**2. Literature review**

Several scholars postulate the necessity of creating an integrated maintenance management system. This management system should aid the decision-making process and include some level of forecasting acknowledging the inevitability of occasional failure [2]. In other words, effective management requires systems and tools to predict the reliability of production systems. Predicting failures or defects with a high degree of certainty allows the operator to manage logistics and resources necessary to make interventions with the least impact on production [3, 4]. Moreover, it is necessary to clearly identify the goals of maintenance management

**5**

facility management [16, 17].

*Maintenance and Asset Life Cycle for Reliability Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85845*

drove an increase in maintenance costs [8].

implemented by the general industry [13, 14].

*Value* <sup>=</sup> *Performance*

corporate mission [5, 6].

within the organization, which must fully align with those of corporate management. Thus, maintenance decisions ought to be strategically framed within the

The major changes to maintenance strategy are due to a need for more efficient production lines. The latter was sparsely automated, of low complexity, and only corrective in nature before the Second World War. Performed literature review reveals that this era of maintenance strategy came to a close in the 1950s [7]. From this point until the 1970s, the so-called second maintenance generation was developed. This era was characterized by the implementation of process planning, the advancement of technology, and more complex equipment. It also marked the beginning of industrial automation. In short, maintenance was based on welldefined cycles of spares, replacement, and reconstruction of equipment. In the pursuit of high reliability levels, these cycles became very short and ultimately

The third generation of maintenance was marked by the influence of the aeronautical industry and their particular maintenance needs as required by the Federal Aviation Administration, in particular with the start-up of the Boeing 747 aircraft [9]. This change to maintenance brought financial hardships, which is why United Airlines formed a team to evaluate potential means of developing a new preventive maintenance strategy so as to find the balance between safety and costs in the operation of commercial aircrafts [10]. These changes have been considered and implemented in maintenance planning and activities for large aircrafts up to now. The circular advisory, maintenance steering group (MSG-3), presented a methodology for developing scheduled maintenance tasks and intervals acceptable to the regulatory authorities, operators, and manufacturers [11]. Years later, the MSG-3 gave rise to the current methodology of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) [12]. The same was characterized by increasing demands in terms of quality for products and services alike. This in turn gave rise to standards and regulations that called for implementing changes in the traditional way of operating production systems. In the never-ending quest to establish optimal conditions for preventive maintenance, the probability and reliability studies of the aeronautical industry were applied in the production industry, as well. These early reliability studies were initially applied to providers of electrical energy in thermonuclear power plants, soon to be followed by the gas and petroleum industry, and was finally adopted and

The application of maintenance-specific reliability concepts characterized the fourth generation of maintenance standards, which in turn exemplified high-quality production and described the need for addressing operators' safety, as well as the proper operation of the equipment and the protection of the environment [15]. The fourth generation wanted to keep sight of resource optimization or the production of high-value goods. Value is defined as performance over cost and is presented in Eq. (1):

Currently, the concepts of risk assessment and operational excellence were incorporated as a target of maintenance activities to minimize system failures and to guarantee reliability and availability. This maintenance stage was characterized by the implementation of risk-based maintenance techniques, such as risk-based maintenance (RBM) and risk-based inspection (RBI), which take the risk of an issue into account for the entire maintenance processes. At the same time, it was influenced by the new management standards, namely, asset management and

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ *Cost* (1)

*Reliability and Maintenance - An Overview of Cases*

management, achieving satisfactory results.

structure should we use?" and the like.

This chapter is organized as follows:

tions, related terms, and fundamental concepts.

principles of excellence.

**2. Literature review**

Section 4.

reliability degree of operating production systems. The challenge is to restructure maintenance strategies and, hence, to guarantee a high reliability level of the production system operations. The strategy presented herein was validated in a transport truck public company's policy regarding operational excellence and asset

managing maintenance activities results in savings for the organization.

However, production and engineering leaders focus on generating, modifying, and restructuring maintenance plans. Organizations consider the following questions: "Where to begin?" "Do we need to restructure the department of

maintenance?" "Is it necessary to create management for this field?" "What kind of

Section 2 provides a brief history of maintenance management and the defini-

Several scholars postulate the necessity of creating an integrated maintenance management system. This management system should aid the decision-making process and include some level of forecasting acknowledging the inevitability of occasional failure [2]. In other words, effective management requires systems and tools to predict the reliability of production systems. Predicting failures or defects with a high degree of certainty allows the operator to manage logistics and resources

necessary to make interventions with the least impact on production [3, 4]. Moreover, it is necessary to clearly identify the goals of maintenance management

