Strategic Maintenance Management in Lean Environment

Abstract: In recent decades, by introducing the concept of lean production within manufacturing companies the vulnerability to system disturbances has increased and so, the demand for dependable production equipment. The need for having high production equipment availability causes companies to have a more effective and efficient maintenance strategy in order to reach a competitive production system. Despite the increasing demand on reliable production equipment, few manufacturing companies work with strategic maintenance development and a large part of the manufacturing industry lack clear maintenance strategies. One reason for that may be that the existing methods and concepts for maintenance development are quite resource demanding. It is therefore difficult to develop the maintenance work in accordance with the strategic goals of the manufacturing companies. The main objective of this project is to define a process of formulating maintenance strategy as a tool for the maintenance managers in order to formulate and have further development of maintenance strategy in a strategic way. The problem has been solved by literature review and through case study at the manufacturing company to investigate the company’s view on strategic maintenance development. As a result, formulated maintenance strategy has been provided and presented.