At its core, maintenance management is the efficient implementation of maintenance strategies to achieve the bottom line, that is, the optimum reliability of assets. Variability, however, is one of the most critical challenges in the implementation of these strategies and a hurdle to asset reliability. Variability mostly comes from the different ways technicians and maintenance staff interpret and execute their respective instructions. So, precision maintenance is a valuable approach that aims to reduce variability and achieve better results from maintenance strategies.
What is Precision Maintenance?
Precision maintenance describes the approach in maintenance that focuses on reducing variability. In general, this approach involves defining detailed steps and establishing strict standards for technicians and staff to follow.
Precision maintenance can be implemented alongside any current preventive, predictive, or corrective maintenance strategies. Adherence to precision maintenance principles leads to reduced process inconsistencies, more precise results, lower maintenance costs, and optimized resources.
Benefits of Implementing Precision Maintenance
Precision maintenance helps achieve asset reliability through the following benefits:
- Extend the useful life of assets
- Increase asset productivity and availability
- Improve asset performance and efficiency
- Reduce the frequency and severity of equipment failures
- Improve the success rate of maintenance tasks
- Reduce maintenance costs
- Enhance the overall quality of products or services
- Achieve a resilient and flexible maintenance department
Things You Need to Implement Precision Maintenance
Implementing a precision maintenance program involves having a system that consists of the following components:
1. Trained and Committed Staff
Technicians and maintenance staff contribute their experience, technical knowledge, and practical skills to the success of any maintenance program. Properly trained and committed employees and maintenance team members understand the whys and hows of any precision maintenance policy, thus ensuring its successful implementation.
2. Effective Predictive or Preventive Maintenance
The success of any precision maintenance program depends on the state of any current predictive (PdM) or preventive maintenance (PM) programs. A strong PdM or PM program lets you adapt precision maintenance policies more effectively and with less effort.
3. Standard Work Instructions
Precision maintenance relies on detailed and standard procedures to guide and ensure consistent results from technicians and maintenance staff. These work instructions should be easy to understand, straightforward, and not prone to multiple interpretations. Furthermore, these work instructions should cover the steps from task identification, scheduling, materials requisition, execution, results evaluation, reporting, and documentation.
4. Relevant Tools and Consumables
Any current PdM or PM program already in place might have the necessary performance-measuring and failure-analysis tools or processes. In addition to these tools and consumable test kits, you will need other tools to implement precision maintenance procedures. These additional tools may vary according to your current processes, assets, and reliability goals. However, it is essential because these tools help you track the program’s weaknesses and strengths, supporting continuous improvement of your maintenance programs.
Precision Maintenance Support from CMMS
A CMMS, or computerized maintenance management system, is one of the most capable modern supports for precision maintenance available today. Redlist’s CMMS simplifies any precision maintenance program, providing you with the best results with the least amount of headaches. With Redlist, you get the following benefits:
- A centralized database with cloud-based storage where users can store, organize, analyze, and access information easily and securely. Accessible and centralized information increases precision by eliminating errors and inconsistencies. Maintenance processes are also easier and more accurate to plan, monitor, and execute through only one source.
- A communication platform that allows users to update work tasks or processes in real time and without the need to initiate active communication. Often, miscommunication or lack of it can cause significant delays, losses, and other negative effects. CMMS provides a communication and collaboration platform where users can update information, file reports, notify issues, etc. without sending direct messages to all concerned users.
- A powerful analytical tool that lets users manage data and retrieve essential insights for continuous improvement. CMMS can capture results from multiple users, assets, and process levels and aggregate these data into actionable results. These results are critical for future policies and programs that bring any team closer to their bottom line.
Redlist easily provides the above benefits and more. Schedule your free demo to experience Redlist’s CMMS benefits today!
