This is the Chaos Theory of Maintenance Management and, unfortunately, I bet you recognise it. You certainly wouldn’t last long in business running processes like this. So why do we accept it in maintenance management? If you are happy with chaos theory in your process, stop reading now, I am happy for you. Maybe not happy for your shareholders, but you go for it! While it lasts. My apologies to our maintenance engineering humans. There is nothing wrong with them, not in the slightest. It’s just that the very skill set that makes them good reactive maintenance engineers almost precludes them from accepting proactive systems and processes. There is however absolutely no reason in the modern environment that the maintenance function cannot be run with the same accuracy, predictability and transparency as a manufacturing process. The good news is that it also does not require expensive resources and is simple to achieve. The reason why even the holiest systems will devolve to this level is the lack of formalised systems and processes. All it takes is negative culture and weak management to quickly undo years of positive work. In order to improve maintenance management performance for the long term, the site must develop the maintenance scheduling systems and processes as a primary step before attempting to introduce maintenance planning disciplines. Put another way, why have a plan if you are not going to action it? Put in the simplest terms, a truly successful maintenance management system will aim to put the right man on the right job at the right time with the right resources. This is the essential difference between Maintenance Planning and Maintenance Scheduling. Let me describe a healthy maintenance management system: It has well developed maintenance plans utilising justin time resourcing instead of high inventory stores. Maintenance plans are fully optimised and bankable, based on evolved condition prediction and trades-confirmed resource requirements. Maintenance is the priority because our maintenance plans have evolved away from feel good periodic checks to optimised invasion points. The maintenance scheduling function adds approved non-maintenance and corrective maintenance tasks to the existing planned maintenance schedule. The schedule is a reality driven rolling document that reflects the real site capability (reality schedule), (normally on a week by week basis). The reality schedule does not have nice-to-do tasks but only tasks expected to be auctioned. The tradesmen understand and work to a 100% schedule achievement. Non-achievement is the exception, not the rule. There is no backlog. How can you do a job last week? Unachieved tasks are put back into the forward schedule. The operation understands the professionalism of the maintenance plans and processes and considers the schedule as bankable. They strive to make the plant available as the c onsequences of deferral are understood. Sound wacky? Think about it in terms of running a manufacturing process. Strangely, the hardest thing to achieve above is the man management, which is where your systems and processes meet culture and management. It looks hard so it must be. Damn right. Moving site cultures away from comfort points is always going to stand on some toes. This may sound like total fantasy on your site but the challenge to you is to stand up and make it happen. If making the journey to maintenance excellence appeals to you, here are my top five foundation steps to success: • Publicly state that you are going to create a professional and proactive maintenance function. • Define the difference between maintenance and non-maintenance tasks (what are you here to do?) • Engage support for your processes from the highest level of your operation. • Make sure you are rewarding your staff for success, not failure. • Engage the entire operation in your systems and processes. Formalise it, live it, breathe it, back it. The journey from ‘OK’ to ‘excellence’ is not that difficult and does not take a lot of expense, training, resources or tools. It takes the cheapest, most effective resource out there, attitude. There are some distinct steps along the way and embedded cultures that you might have to stomp on, but the rewards are enormous, in dollar and self-esteem terms. If I haven’t touched a nerve, then good on you. You either have your act together and are already a white knight of engineering, or are blissfully unaware of a world outside of the trench. If you work in isolation, a great starting point is by talking to your peers and mentors at the Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ).MESNZ strives to support and lift the game of maintenance engineers in New Zealand. That is why MESNZ receives my full support. MESNZ seeks to encourage engineers to share their experience and achievements. The society achieves this by recounting its collective experiences and inspirations to maintenance engineers throughout the country, via print, mentoring, the National Maintenance Engineering Conference or connecting companies with practitioners. 14-15-16 November 2017 Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton Sponsor and Exhibitor Enquiries Welcome More information: www.nmec.co.nz Lifting the Game of Maintenance Engineering O P I N I O N www.engineeringnews.co.nz 11
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