Fleet readiness : stocking spare parts and high-tech assets

We consider a maintenance shop that is responsible for the availability of a eet of assets, e.g., trains. Unavailability of assets may be due to active maintenance time or unavailability of spare parts. Both spare assets and spare components may be stocked in order to ensure a certain percentage of eet readiness (e.g., 95%), i.e., having sucient assets available for the primary process (e.g., running a train schedule). This is dierent from guaranteeing a certain average availability, as is typically done in the literature on spare parts inventories. We analyse the corresponding system, assuming continuous review and base stock control. We propose an algorithm, based on a marginal analysis approach, to solve the optimization problem of minimizing holding costs for spare assets and spare parts. Since the problem is not item separable, even marginal analysis is time consuming, but we show how to eciently solve this. Using a numerical experiment, we show that our algorithm generally leads to a solution that is close to optimal, and we show that our algorithm is much faster than an existing algorithm for a closely related problem

A review of asset management literature on multi-asset systems

This article gives an overview of the literature on asset management for multi-unit systems with an emphasis on two multi-asset categories: fleet (a system of homogeneous assets) and portfolio (a system of heterogeneous assets). As asset systems become more complicated, researchers have employed different terms to refer to their specific problems. With an objective to facilitate readers in searching conducive studies to their interests, this paper establishes a novel classification scheme for multi-unit systems in accordance with essential features such as diversity of assets and intervention options. Moreover, discerning differences in characteristics between cross-component and cross-asset interactions, we select three types of potential multi-component dependencies (performance, stochastic, and resource) and extend their notions to be applicable to multi-asset systems. The investigation into these dependencies enables the identification of problems that could exist in real industrial settings but are yet to be determined in academia. Ultimately, we delve into modelling approaches adopted by previous researchers. This comprehensive information allows us to offer the insights into the current trends in multi-asset maintenance. We expect that the output of this review paper will not only stress research gaps on multi-asset systems, but more importantly help systematise future studies on this aspect

An overview on the obsolescence of physical assets for the defence facing the challenges of industry 4.0 and the new operating environments

Libro en Open AccessThis contribution is intended to observe special features presented in physical assets for defence. Particularly, the management of defence assets has to consider not only the reliability, availability, maintainability and other factors frequently used in asset management. On the contrary, such systems should also take into account their adaptation to changing operating environments as well as their capability to changes on the technological context. This study approaches to the current real situation where, due to the diversity of conflicts in our international context, the same type of defence systems must be able to provide services under different boundary conditions in different areas of the globe. At the same time, new concepts from the Industry 4.0 provide quick changes that should be considered along the life cycle of a defence asset. As a finding or consequence, these variations in operating conditions and in technology may accelerate asset degradation by modifying its reliability, its up-to-date status and, in general terms, its end-of-life estimation, depending of course on a diversity of factors. This accelerated deterioration of the asset is often known as “obsolescence” and its implications are often evaluated (when possible), in terms of costs from different natures. The originality of this contribution is the introduction of a discussion on how a proper analysis may help to reduce errors and mistakes in the decision-making process regarding the suitability or not of repairing, replacing, or modernizing the asset or system under study. In other words, the obsolescence analysis, from a reliability and technological point of view, could be used to determine the conservation or not of a specific asset fleet, in order to understand the effects of operational and technology factors variation over the functionality and life cycle cost of physical assets for defence

Financial Evaluation for a Brazilian Airline to Conduct Aeronautical Components Repair in Brazil

The current economic world volatility, as well as the increasing cost of fuel and security procedures established by the worldwide authorities, force the air carriers to search for alternatives to reduce their operational costs. The maintenance costs are a significant subject for the air carriers, therefore, any cost reduction obtained without maintenance service disruption, may provide an opportunity to enhance the airline competitiveness (Fritzsche, 2014). The purpose of this research is to evaluate and compare the technical and financial aspects of performing aircraft components repair in house for a Brazilian airline versus outsourcing the servicing to a homologated company outside the country. In addition, this research will analyze the main challenges involved, such as costs involving the labor force, advantages and disadvantages of conducting the repair internally, the currency exchange and bureaucratic process applied by the Brazilian Customs to export and import components and opportunities along with companies classified as partners

