Integrated maintenance policies for performance improvement of a multi-unit repairable, one product manufacturing system

Abstract

Planned and unplanned downtime emanating from maintenance, production, and operational function adversely affects the performance of manufacturing plants. This paper develops joint maintenance, production and process/operations control policies integrating Opportunistic Maintenance (OM), which takes advantage of external (operational-related downtimes) and internal maintenance opportunities. The study quantifies the effects of maintenance strategies on the plant’s performance, here, the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), which importantly presents insights on maintenance decision support for production facilities facing significant operational-related stoppages. The study integrates both economic and structural dependence and models the influence of alternative maintenance actions of different maintenance policies, on product quality. The developed model is validated by applying to a multi-unit repairable, imperfectly maintained raw meal grinding system of a cement plant. From the simulation modelling results, integration of the opportunistic maintenance approach, complementary to corrective, preventive and condition-based maintenance strategies, show more enhanced equipment performance, as measured through the OEE.

Keywords:

• Preventive maintenance
• corrective maintenance
• opportunistic maintenance
• product quality
• OEE
• manufacturing system

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James M. Wakiru

James Wakiru is a doctoral student at the Centre for Industrial Management, KU Leuven, Belgium. He has MSc Industrial Engineering and Management, MBA-Marketing and BSc Mechanical Engineering. James is a PhD student in asset maintenance and performance management.

Liliane Pintelon

Liliane Pintelon is a Full Professor at the KU Leuven Centre of Industrial Management/Traffic Infrastructure (CIB), Leuven, Belgium. Her research interests spans across the industrial and healthcare sectors, in risk management, healthcare logisitics, safety engineering, operations management, production management, asset maintenance and performance management and maintenance decision making.

Peter Muchiri

Peter Muchiri is an Associate Professor at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in Kenya. He received both his Masters in Industrial management and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven (CIB), Belgium. His research interests are in production management, Operations management, asset maintenance and performance management and maintenance decision making.

Peter Chemweno

Peter Chemweno is an Assistant Professor in the University of Twente – The Netherlands. He received both his Masters in Industrial Management and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven, Belgium. His research interests are in risk management, maintenance and performance management and maintenance decision making.