Of strategic importance
November 1st 2007

While most maintenance professionals understand the massive amount of untapped value hidden in plant assets, the concept of strategic maintenance is typically left outside the scope of plant-wide business decisions. This is an unfortunate oversight, because it is the automation control system components – controllers, drives, motors, interfaces – that are the lifeblood and productivity engine in most manufacturing plants, says Chris Haines, customer support and maintenance manager at Rockwell Automation

Maintenance remains one of the few business areas where even a modest improvement can provide a significant boost to the top and bottom line, as well as product quality.

However, to produce the desired results, you must have a maintenance strategy that maximises performance of assets by applying the right activities to the right asset at the right stage in its lifecycle.

Preventive and predictive methods involve monitoring the condition and operation of equipment to assess whether it will fail, and then taking action to avoid the consequences. Predictive maintenance is normally applied to equipment used in critical processes and is measured in terms of cost avoidance or the avoidance of a failure occurring.

Predictive maintenance often provides enough advance warning of a problem that changes or repairs can be performed when there will be least disruption to production. A reactive maintenance approach is essentially 'run till it breaks'.

Determining the right maintenance mix Managing plant-floor equipment and assets strategically requires that every organisational function work toward the same goals. Equally important is the goal itself: the simpler, more focused the goal, the greater the chance it will be achieved.

The right mix is developed with the predetermined expectations of performance and uptime requirements as the end goal. For example, if a line goes down, what is the maximum allowable downtime limit? If the acceptable duration is relatively short, you should employ maintenance methods that ensure working replacements for critical parts are on hand and trained personnel are available in the event of a breakdown.

A fundamental principal behind strategic maintenance is an understanding that maintenance goes beyond simply keeping automation equipment running or repairing it after it has failed. Rather, it involves careful consideration of maintenance needs throughout the equipment's entire lifespan. At the core of strategic maintenance is the ability to optimally apply the right equipment, people and processes to maximise the return of the automation investment. One of the biggest barriers to optimising equipment/system performance is the failure to develop a maintenance strategy during the project design stage. In many cases, management often equates maintenance to simply extending the life of older equipment. The sophistication of today's plant-floor technologies often makes this 'strategy' ineffective and costly. By considering maintenance in the design/install phases, companies can determine and implement the right maintenance methodology for each piece of production equipment that will deliver the most ROI over the entire lifecycle.

Operate/Maintain – During the operate/maintain phase of the lifecycle, the focus is on maintaining an optimal production environment, from storeroom to plant floor to loading dock. Predictive, preventive and reactive strategies put in place during the design/install phase are used to achieve this objective. In the latter lifecycle stages, the value of maintenance lies in how cost- efficiently you can keep equipment up and running before having to replace it.

Replace – For many companies, the maintenance strategy in the replace stage is predominantly reactive. Often a preventive and/or predictive maintenance program was never implemented from the beginning. As a result, in the replace stage many companies face more frequent, unplanned breakdowns and a lack of technical resources makes it difficult and costly to extend equipment life. Had the appropriate preventive or predictive program been specified and implemented in the design/install phase of the lifecycle, it would have included a plan to replace aging equipment at the most cost-effective time.

Reaping the rewards Today's technology means almost every phase of production can be fine-tuned for maximum yield, quality and profit. But technology is only part of the equation; the knowledge and expertise to install, operate and maintain that technology for optimal performance is the missing link.

This is where a strategic approach to maintenance pays dividends – with a carefully orchestrated plan that begins in the engineering department at the design phase and incorporates the right combination of predictive, preventive, and reactive maintenance methods throughout the equipment lifecycle. Such as approach will produce a production environment that maximises uptime, reduces costs and increases profits.

To help develop the right maintenance strategy, companies are collaborating more with vendors of industrial automation equipment. Rockwell Automation, for example, can help companies meet production and business goals through its global resources, heritage in the automation industry, leading edge products and solutions, services and support.

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