process or something
that resembles this description very closely is utilized in
many organizations. The maintenance work flow process
typically begins with either a regularly scheduled
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maintenance activity that has already been defined or a
work request that has been submitted by an individual
that has a need for a task or project to be performed. In
either case, a work order is created. The work order is
either assigned to or accepted by an individual that will
complete the work order. The work order is the heart of
the maintenance program and can be quite involved. It
provides the traceability for maintenance activities and
typically includes a considerable amount of information
such as;
Assigned work order number.
Original work request number.
Work requestor name.
Date that the work request was submitted.
Date the work request is due.
Type of work request
Physical asset information.
Type of work such as preventive, predictive,
reactive and responsive.
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A detailed description of the work that is
required.
Work and physical asset location information.
Inspection and checklists.
Safety and work related instructions.
Actual work that was performed including
details such required skills, date that the work
was performed and task durations.
Services that were utilized.
Material, supplies and parts that were used.
Attachments such as photos and documents.
Reactive work orders usually require additional
information such as failure type, investigative
observations, problems, symptoms and findings,
root cause and recommended corrective
measures.
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MAINTENANCE WORK FLOW
Automatically
Manually Entered By
Generated
The Requestor
By the CMMS or
(Work Request)
Scheduled
Preventive Predictive
Reactive
Responsive
Work Request
Work Order
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The work order is the tool that provides accountability
and traceability of maintenance activities. The
importance of detailed work order information cannot be
overemphasized and in many cases is underestimated.
This information provides an invaluable resource to
monitor and track physical asset information and
performance and aids in the performance management
of maintenance personnel as individuals and as a group.
As previously stated in this book, stakeholder support is
an absolute must and the success of a maintenance
program depends on it. Owners, investors, managers,
users and maintenance personnel must understand the
basic concepts of physical asset management and the
importance of the related factors. A good understanding
of these concepts helps to foster a partnership and sense
of universal ownership of the physical assets. Concepts
such as Total Productive Maintenance (autonomous
maintenance) rely on the success of these relationships.
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Maintenance Schedules
The majority of physical assets require that some type of
regularly
scheduled
preventive
or
predictive
maintenance activity is performed. These activities
should be carefully evaluated and determined. There is
such a thing as too much and also not enough
maintenance.
Too
much
maintenance
causes
unnecessary excessive costs. On the other hand, too little
maintenance can cause excessive reactive maintenance
or physical asset deterioration which will also lead to
excessive costs. In some cases, the balance between too
much and not enough may take some time to figure out
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based on physical asset performance history. The nature
and type of physical asset including any supporting
information will usually aid in determining some or all of
the maintenance requirements.
Reactive Maintenance
In many cases, reactive maintenance, also known as “Fire
Fighting”, which is typically caused by a “run to failure”
scenario is the most costly form of maintenance. Many
physical assets are utilized in processes or for purposes
where they cannot be easily replaced due to significant
cost factors and play an important part in the image,
success and reputation of the organization. It is usually in
the organizations better interest to minimize or even
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eliminate reactive maintenance in these types of
situations. As mentioned elsewhere in this book, in some
physical asset applications, reactive maintenance cannot
be tolerated at all due to the associated failure costs
which can actually destroy the image and reputation of
an organization and may even force them out of
existence. However, there are situations where the cost
of regular maintenance may be greater than the cost of
physical asset replacement and the unavailability of the
asset can be easily accommodated.
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Computerized Maintenance Management
As you can probably imagine, if an organization has
hundreds or even thousands of physical assets, the
required maintenance activities can be extremely
difficult to manage without the use of some type of
computerized system. Computerized maintenance
management has become an essential tool for many
organizations. In most cases and when properly
implemented, the majority of organizations find these
systems indispensable and couldn’t imagine functioning
properly without them.
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A Computerized Maintenance Management System
(CMMS) is typically based on some form of a database.
Databases collect information that is typically entered by
users. The database itself is usually comprised of a
frontend and a backend. The frontend is what is referred
to as the user interface. This is what the user sees and
utilizes to enter, view and extract information to and
from the backend. The backend usually consists of tables
or files that the information is stored in. Some form of
network connections are usually utilized to connect the
frontend (user computers and tablets) to the backend
(server).
CMMS Selection
The type of CMMS that is utilized is extremely important
towards the continued success and efficiency of a
maintenance group. A considerable amount of time and
money goes into the implementation of a successful
CMMS. Careful evaluation should go into physical asset
maintenance requirements and the maintenance
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program itself. It is best to take some time and make a
list of the type of data that the organization wants to
track. The various available systems are different and
internal organizational structures and requirements
differ as well. Sometimes the ideally suited CMMS
requires customization to meet the organizations
requirements. Some forms of CMMS are quite complex
and be intimidating at first. The organization and
structure of the system needs to be carefully evaluated
and should be user friendly due to the fact that this
system will most likely be used daily by many people with
many different skill levels.
CMMS Implementation
The most tim