The basic philosophy
of managed
maintenance is to economically maintain
equipment and facilities in proper condition
by identifying problems in their initial
stage, making appropriate adjustments,
and correcting problems at the first opportunity
while minimizing unplanned
shutdowns.
This requires attention to detail and
considerable planned inspection
and monitoring activity. For
equipment, this includes idle,
shutdown, and operating periods.
When purchasing new
equipment, maintainability is a
key consideration.
Operation and
Maintenance
Every organization should
have a clearly defined written
maintenance program that includes:
a) A policy statement
and a maintenance manual, or
equivalent, spelling out a definite
assignment of responsibilities
and accountabilities; and b)
preventive maintenance practices
and procedures.
Maintenance practices and
procedures should address: a)
Equipment records; b) Maintenance
requirements for each
piece of equipment critical to production,
valuable equipment and for the facility
itself.
Facility personnel should ensure that
equipment is operated within design parameters
and preferably within control
limits. Exceeding design parameters
should not be done without concurrence
of the manufacturer.
All necessary testing and monitoring
programs should be implemented in a logical
manner (i.e., following manufacturer’s
recommended practices and data sheets).
Planned inspection and testing activities
are an integral part of equipment condition
evaluation and need the commitment and approaches
for planning inspection and
testing activities, many of which are integrated
into maintenance scheduling
and planning tools.
Building and support systems should receive
visual inspection and routine servicing
in accordance with recognized
engineering practices (i.e., periodic examination
of roof areas to determine condition,
build-up of debris, condition of
flashings, etc.). Special consideration
should be given to seasonal concerns such
as clearing roof drains, clearing snow from
the lower areas of multilevel roofs, checking
for freeze potential, and in wind-prone
areas, checking the securement of roofs, wall panels, etc.
Equipment should be supervised to ensure
that performance is within its design
specifications and control limits. At a
minimum, parameters critical to operations
should be appropriately monitored.
Operating personnel must also be aware
of the proper response to prevent or control
damage when operating parameters
reach their limits or change drastically.
They should be authorized
to act accordingly.
Operating records should be
regularly reviewed and evaluated
by trained, qualified personnel
who are empowered to take appropriate
actions.
To ensure accuracy of machinery
condition monitoring and
control, supervisory and safety
equipment, such equipment and
systems should be regularly
checked and calibrated in accordance
with the equipment manufacturer’s
specifications.
Provide a maintenance schedule
for all equipment and facilities
requiring maintenance
actions. The frequency and extent
of activity should be determined
on the basis of experience
with similar equipment and
buildings and of the recommendations
of equipment manufacturers, user
groups, data sheets and trade and technical
associations.
All abnormal occurrences should be
documented and carefully evaluated; and
corrective measures (repairs, modifications,
improvements, etc.), completed in
a timely manner.
All maintenance activity, operation history
and equipment modifications, as well
as the types and quantities of replacement
parts (spares), should be recorded.
After completion of repair work, suitable
testing should be carried out prior to
operation to establish and record new
baselines for monitoring.
Managed Maintenance
Managed maintenance applies to production
equipment, support equipment,
and facilities. Breakdown (unplanned)
maintenance is generally unacceptable.
However, it can be an acceptable part
of managed maintenance when the
equipment or facility:
• Is low cost;
• Is readily available in the market place;
• Has negligible time element/business
interruption (TE/BI) impact; and
• Presents minimal potential for consequential
damage (whether from mechanical
or electrical breakdown, fire,
collapse, etc.).
The necessary sophistication of a managed
maintenance program varies with
the complexity and size of a facility.
However, regardless of size, complexity
or sophistication, to be effective, a program
should embody certain basic elements,
which are described in the section
that follows.
Planning and Scheduling
Maintenance can be scheduled either
by manual or automated means, either of
which will generate a work order. The
required work order should be concise
and clear to the worker and should provide
adequate information for the task
required.
The work order should be designed to
include feedback. Feedback is essential
on each activity and should be entered
into the equipment record. Employee
identification and actual time used should
be included.
Unscheduled maintenance is normally
handled via a maintenance work order. Provision
for feedback on this form is also essential
and, like scheduled maintenance,
required information should be entered into
the equipment record. The current status of
all active work orders should be known.
Records
Records (historical data) pertinent to
equipment and facilities covered by the
program should be maintained, including
at a minimum: building blueprints, equipment
nameplate data, purchasing information,
age, design and installation
information, acceptance test data, and applicable
data from the manufacturer’s
technical manuals.
Also record inspections and tests
completed and their results, scheduled
and unscheduled maintenance and cost,
repair parts and materials used and cost,modifications and capital improvements
completed, and application changes.
Audit
An audit, including maintenance performance
checks, should be performed on a
planned basis by a knowledgeable person,
preferably from outside the maintenance
organization. The audit should include, but
not be limited to the following:
• Equipment operating records;
• Maintenance activity records;
• Maintenance activity backlog lists;
• Previously made recommendations
(maintenance, manufacturer, etc.);
• Letters and bulletins from equipment
manufacturers;
• Equipment records;
• Planned dismantle inspections of major
equipment; and
• Periodic tour through the facility.
Audit activities should involve an intensive
review of records to determine if
maintenance activities or frequencies
should be altered.
Contract Maintenance
Where contract maintenance services
are utilized, management should be clear on exactly what services and servicing
equipment are provided. Also, management
should identify which equipment and
what activities remain the responsibility of
the facility and how facility and contractor
personnel will interface. Both the service
requirements and completed work records
should be provided to the facility in documented
form and reviewed by the facility
on a regular basis to ensure that contract
requirements are met.
Failure Analysis
As an aid to preventing recurrence of
similar incidents and for revision of the
maintenance program, investigations
should be made into the root causes of
significant equipment breakdowns or
building problems.
The investigation should result in a
report which should contain specific recommendations
to prevent recurrence. Application
of these recommendations to similar
equipment and facilities should be evaluated
and lessons learned should be recorded to
prevent such recurrences in the future. ❑
Source:
FM Global’s Maintenance and
Inspection Property Loss Prevention Data
Sheet.