Section 3 presents the proposed maintenance strategy model and the main results and analysis stemming from a study case. Lastly, conclusions are drawn in

The objective of this chapter is focused on identifying three fundamental pillars for highly reliable systems: managing information, creating indicators, and restructuring preventative maintenance plans. These concepts aim to support production and maintenance managers in decision-making processes. They equally intend to support individuals and organizations seeking excellence in maintenance management practices in terms of facilitating decisions based on information with

The concept of "maintenance" in the industry has evolved in the last two decades. It is no longer seen as an expense or a team simply responsible for replacing production system components. Now, maintenance is considered an indispensable activity which guarantees not only the availability and functionality of a system or a component but also the high quality of the goods and services produced [1]. Likewise, in the early years, maintenance has solely been the responsibility of mechanical and electrical engineers. However, managing maintenance activities has become a multidisciplinary and far-reaching task within the organization. Maintenance directly impacts levels of production, budgets, timelines, and forecasted profits. Maintenance also increases the lifetime of equipment and ensures acceptable levels of reliability during usage. This occurs in every step from preventive maintenance through redesign. Moreover, operation teams must adapt to the specifications of each piece of equipment and each industrial need. Critical equipment may not have been manufactured uniquely for the organization's specific facilities, operators, or supplies. Additionally, proper management of equipment lowers operational costs. It reduces energy consumption, maintenance resources themselves (such as spare parts and labor), and risks to system operators, facilities, and production. Overall,

**4**

within the organization, which must fully align with those of corporate management. Thus, maintenance decisions ought to be strategically framed within the corporate mission [5, 6].

The major changes to maintenance strategy are due to a need for more efficient production lines. The latter was sparsely automated, of low complexity, and only corrective in nature before the Second World War. Performed literature review reveals that this era of maintenance strategy came to a close in the 1950s [7]. From this point until the 1970s, the so-called second maintenance generation was developed. This era was characterized by the implementation of process planning, the advancement of technology, and more complex equipment. It also marked the beginning of industrial automation. In short, maintenance was based on welldefined cycles of spares, replacement, and reconstruction of equipment. In the pursuit of high reliability levels, these cycles became very short and ultimately drove an increase in maintenance costs [8].

The third generation of maintenance was marked by the influence of the aeronautical industry and their particular maintenance needs as required by the Federal Aviation Administration, in particular with the start-up of the Boeing 747 aircraft [9].

This change to maintenance brought financial hardships, which is why United Airlines formed a team to evaluate potential means of developing a new preventive maintenance strategy so as to find the balance between safety and costs in the operation of commercial aircrafts [10]. These changes have been considered and implemented in maintenance planning and activities for large aircrafts up to now. The circular advisory, maintenance steering group (MSG-3), presented a methodology for developing scheduled maintenance tasks and intervals acceptable to the regulatory authorities, operators, and manufacturers [11]. Years later, the MSG-3 gave rise to the current methodology of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) [12]. The same was characterized by increasing demands in terms of quality for products and services alike. This in turn gave rise to standards and regulations that called for implementing changes in the traditional way of operating production systems. In the never-ending quest to establish optimal conditions for preventive maintenance, the probability and reliability studies of the aeronautical industry were applied in the production industry, as well. These early reliability studies were initially applied to providers of electrical energy in thermonuclear power plants, soon to be followed by the gas and petroleum industry, and was finally adopted and implemented by the general industry [13, 14].

The application of maintenance-specific reliability concepts characterized the fourth generation of maintenance standards, which in turn exemplified high-quality production and described the need for addressing operators' safety, as well as the proper operation of the equipment and the protection of the environment [15]. The fourth generation wanted to keep sight of resource optimization or the production of high-value goods. Value is defined as performance over cost and is presented in Eq. (1):

$$\text{Value} = \frac{\text{Performance}}{\text{Cost}} \tag{1}$$

Currently, the concepts of risk assessment and operational excellence were incorporated as a target of maintenance activities to minimize system failures and to guarantee reliability and availability. This maintenance stage was characterized by the implementation of risk-based maintenance techniques, such as risk-based maintenance (RBM) and risk-based inspection (RBI), which take the risk of an issue into account for the entire maintenance processes. At the same time, it was influenced by the new management standards, namely, asset management and facility management [16, 17].

The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) states that it would be practically impossible to encompass every technique for risk analysis in a single standard and, likewise, impossible to resolve all problems with only one method. For this reason, each industry must adapt or develop its own method instead of trying to find a single general method. In other words, the methods implemented must consider the actual operation and asset failure, as well as the operating environments thus far, since all these aspects affect its performance.
