Prioritising maintenance improvement opportunities in physical asset management

Date
2014-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering
Abstract
Physical Asset Management (PAM) initiatives suffer many barriers in implementation that can hinder their influence and sustainability. One of these barriers is the lack of buy-in from all levels in the organisation, due to a lack of understanding of the perceived benefits of PAM. Organisational alignment in a PAM project is achieved by aligning employees’ views on the deficient areas in the organisation, and managing their expectations of the perceived benefits of a good application of PAM. Barriers in implementation are created, however, by the lack of a transparent method for conveying the significance of critical areas in the system and by an unclear way of communicating these problems. Typically these initiatives are constrained by available resources. In order for PAM initiatives to be successful, there first needs to be an alignment in the execution through a clear understanding of which assets are critical, so that resources can be allocated effectively. In this study, this problem is thoroughly examined, and a method is sought that seeks to isolate the effects of the maintenance function in an operation and to uncover critical areas. A study is performed on the methods that are typically used to create such understanding. This study highlights the shortcomings of these methods, which limit their applicability. A new methodology is therefore created in order to overcome these problems. The methodology is validated through a case study, where it shown to be highly beneficial in uncovering critical areas and achieving organisational alignment through the communication of results.
Fisiese batebestuursinisiatiewe het verskeie implementeringstekortkominge wat hulle invloed en volhoubaarheid verhinder. Een van hierdie hindernisse is die gebrek aan ondersteuning van alle vlakke in die organisasie. Dit is as gevolg van ’n gebrekkige begrip van die voordele van batebestuur. Organisatoriese belyning by ’n batebestuursprojek word bereik deur almal te belyn oor wat die gebrekkige areas is, en om hulle verwagtinge oor die voordele te bestuur. Metodes om op ’n deursigtige wyse die kritieke areas aan te dui en te kommunikeer, ontbreek. Dít belemmer die uitvoer van projekte en die afwesigheid van empiriese bewyse van probleme, skep ‘n afhanklikheid van argumentatiewe menings wat dikwels verskil. Inisiatiewe word dikwels beperk deur die beskikbaarheid van hulpbronne, en ’n effektiewe toedeling van beskikbare hulpbronne is dus noodsaaklik. Om ’n suksesvolle batebestuursprojek dus uit te voer, moet daar eers ’n duidelike begrip en ooreenstemming wees oor wat die verskeie kritieke areas is wat die meeste aandag verlang, sodat hulpbronne doeltreffend toegeken kan word. In dié studie word hierdie probleem ondersoek deur oplossings na te vors. ’n Metode is gesoek wat daarop gemik is om die gevolge van batebestuur te isoleer in ’n produksiestelsel en kritiese areas te ontbloot. ’n Studie is uitgevoer op metodes wat gebruik word om sodanige analises uit te voer. Dit word gewys dat huidige metodes tekortkominge het wat die toepaslikheid beperk. ’n Nuwe metode is geskep wat gebruik maak van simulasie om hierdie probleme te oorkom. Die metode is gevalideer deur ’n gevallestudie, waar dit bevestig is dat die metode voordelig is om kritiese areas te ontbloot en om organisatoriese belyning te bewerkstellig deur effektiewe kommunikasie van die resultate.
Description
CITATION: Von Petersdorff, H. A. & Vlok, P. J. 2014. Prioritising maintenance improvement opportunities in physical asset management. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 25(3):154-168, doi:10.7166/25-3-755.
The original publication is available at http://sajie.journals.ac.za
Keywords
Physical asset management, Industrial engineering, Industrial equipment -- Management, Maintenance -- Management
Citation
Von Petersdorff, H. A. & Vlok, P. J. 2014. Prioritising maintenance improvement opportunities in physical asset management. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 25(3):154-168, doi:10.7166/25-3-755.