Maintenance management

Newsletter

Efficient maintenance management

Maintenance management is an indispensable component for manufacturing companies, as it ensures the availability and efficiency of machines and systems. The correct planning and implementation of maintenance measures can reduce downtimes, lower production costs and extend the service life of systems. It also makes a decisive contribution to increasing operational reliability and optimizing production processes, which strengthens a company’s competitiveness in the long term.

Maximizing efficiency: Total Productive Maintenance

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a preventive maintenance approach that aims to maximize the efficiency and availability of machines by involving all employees – from management to operators – in maintenance.

Main aspects:
Increasing machine availability: TPM reduces unplanned downtime through regular inspections and preventive maintenance.

Employee involvement: All employees take on maintenance tasks, which promotes personal responsibility and relieves maintenance teams.

Prevention of errors and accidents: Machine breakdowns and accidents are reduced through training and regular maintenance.

Continuous improvement: Optimizing processes increases the effectiveness of the systems (OEE) and reduces losses.

Cost reduction: TPM reduces maintenance and downtime costs in the long term and improves product quality.

TPM increases efficiency, reduces costs and promotes employee responsibility, which increases machine availability and production quality in the long term.

Maintenance: Ensuring service life and functionality 

Maintenance is of central importance in maintenance management in order to ensure the service life and functionality of systems.

There are different types of maintenance:

  • Preventive maintenance: Regular, planned maintenance to avoid breakdowns.
  • Corrective maintenance: Repairs after a failure to restore operation.
  • Condition-based maintenance: Maintenance based on the current condition of the system.
  • Predictive maintenance: Use of data analysis to predict maintenance and avoid breakdowns.

Benefits:

  • Increased operational reliability: Choosing the right maintenance strategy.
  • Cost control: Reduces emergency repair costs..
  • Longer service life: Regular maintenance extends to the service life of systems.
  • Spare/ wear parts: Enables smooth delivery/stocking.
Learn more

Production

Production is closely linked to maintenance management, as the availability and performance of the machines ensure continuous production. Regular maintenance maximizes uptime and minimizes unplanned downtime. By coordinating maintenance measures with production planning, for example through preventive maintenance during scheduled breaks, production remains efficient. Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance make it possible to plan maintenance based on actual machine usage, which avoids breakdowns and extends the service life of the systems. This helps to control costs by reducing emergency repairs and using resources more efficiently. At the same time, regular maintenance ensures consistently high product quality and prevents rejects. In this way, maintenance management makes a significant contribution to the company’s competitiveness and profitability.

Risk analysis

A risk analysis in the context of maintenance management serves to identify potential hazards and weak points that could impair the operational capability of machines and systems. The aim is to minimize the probability and impact of risks such as machine downtime, safety problems and high maintenance costs. Here are the most important aspects:

Identification of risks

  • Maintenance management is about the early identification of potential problems that could interrupt the production process. The most common risks include machine failure, technical defects, human error or inadequate maintenance processes.

Risk assessment

  • Each identified risk is assessed according to two main factors: the possibility of it occurring and the severity of the potential impact. This assessment helps to set priorities so that maintenance measures can be focused on the most critical risks.

Risk mitigation and avoidance

  • Based on the risk analysis, strategies are developed to minimize or completely avoid risks. This could include preventative maintenance measures, such as regular servicing and inspections, as well as the implementation of monitoring systems to monitor the condition of machinery in real time.

Proactive maintenance

  • A key component of risk reduction in maintenance management is preventive maintenance. Regular inspections and planned maintenance measures allow potential problems to be identified and rectified at an early stage before they lead to major breakdowns.

Documentation and communication

  • Thorough documentation of the risk analysis is crucial to ensure that everyone involved is aware of the risks and the planned measures. This promotes transparency and ensures that risk mitigation measures are implemented correctly.

Cost-benefit analysis

  • An effective risk analysis helps to find a balanced cost-benefit analysis. While maintenance measures should prevent breakdowns, they should also be economically viable. The analysis helps to prioritize the right measures to avoid unnecessary costs and at the same time ensure machine availability.

Risk analysis for spare and wear parts

  • Depending on the risk classification of the previous points (importance of the product/ production and its machines), the risk of spare and wear parts is also determined using various methods, uncluding value, availability and the possibility of repair.

    A well-conducted risk analysis in maintenance management helps to prevent production downtimes increase safety and extend the service life of machines. It is a central component of a proactive and strategic maintenance policy that both reduces costs and increases efficiency.