Maintenance policy selection for ships : finding the most important criteria and considerations

Maintenance of technical capital assets is gaining increasing attention, as maintenance is an important contributor to reach the intended life-time of these expensive assets. This paper focusses on maintenance policy selection (MPS) for ships using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. It builds on earlier research where we have investigated MPS specifically for naval ships. Here, we aim to generalize our findings on naval ships towards ships in general, and to elicit the most important criteria for ship MPS. We propose an improved hierarchy of criteria that we use during six workshops at six different companies to investigate MPS. We conclude that it is possible to obtain meaningful outcomes using a single hierarchy of criteria at multiple companies considering various ship types. The workshops reveal that crew safety is the most important criterion when selecting a aintenance policy, followed by reliability and availability—surprisingly, costs minimization is only moderately important. Furthermore, the workshops reveal that softer criteria, such as experience with maintenance and planability, must be included in the MPS process. Finally, we see that, for ship MPS, failure-based maintenance is never preferred, and that there is no clear preference for either time/use-based maintenance or condition-based maintenance

Spare parts planning and control for maintenance operations

This paper presents a framework for planning and control of the spare parts supply chain inorganizations that use and maintain high-value capital assets. Decisions in the framework aredecomposed hierarchically and interfaces are described. We provide relevant literature to aiddecision making and identify open research topics. The framework can be used to increasethe e¿ciency, consistency and sustainability of decisions on how to plan and control a spareparts supply chain. This point is illustrated by applying it in a case-study. Applicability of theframework in di¿erent environments is also investigated

Factor and Influential Variables Affecting Maintenance Cost of Urban Rail Rolling Stock

It is a known fact that the cost of maintaining rolling stock is huge due to its higher acquisition cost and maintenance activity. This research paper aims to analyse, evaluate, and rank the influential variables contributing towards rolling stock maintenance cost. A quantitative approach was adopted for data collection and factual data from Malaysia's rolling stock practitioners was collected using a survey. The research first identified the influential variables associated with rolling stock maintenance cost through literature review. A questionnaire survey was conducted among five Trains Operating Companies in Malaysia. These were performed using importance index to accomplish ranking analysis. The research has discovered five groups of predictor factors that affect rolling stock maintenance cost and 14 influential variables to execute the maintenance activity. This study has highlighted the possibility of future major studies in cost structure implied by group of predictors to predictive cost model for rolling stock maintenance

UNDERSTANDING FACILITY TAXONOMY IN ASSETS CODING FOR MAINTAINANCE OPERATION

Importance of asset coding cannot be overemphasized; facilities of organization have been squandered or left unkempt as a result of expansion often experienced and little or no structure to accommodate increase in asset and their maintenance. However, having a structure in place that caters for asset documentation, archiving and tagging for tracing tools and equipment itinerary is as important as acquiring such assets in the sense of it. This study thus seeks to present rudiment of assets taxonomy, principle and guiding standard in equipment coding and identification for maintenance purpose

Factor and Influential Variables Affecting Maintenance Cost of Urban Rail Rolling Stock

It is a known fact that the cost of maintaining rolling stock is huge due to its higher acquisition cost and maintenance activity. This research paper aims to analyse, evaluate, and rank the influential variables contributing towards rolling stock maintenance cost. A quantitative approach was adopted for data collection and factual data from Malaysia's rolling stock practitioners was collected using a survey. The research first identified the influential variables associated with rolling stock maintenance cost through literature review. A questionnaire survey was conducted among five Trains Operating Companies in Malaysia. These were performed using importance index to accomplish ranking analysis. The research has discovered five groups of predictor factors that affect rolling stock maintenance cost and 14 influential variables to execute the maintenance activity. This study has highlighted the possibility of future major studies in cost structure implied by group of predictors to predictive cost model for rolling stock maintenance