6 . Maintenance operations & reliability
Equipment inherently degrades with every single operating hour. Relying on a “run-to-failure” maintenance strategy guarantees unpredictable downtime and severe production bottlenecks.
This chapter defines the mechanics of autonomous maintenance, preventative schedules, and predictive analytics. By educating and empowering operators to actively maintain their own equipment, we maximize
- 6.1 Maintenance governance: KPIs, roles & escalation
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is not a glorified cleaning schedule; it is the strict discipline of Asset Utilization. In high-volume electronics, a machine sitting idle due to unplanned downtime...
- 6.2 Preventive maintenance planning
Preventive Maintenance is not an option; it is a binding contract between Facilities Engineering and Manufacturing Operations. In high-precision electronics assembly, facility systems are active, crit...
- 6.3 Predictive maintenance
Predictive Maintenance (PdM) is fundamentally about buying time. While Preventive Maintenance relies on broad statistical estimates (replacing parts "just in case"), PdM actively monitors the asset fo...
- 6.4 Asset register, criticality & spare parts policy
Managing assets in an ISO 9001/13485 manufacturing environment is not merely an administrative accounting exercise; it forms the technical foundation of Process Readiness. Relying on an uncalibrated t...
- 6.5 Breakdown response standard: safe isolation, restart verification
A sudden machine breakdown is inherently a high-pressure event where natural adrenaline frequently overrides established, logical protocol. This is exactly when preventable accidents happen. The inten...
- 6.6 Root cause analysis
In a mature Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) environment, simply "fixing" the machine is merely the first, tactical step. The ultimate strategic goal is not just a fast repair; it is the absolute pr...