    The stock of spare parts

    Spare parts stocking refers to the systematic storage of spare parts to ensure the operational readiness of machines and systems. It is about having the right spare parts in the right quantity and in the right place to minimize downtime. Effective spare parts stocking takes into account factors such as delivery times, storage costs, wear and tear on parts and the importance of the machine in question. Good organization and management of spare parts stocks can ensure significant cost savings and greater operational reliability.

    More about spare parts management

    Machine parts lists

    Parts lists play a central role in maintenance management as they provide a complete overview of all components and materials required for the maintenance, repair or replacement of machines and systems. They are an essential tool for planning and carrying out maintenance measures.

    • Central function of the bill of materials
      A bill of materials (BOM) lists all the individual parts, assemblies and materials of a product or machine. In maintenance management, it provides the maintenance teams with detailed information about which parts are required for the repair or maintenance of a system. It helps to monitor the stock of spare parts and ensure that the right components are available at the right time. This minimizes downtime and avoids maintenance delays.
    • Facilitating planning
      By using parts lists, maintenance plans can be created more efficiently. For planned maintenance or preventive maintenance measures, the parts list enables precise preparation by specifying which parts and tools are needed. This leads to improved time planning and resource allocation.
    • Cost control and efficiency
      Parts lists contribute to cost control by precisely defining material requirements. This reduces excess stock and avoids unnecessary warehousing costs. This is particularly important as the procurement of spare parts often accounts for a significant proportion of maintenance costs.
    • Optimization of spare parts availability
      Parts lists provide a precise overview of all necessary spare parts and their specifications. This makes spare parts management easier, especially in large companies where numerous machines are in use. This is crucial to ensure that critical spare parts are always available to minimize machine downtime.
    • Improving documentation and traceability
      A well-maintained parts list improves the documentation and traceability of changes and spare parts. This allows the company to ensure that all maintenance work is tracked and documented, making it easier to comply with regulations and internal quality standards.

    A precise and up-to-date parts list us an indispensable tool in maintenance management. It ensures efficient planning and implementation of maintenance measures, helps to control costs and guarantees the timely availability of spare parts. A well-maintained parts list therefore makes a decisive contribution to minimizing downtimes and increasing operational efficiency.

    D&TS is happy to support you in setting up and maintainig your parts lists – especially in the SAP PM environment.

    Contact us now

    Equipment classification

    Equipment classification in maintenance management is a systematic process used to categorize all machines, equipment and tools in a manifacturing company according to specific criteria. This is crucial for optimizing maintenance strategies, increasing efficiency and maintaining an overview of the condition and requirements of the equipment.

    A basic distinction is made between equipment classification in SAP in the PM (Plant Maintenance) and MM (Material Management) modules. In both modules, classification can be carried out according to ECLASS, for example, and this is intended to significantly improve maintenance processes.

    1.   Objective of equipment classification
    • The classification of equipment makes it easier to design maintenance plans efficiently by categorizing machines and systems according to their importance for the production process, their costs, their maintenance frequency and their age.
    • This systematization helps to prioritize maintenance measures so that critical machines are serviced first and breakdowns are minimized.
    1. Classification criteria
    • Importance for the production process: Machines that are crucial for the smooth running of production are assigned to a higher category and receive more intensive maintenance.
    • Maintenance history: Equipment that frequently breaks down or has repeated problems can be assigned to a separate maintenance category.
    • Cost and service life: Expensive machines or those that cost a lot to replace are given higher priority for preventive maintenance.
    1. Improving maintenance efficiency
    • The classification allows a company to adapt its preventive and reactive maintenance strategies in a targeted manner. Critical equipment that requires high availability is inspected and maintained more frequently, while less important machines are given lower priority.
    • Classification also makes it possible to plan maintenance resources such as personnel and spare parts more efficiently and avoid bottlenecks. 
    1. Data-based decisions
    • Classification is often supported by the use of software solutions that analyze historical data, usage intensity and equipment replacement cycles. Such data makes it possible to anticipate foreseeable failures and proactively organize maintenance. 
    1. Minimize risks
    • By systematically classifying equipment, risks can be better managed as machines with a high potential for disruption or safety-relevant systems are specifically integrated into the maintenance strategy. This contributes to operational safety and minimizes unplanned downtime.

    Equipment classification is a crucial tool in the maintenance management of manufacturing companies in order to effectively prioritize and optimize maintenance measures. It helps to focus on critical machines, use resources efficiently and minimize production downtime and costs.

    Classify your equipment with D&TS today.

    Do you need support in optimizing your maintenance processes and stocking spare parts?

    Feel free to call us or simply send us your request by e-mail.

    Sebastian Böttjer

    Head of Sales & Project Management

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