Maintenance & Reliability Engineering

Read the following case study and answer the question:

In a fabric weaving factory there are different machines to be maintained such as

electric motors, oil pumps, gearboxes, boiler, weaving machines, dyeing machines,
compressors, etc. The plant operates on a continuous production mode; 24 hours
daily, seven days a week. The plant only stops for 2 weeks (14 days) as from the 5th
May for its annual overhaul maintenance work (only problems which have been
detected are solved either by repairing or replacing the faulty component). During
the annual equipment overhauling, any defective components is promptly replaced.
The maintenance crew consists of five electricians, five mechanics, one plumber/fitter,
one coded welder, and two helpers. The hourly rate for the
electricians/mechanics/plumber/welder is Rs 200 whereas that for the helpers is Rs
125. The maintenance activities and strategy which are in force at the plant during
operation are as follows:
• Weekly greasing of bearings, shafts, etc.
• Fortnight check of transmission belts.
• Corrective maintenance for any failed component.

During a recent evaluation the following plant indices were determined: Availability
= 55 %, Performance = 68 %, and Quality = 75 %.

A detailed analysis of the machine breakdown has revealed the following:

- Dyeing machines: recurrent (1800 ± 200 hours) leakage at the flange coupling
of the effluent pipe. However, the problem is easily detected at an early stage. Since
there is a valve before and after each flange coupling, the repair can be done very
quickly, within an average time period of 30 minutes without stopping the dyeing
process. The repair can be done with only one plumber and one helper.

- Failure of the driven sprocket in the gear box (leading to no transmission of

power to the driven shaft) for the ID fan of the coal boiler. The manufacturer’s
recommendation for the life span of the sprockets is 32,000 hours but based on past
records the sprocket life span is 13,500 ± 3000 hours. The ID fan has another standby
motor and gearbox assembly which can be started within two minutes of any failure
of the main motor-gearbox system.

- Failure of the camshaft in different weaving machines leading to a complete

stoppage of the damaged machine. Repair of the machine requires a crew of 2
mechanics and one helper. But an electrician has to isolate the weaving machine
(which takes less than 5 minutes) from the power supply before the mechanics can
intervene and perform the repair. On average the dismantling, removal and
replacement of the damaged part and finally reconnecting the machine to the power
supply takes 7 ± 0.5 hours. The manufacturer’s recommendation for the life span of
the camshaft is 18,000 hours but based on past records the camshaft’s life span is 9,000
± 240 hours. The cost of a new camshaft is Rs 15,000.

- Bearing (double roller) failure in several of the fabric weaving machines. The
manufacturer’s recommendation for the life span of the double roller bearings is
25,000 hours but based on past records the bearing life span is 15,500 ± 5,500 hours.
Repair of the machine requires a crew of 1 mechanic and two helpers. But an
electrician has to isolate the weaving machine (which takes less than 5 minutes) from
the power supply before the mechanics can intervene and perform the repair. On
average the dismantling, removal and replacement of the damaged part and finally
reconnecting the machine to the power supply takes 24 ± 0.5 hours. The cost of a new
bearing is Rs 100,000.

It should be noted that a weaving machine produces 5 m of fabric per hour, and the
price of 1 m of fabric is Rs 1000.

As a newly appointed mechanical engineer, you are asked by the Management to

investigate whether the current maintenance practice is the most efficient from a
technical and cost point of view. Explain your methodology, and using any
appropriate technique make your recommendations (with detailed justifications)
for a new maintenance plan for the above-mentioned cases.