Managing maintenance for equipment performance
Abstract
This research sought to address two basic questions: (1) How should maintenance practices be designed to accommodate specific characteristics of different production technologies? (2) How does the fit between production technology and the management of maintenance impact maintenance performance? Production technology was described by three characteristics: technical complexity, interdependence and technical variety. Maintenance performance was measured by total maintenance cost and by maintenance contributions to reductions in production costs and improvements in product quality and equipment availability. Eleven hypotheses were developed and tested using data collected from sample of 180 manufacturing plants. Data were obtained using a survey that was sent to the Production Manager and Maintenance Manager in each plant. Chi-square tests were used to test hypotheses that certain maintenance practices would be closely associated with higher levels of technical complexity, interdependence and technical variety. Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were used to test the performance hypotheses. These hypotheses predicted that maintenance performance would be higher when high technical complexity, interdependence or technical variety was accompanied by maintenance practices that increased communication and coordination, improved technical expertise or supported equipment failure response and prevention. Of the three characteristics of production technology, technical complexity was found to have the greatest association with the use of different maintenance practices. The performance hypotheses received little support. However, the use of cross-functional maintenance teams and the use of preventive and predictive maintenance programs were found to result in improved maintenance performance regardless of the type of production technology in use.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Woo, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Management
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