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Creating and Sustaining a Maintenance Strategy: A Practical Guide

Research has shown that manufacturing companies are not creating maintenance strategies and linking them to their manufacturing and business goals. This journal paper provides a practical guide for maintenance managers proposing a generic methodology for the creation and implementation of maintenance strategy. A failure to develop and implement a comprehensive maintenance strategy can prejudice machine reliability and therefore negatively affect manufacturing performance. The potential benefits for maintenance departments are significant. A coherent maintenance strategy linked to manufacturing and business goals establishes a clear set of objectives for the maintenance function to follow. Moreover, a written and agreed maintenance strategy raised the strategic profile of the maintenance group within the plant through a measured contribution to the business. This paper forms part of a wider investigation into the impact on manufacturing performance of the linkage between manufacturing and maintenance strategy. The research was sponsored by the Regional Development Agency ‘One North East’ as part of the Engineering Fellows Programme.