An evaluation of preventive maintenance framework in an Italian manufacturing company
Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering
ISSN: 1355-2511
Article publication date: 6 October 2020
Issue publication date: 11 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide the description of an original framework for maintenance management plan development. The research aims to use in an integrated way different World Class Manufacturing (WCM)-based tools, in order to obtain a model which can be used for preventive maintenance in different industrial contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, a conceptual framework of preventive maintenance was described and then it was evaluated through a qualitative study in an Italian company. The company was chosen based on an initial interview with the operations team and the model area was selected. Then, the location was reorganized in order to obtain a green field which could sustain the implementation of the framework tools.
Findings
The case study was carried out in a small-medium manufacturing company which produces quick-release couplings and multiconnections, ranging from medium to ultra-high pressure. The defined framework has proved to be easy to implement in a company with a corrective maintenance plan, allowing the maintenance department to embrace the preventive maintenance culture. The maintenance model has been well received from the employees.
Practical implications
The framework allows a standardization of maintenance plans. Firstly, the standardization design itself allows finding previous wastes and consequent improvement areas. Then, it brings the improvement of a single machine which impacts all other machines in its family.
Originality/value
The added value of this study is the ability to integrate different WCM-based tools. Since the framework depicts a step-by-step process; it is also a starting point for companies that want to approach preventive maintenance for the first time.
Keywords
Citation
Kundu, K., Cifone, F., Costa, F., Portioli-Staudacher, A. and Rossini, M. (2022), "An evaluation of preventive maintenance framework in an Italian manufacturing company", Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 37-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/JQME-02-2020-0007
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited