Abstract
The business environment in the contemporary world is highly competitive and diverse. Maintenance management refers to the process through which a company identifies and maintains its assets. This tool gives a company a competitive advantage because it optimizes the efficiency of employees, thus boosting productivity levels. Organizational flexibility achieved through this function also increases the capacity of a company to anticipate and predict business opportunities. Achieving effective maintenance management requires patience, dedication, willingness, and reactivity on the part of the workforce. The most reliable success indicator of various maintenance management practices is the ability of an organization to meet its objectives in a timely and substantive manner.
Introduction
Businesses in today’s world are working in an environment that is highly competitive and diverse. This observable fact has led companies into developing and adopting strategies that ensure the maximization of profitability. One of the most effective tools that many organizations have chosen to use is maintenance management. It refers to a process through which a company identifies and maintains its assets (George and Jones, p. 39). The main objective of maintenance management is ensuring the continuity of production within a company in a manner that utilizes available resources in an economic and effective way. In addition, it focuses on ensuring regulatory compliance within a company, especially on issues relating to occupational health and safety in the workplace. Quality maintenance can be a challenge to a company if regulations that govern operations within its industry are not observed. Maintenance management helps companies to increase the level of transparency in the budgeting process. This often results in increased potential for leveraging available funds (Yan, p. 22). If effectively applied, maintenance management is a tool that has the potential to increase the competitiveness of a company because it optimizes the efficiency of employees, thus boosting productivity levels.
Discussion
Today’s business and work environment is characterized by a heightened pressure to reduce the cost of operation and increase productivity. The success of a company in the contemporary world is highly dependent on various practices and systems that constitute the maintenance management function. The reason for this is that the diverse nature of the contemporary environment requires companies to focus more on how well they do things rather than just doing them (George and Jones, p. 45). Effective maintenance management helps an organization to anticipate and prepare adequately for future challenges. This is evidenced by the effect of performance evaluation and timely corrective actions on productivity. Organizational flexibility achieved through this function also increases the capacity of a company to anticipate and predict business opportunities. Some of the effective maintenance management practices for today’s world include organizational structure, inventory control, computerized management systems, workflow, financial control, as well as preventive and predictive maintenance (Duffuaa and Raouf, p. 113). Others include continuous improvement, operational involvement, staffing development, planning and scheduling, as well as leadership and policy deployment among others.
Leadership and Policy Deployment
Leadership is an integral element of management in an organization. The success and effectiveness of maintenance management are influenced by the direction and support provided by organizational leaders. Therefore, a company should ensure that its maintenance management function has a mission and vision that aligns with the corporate culture and organizational goals (Yan, p. 51). The practice of good leadership entails the ability to develop effective and sustainable policies that set maintenance standards within an organization. It is important for employees to comprehend their duties and responsibilities with regard to meeting the objectives of maintenance management within the workplace. Organizational leaders should also ensure that all management policies are deployed on time, effectively communicated to everyone, and monitored on a regular basis (George and Jones, p. 116). This is important in ensuring that a crucial function such as regulation compliance applies effectively for the sake of meeting quality standards and avoiding unnecessary expenses brought about by legal issues.
Responsible leadership should also focus on the need to have a well-structured maintenance framework as a way of boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of this function. This need can be met through programs that enhance the capacity of individuals to optimize their work through well-maintained equipment (Jones et al, p. 23). Leaders should identify and address various challenges relating to the organizational capacity to eliminate obstacles that limit the ability of employees to make improvements in their work. Auditing an organization’s assets, as well as regular monitoring of operations, can help in addressing this challenge.
Organizational Structure
Organizational structure is a variable that has a great influence on the level of success an organization can achieve with regard to maintenance management. The structure of an organization’s workplace methodologies and systems has a direct impact on the way maintenance is carried out. Crucial elements such as communication structures, policies and procedures, as well as corporate goals and objectives determine the standards followed in implementing maintenance strategies (Jones et al, p. 38). An effective organizational structure should focus on the need to involve employees in maintenance activities across functional and structural levels. This strategy plays a pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness of maintenance management strategies (Duffuaa and Raouf 128). In addition, organizational leaders ought to ensure that duties assigned to workers are clearly planned and defined as a way of maintaining a good workflow.
Organizational structure also entails the need to develop a maintenance philosophy centered on the purpose of the function, its goals, and implementation strategy. The value of employee familiarity with the philosophy cannot be overlooked owing to the fact that it helps in building the right attitude with regard to utilizing organizational assets in an effective manner (George and Jones, p. 129). Additionally, this plays a crucial role in building a sense of ownership by employees when it comes to providing the necessary support and goodwill needed to make the maintenance management function a success. An effective organizational structure should prioritize the need to achieve maximum utilization of the available labor for optimal productivity.
Inventory Control
This is one of the most important practices in maintenance management. It involves checking for faulty equipment, availability of spare parts in store, and acquisition of new ones. The main objective of inventory control is ensuring that all equipment is in its rightful place on time. In addition, it focuses on investigating existing flow patterns in order to ensure that all items are procured on time. This helps to prevent inactivity and wasted effort through faulty equipment (Yan, p. 90). An organization needs to invest in highly effective inventory practices because they play a pivotal role in adhering to quality standards. Another objective of inventory control in maintenance management is ensuring effective use of company resources through efficient purchasing practices (Jones et al, p. 61). This need can be achieved by integrating efficiency-oriented practices such as recording issuances, vendor stocking, efficient purchasing practices, and eliminating unofficial stocking of various items.
Computerized Management Systems
Companies in the contemporary world are working in an environment dominated by an array of technologies aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery system. Organizations seeking to have a successful maintenance structure should invest in a robust information management system. It should be at par with industry standards and easy to use. It is important for organizational leaders to make sure that all employees have adequate and accurate information regarding the maintenance management frameworks being used within the workplace (Duffuaa and Raouf, p. 200). An organization that has invested in an information management system should also ensure that all employees receive adequate training. The reason for this is that it prevents poor utilization, which is a common challenge in companies struggling with their maintenance management functions.
Preventive Maintenance
This maintenance practice aims at extending the lifespan of equipment through timely and regular services, which identify faulty parts. Inspections are an integral part of preventive maintenance because they are the easiest and most effective way of detecting areas that need service. Preventive maintenance is often done through service contracts and scheduled shutdown services. Service contracts often apply on selected equipment that is taken back to manufacturers or specialized service providers after a specific period of being in use for checkups (Yan, p. 110). Scheduled shutdowns apply when consumers of a service provided by a company receive a notification on planned system maintenance to avoid any inconveniences it might create. This is aimed at ensuring that the service delivery system maintains good efficiency levels and at the same time increasing the lifespan of the installed system.
The main advantage of this practice in maintenance management is the fact that it enables an organization to transition from a reactive approach towards management issues to a proactive one. The reason for this is the fact that employees will have increased awareness on matters relating to potential obstacles that can prevent them from achieving both individual and organizational goals (Jones et al, p. 81). In addition, this practice allows employees to develop a positive attitude with regard to utilizing the available resources and company assets in an effective manner (Duffuaa and Raouf, p. 276). Building a sense of ownership and responsibility within the workforce is one of the main pillars of effective maintenance management.
Predictive Maintenance
This maintenance practice entails the use of technology to detect potential problems in the delivery system in order to provide precise and timely intervention. A major benefit associated with this practice is that it ensures the continuous flow of operations in a company because it prevents any potential stoppages (George and Jones, p. 227). Predictive maintenance involves the application of interventions such as thermographic analysis, oil analysis, and electric surge comparisons among others.
Planning and Scheduling
Effective maintenance management requires a good plan that details the things that should be done and the criteria that will be followed. Additionally, a plan formulates a process through which maintenance work in a company is arranged. It prepares the available resources and workforce for quicker and efficient utilization (Yan, p. 216). Once an effective and elaborate plan has been developed, the next practice incorporated into this management function is scheduling. This involves developing a diary detailing the way specific duties will be performed and the personnel responsible for executing them. It is important to note that one of the obstacles with regard to meeting the objectives of maintenance operations within an organization is poorly organized processes and lack of standardized procedures (Jones et al, p. 103). In order to achieve the desired results in maintenance management, organizational leaders should ensure that every activity involves a plan and a schedule detailing all the planned work.
Workflow
A successful maintenance operation in an organization is dependent on good workflow. Work done in an orderly manner tends to yield the desired results because challenges such as duplication of efforts and insubordination tend to be eliminated before the start of a process (George and Jones, p. 300). Workflow in maintenance management is characterized by the ability of organizational leaders to identify, request, prioritize, schedule, activate, track, and analyze work. Analysis plays a crucial role in the continuity of workflow because it helps in establishing the costs of operation, losses incurred, and potential future challenges that are likely to create obstacles.
Financial Control
Successful maintenance practices are highly dependent on the ability of a company to apply effective fiscal control measures. The maintenance department of an organization should have a special budget allocation in order to ensure that scheduled work has no stoppages. Effective financial control procedures for organizations involve activities such as budget regulations, contractor monitoring, as well as sustainable control of material and labor costs (Jones et al, p. 170). In order to achieve good financial control in maintenance management, organizations can also consider monitoring the decision-making process involving assets that need repairing or replacement.
Operational Involvement
In the contemporary world, a common phenomenon across workplaces is the broadened level of operator involvement in basic maintenance activities. An inclusive workplace environment and corporate culture play a pivotal role in achieving this objective. It is important for operators to take up essential duties such as inspections, routine cleaning, lubrication, and tightening loose nuts because it helps in building a great sense of responsibility and ownership (Duffuaa and Raouf, p. 309). In turn, this improves the reliability of equipment and the involvement of other individuals within the workplace in maintenance work.
Staffing and Development
Organizations should reorient their staffing strategies to align with the growing demands of the maintenance management function. This means that some individuals will have to take up new roles, while others will have to face the challenge of redefined jobs. This requires individuals tasked with the maintenance management function to have a high level of flexibility and the willingness to learn new skills (George and Jones, p. 457). This practice also requires the organizational leaders to invest in programs for developing the capacity of the workforce to manage the demands of this management function. This will enable them to meet both their individual and organizational expectations in their new roles. Additionally, it is important to note that people tend to perform better when they have clear descriptions of the duties and responsibilities, as well as an effective reward system.
Conclusion
For an organization to achieve prolonged success and remain competitive there is an urgent need to eliminate performance obstacles such as poor leadership, lack of planning, incapacitated workforce, as well as ineffective maintenance management practices. These challenges can lead to a high cost of operation, delayed work, poor results, and depreciated company assets. Achieving effective maintenance management requires patience, dedication, willingness, and reactivity on the part of the workforce. Organizational leaders should ensure that everyone involved in the workplace contributes towards decisions involving the maintenance management function. The most reliable indicator of the effectiveness of various maintenance management practices is the ability of an organization to meet its objectives in a timely and substantive manner.
Works Cited
- Duffuaa, Salih, and Abdul Raouf. Planning and Control of Maintenance Systems: Modelling and Analysis. 2nd ed., Springer, 2015.
- George, Jennifer, and Gareth Jones. Essentials of Contemporary Management. McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.
- Jones, Gareth, et al. Contemporary Management. McGraw-Hill Education Australia, 2016.
- Yan, Jihong. Machinery Prognostics and Prognosis Oriented Maintenance Management. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.