Maintenance by definition is any activity carried out on an asset in order to ensure that the asset continues to perform its intended functions.

With margin rocking from slim to flat, operators are sharpening their pencils in an effort to find new avenues of controlling or reducing operational costs. And very often the maintenance department find themselves with diminishing funds to continue maintaining the facility while attempting to operate them safely and reliably. In addition, when new assets are added to the facility via modifications or new capital project, the equipment usually requires new maintenance procedure.

The next delicate balancing act maintenance people are faced with is regulatory requirements. They are expected to improve and maintain the existing assets to meet existing statutory requirements (i.e. inspection of pressure vessels), and environmental standards.

Maintenance Assessment Protocol
• In order to meet all these challenges, there is a need to identify maintenance strategy which works for each individual facility. Through benchmarking your current operation against today’s’ best practices for continuous improvement, preventive maintenance, planning and scheduling, effective MRO, materials management, storeroom operation’s, inventory control, work orders, work control and the effective use of computerized systems for maintenance and respective business system.
  
  The purpose of MAP is to first identify the areas of client’s predominant needs, to best apply their resources. The needs would be directly related to the purpose and function of the facility with overall productivity improvement as the goal. The MAP process would evaluate present levels of performance, compare the performance to a best practice or client’s specific performance criteria, develop a plan for moving forward to achieve expected targets, and finally recommend the best actions in each area of needs to achieve a step-change performance improvement. The recommended actions would include a cost-benefit analysis.

Elements to be Evaluated
• There are few elements which will form the base evaluation and these elements can be modified or added when required. The 6 basic elements include:
  • Frame Conditions: statutory legislation, corporate regulation and other frame conditions.
  • Assets – process indicators, assets element.
  • Governing – maintenance objectives and strategy, strategic elements, management and leaderships.
  • Supporting – spare parts, purchasing, workshop, tools, CMMS, organization/human relation, contractor’s policy, documentation, and finance.
  • Work process – maintenance program, planning and scheduling, execution of work, reporting, analysis, improvement measures.

Benefit of MAP Program
• Upon completion of the MAP project a client should be able to:
  • Clearly identify and understand the areas that need improvement the most
  • Rate performance in relative to their competition and their performance goals
  • Optimize allocation of resources
  • Move forward with specific recommendations for risk and asset management
  • Know the cost-benefits of implementing activities to improve overall performance