Maintenance Programs andStrategies

What is a Maintenance Strategy?

A maintenance strategy is simply a plan that tells you when, how, and why to maintain your equipment. This serves as a roadmap for maintaining equipment while minimizing costs and downtime effectively to prolong the life of the machine and its productive time. 

The maintenance strategy goes beyond the traditional “fix it when it breaks” approach and provides a systematic equipment maintenance approach that aligns with your business goals. 

A maintenance strategy answers three basic questions:

Maintenance Strategy Vs. No Maintenance Strategy?

Key Fundamentals of Any Maintenance Strategy

1. Equipment Classification

Since not all equipment is equally important, your strategy should categorize equipment based on the following criteria:

Critical Equipment: Machines that stop production completely if they fail

Important Equipment: Machines that reduce production capacity if they fail

Non-Critical Equipment: Machines that have minimal impact on production

2. Risk-Based Approach

Consider both the probability of failure and the consequences of that failure. High-risk equipment (high probability of failure with severe consequences) must get the most attention and resources. 

3. Balance of Maintenance Types

The most effective strategies combine different maintenance approaches:

• Reactive maintenance for low-impact non-critical equipment
• Preventive maintenance for critical systems and machines
• Predictive maintenance where technology and cost justify it or also or critical equipment
• Condition-based maintenance for equipment you can easily monitor

4. Resource Alignment

Your strategy must be by the available resources. Check these:

• Skills and availability of maintenance staff
• Budget constraints
• Spare parts inventory and availability in a geographic area
• Maintenance tools and technology are available

Core Maintenance Strategies for Lean Operations

• Preventive Maintenance Strategy

This approach involves scheduled maintenance activities based on time intervals or usage metrics. It’s more like changing your vehicle’s oil every 5,000 miles to prevent problems upfront. 

Maintenance strategy example: 

An injection molding facility schedules weekly lubrication of all moving parts, monthly calibration of temperature controls, and quarterly replacement of wear components. Why? Because experts know this practice will help them prevent unexpected breakdowns, which could otherwise halt production lines. 

• Predictive Maintenance Methodology

The data-driven approach allows businesses to predict equipment failure. Sensors, vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and other technologies can be used to make predictions. 

Instead of relying on schedules, businesses use actual real-time equipment conditions and data to inform their decision-making. 

How does this maintenance support lean principles? The predictions enable businesses to eliminate unnecessary maintenance while preventing unexpected failures—a concept that forms the core of lean manufacturing. 

Maintenance strategy example: 

An automotive parts manufacturer uses vibration sensors on critical machinery to detect bearing wear. If vibration patterns indicate potential failure within the next 2-3 weeks, responsible professionals will plan maintenance during the next scheduled production break.

• Condition-Based Maintenance Methods

The condition-based approach resembles the maintenance approach. It typically involves manual inspections and measurements rather than continuous monitoring. (that is found in the maintenance approach)

Operators and technicians employ various maintenance methods, including oil analysis, visual inspections, and performance measurements, to regularly assess the condition of equipment. 

This approach works particularly well in smaller operations where extensive sensor networks might not be cost-effective.

• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

TPM was initially developed as a part of the Toyota Production System. It involves operators in routine maintenance tasks and emphasizes overall equipment effectiveness. Besides its eight pillars, TPM relies on the core idea that holds everyone responsible for equipment care and takes ownership of the machinery they operate. 

Operators perform daily inspections, basic maintenance, and early detection of problems. The maintenance teams, on the other hand, deal with more complex tasks. 

Maintenance strategy example: 

Consider a group of operators conducting:

•  5-minute startup inspections
• Checking fluid levels
• cleaning equipment between changeovers
• Log any unusual sounds or vibrations on a packaging line 

Maintenance technicians perform weekly preventive maintenance tasks and investigate any concerns reported by operators. 

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Maintenance Methodologies That Support Lean Principles

• Risk-Based Maintenance

This methodology involves maintenance activities based on the potential impact of equipment failure. Critical equipment that could shut down entire production lines receives more attention than redundant or non-critical systems. 

This risk assessment considers factors like:

• Safety implications
• Production impact
• Repair costs and repair time
• Spare parts availability, including lead times of spares

Using this approach, businesses allocate more resources to where they are needed. 

• Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM)

RCM is a systematic approach that asks, “What maintenance tasks are important to maintain equipment function?” It’s particularly valuable in lean environments because it eliminates maintenance waste while ensuring reliability. 

The CRM process involves:

• Analyzing equipment functions
• Identifying potential failure modes
• Assessing the consequences of failures 
• Selecting appropriate maintenance tasks

• Autonomous Maintenance

This methodology empowers operators to take ownership of basic equipment care. With this maintenance improvement strategy in place, the burden on maintenance teams is considerably reduced. 

This doesn’t replace professional maintenance – it only creates an additional layer of care to catch the problems early.

Also, a culture of equipment stewardship is developed. 

Operators learn to clean, inspect, lubricate, and make minor adjustments to their equipment. 

Implementing Your Maintenance Improvement Strategy

This structured approach consists of the following steps:

• Start with Equipment Criticality Assessment

Classify your equipment based on its impact on production, safety, and quality. Not all equipment requires the same level of maintenance attention. 

• Choose the Right Mix of Maintenance Methods

Most successful operations, rather than relying on a single approach, employ a combination of maintenance strategies. 

Here’s how your maintenance improvement strategy might look:

• Predictive maintenance for critical rotating equipment
• Time-based preventive maintenance for safety systems
• Condition-based maintenance for auxiliary equipment
• Operator-performed autonomous maintenance for routine care

• Leverage Technology Appropriately

Modern maintenance management systems can track work orders, schedule tasks, manage inventory, and analyze performance data. SAP is one system that can be used to do this.

However, here’s an important point to learn. Remember that the tech you intend to incorporate should support your strategy. 

The better way is to start with transparent maintenance methodologies, then add technology to improve efficiency.

• Focus on Continuous Improvement

To ensure continuous improvement, regularly track metrics such as mean time between failures, maintenance costs per unit produced, and overall equipment effectiveness. Use this data to refine your maintenance methods over time. 

Measuring Maintenance Strategy Success

The  following key performance indicators are included in maintenance strategies:

• Reduced unplanned downtime
• Lower maintenance costs per unit produced
• Improved equipment reliability
• Higher overall equipment effectiveness
• Decreased emergency maintenance calls

Pro Tip: The goal mustn’t be perfect equipment reliability. It should be more reliability-oriented, balancing costs, risks, and business objectives.

Key Takeaways:

Understanding of your equipment, production requirements, and business constraints is crucial for creating an effective maintenance strategy.

Begin by:

• Documenting your current maintenance methods
• Identifying improvement opportunities
• Gradually implementing new maintenance methodologies

The most successful maintenance improvement strategies align closely with lean manufacturing principles, including waste elimination, flow creation, and continuous improvement. 

You’ll see improvements in equipment performance and overall operational efficiency only when your maintenance approach supports lean goals. 

Your maintenance strategy must demonstrate how different approaches work together to support your specific operational needs.

All set to implement maintenance strategies and add more value to lean manufacturing? 

Share Your Take on Maintenance Strategies

Are you a professional with sound experience and knowledge about maintenance strategies? If yes, we’re eager to hear from you. 

Write to us on our dedicated page where professionals like you share their expertise.