Aim:

This module aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of planning, scheduling and control of maintenance systems for process equipment and plant.

Learning Outcomes:

-Discuss maintenance objectives and evaluate various maintenance strategies for process plant application.

-Critically analyze the functions of preventive maintenance and develop necessary planning and scheduling and control of preventive maintenance activities.

-Discuss the advanced concepts such as RCM and TPM techniques and advantages for a company employing them.

-Explain the concepts of maintainability management.

Task: Assignment

Maintenance plays a very important role in all kinds of manufacturing industries. Each maintenance has its characteristics, importance and drawbacks. The performance of a machine depends on the type of maintenance strategies employed on it. Machines used in industries need proper maintenance, because the failure of the machine may cause production loss. Maintenance techniques may vary from one machine to another machine because of various conflicting factors like safety, cost, customer satisfaction, etc. Factors affecting the machine’s performance need to be identified and used to control. The use of inappropriate maintenance plans may increase the maintenance cost. An increase in maintenance cost will increase the production cost. Selection of a maintenance approach to a particular machine or group of machines is a problem of decision making and it is always a challenging task for the maintenance Manager/Engineer.

Assigned a research paper from a reputed journal and is expected to critically evaluate it while covering the following tasks:

a. Problems that have been addressed

b. Maintenance methodology/techniques that have been adopted

c. Critical analysis on the methodology adopted

d. Implementation of statistical tools

e. Conclusion and recommendation made by the author.

Based on the assigned technical paper and the critical evaluation of the research paper assigned, each student has to prepare a brief report (word limit of 1900 words) based on the following points/tasks (submitted online through blackboard):

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH PAPER

(Problems that have been addressed or the importance of the paper, the relevance of the paper to the Course, etc.)

METHODOLOGY, APPROACH ADOPTED

(Critical evaluation, design methodology and approach/techniques adopted for the data collection, interpretation and analysis)

RELEVANT DATA ANALYSIS

(Discussion on applications of relevant statistical tools, other data interpretations, graphs, activity flow charts, Gantt charts etc. used for the analysis of the results. Interpretation/discussion on the results presented in the paper)

CONCLUSION

(The conclusions, recommendations and future work identification made by the author and the student based on the research work presented).

REPORT PRESENTATION, STRUCTURE, GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ISSUES

(Logical and systematic arrangement of report, neatness, spelling and grammatical errors, etc.)