Asset maintenance in manufacturing is more than just a company’s program to maintain its assets. It is a vital link to organizational success because it can reduce unplanned losses and improve overall efficiency. All too often large and small companies buy into the myth that a canned maintenance program is the solution to their problems. They purchase the latest software package to manage their maintenance program, fill it with PM tasks, and still have trouble with the goal of preventing lost-time production and improving equipment reliability. Maintenance programs in asset management are the central hub that affects equipment efficiency. When something goes wrong with equipment there are usually only two questions asked: “What broke?” and “Who is going to fix it?” This happens even with the best software management programs. Replace this reactive methodology with an effective maintenance work plan strategy that addresses root cause and will implement preventive or predictive solutions. Then you will move forward to preventing unplanned downtime losses by improving the reliability of equipment. There are various reasons for reliability problems so they need to be addressed according to each asset’s needs. With the focus on preventing unplanned equipment downtime, we need to use the seven standard questions we learned in school: Who, What, Why, When, Where, How, and How Much. These are the elements that need to be included in the maintenance work plans. Each question is asked in the context of “Will this prevent a failure from happening or reoccurring?” What – This is the maintenance strategy that is to be performed. It can be a standard task such as lubrication, inspection, adjustment, replacement, or cleaning. It could also be a condition-based task or require using a specialized predictive technology. Will this task prevent unplanned downtime? Who – Is the maintenance task best […]