RELIABILITY CENTRED MAINTENANCE FOR INDUSTRIAL USE: SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Maintenance organisations have to obtain the correct strategic ’mix’ to ensure success. This includes having a strategically sound maintenance policy and managerial procedures, a well thought through maintenance plan, a proper maintenance management and operational system, proper operational procedures, employment of the necessary technology and sensible management of human resources. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) has enabled maintenance users to develop, scientifically founded maintenance plans. However, due to shortcomings in the methodology and shortcuts taken by RCM practitioners, these benefits have not been forthcoming in industrial use. This paper addresses these limitations and develops an improved RCM methodology. It was tested against the ’classical’ RCM in a typical industrial setting, with significant benefits being demonstrated. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Instandhoudingsorganisasies moet die regte strategiese ’mengsel’ verkry om sukses te verseker. Dit sluit ’n strategies gesonde instandhoudingsbeleid en bestuursprosedures, sowel as a weldeurdagte instandhoudingsplan, ’n goeie instandhoudingbestuur en -operasionele stelsel, goeie operasionele prosedures, die regte vlak van instandhoudingstegnologie asook goeie mensbestuur in. Betroubaarheidsgebaseerde Instandhouding (BGI) stel gebruikers in staat om wetenskaplik gefundeerde instandhoudingsplanne daar te stel. Desnieteenstaande word hierdie voordele meesal nie in industri le toepassing verkry nie vanwe tekortkominge in die BGI metodologie asook die neem van kortpaaie deur BGI praktisyns. Hierdie artikel ondersoek hierdie beperkings en ontwikkel ’n verbeterde BGI metodologie. Dit is teenoor ’klassieke’ BGI in ’n tipiese industri le omgewing getoets en het beduidende voordele getoon.