Executive Summary

Summary

What is the mission of maintenance? There used to be as many answers to this question as 

there were companies. When a company even had a mission statement, it ranged from 
ensuring quick reaction times fixing breakdowns to serving the customer. Some companies are 
intent on reducing downtime, and others focus on cost control or quality. A few focus on safety 
or environmental security.

What is the mission of maintenance? There used to be as many answers to this question as there were companies. When a company even had a mission statement, it ranged from ensuring quick reaction times fixing breakdowns to serving the customer. Some companies are intent on reducing downtime, and others focus on cost control or quality. A few focus on safety or environmental security.

On the other side, routine maintenance activity should be merged into operations. The TPM 

(total productive maintenance) model shows that operators can handle the task and that the 

whole maintenance effort will benefit from operator involvement.

When you don\'t have the time, resources or technology to figure out the underlying problem, 

use a PM approach to reduce your exposure to breakdowns. Also continue PM, along with 

other methods, where the implications of breakdown are deadly or terribly expensive

Every maintenance improvement reduces the need for maintenance labor and increases the 

service level to the maintenance user. The same asset can be successfully maintained by a 

smaller and smaller crew. Maintenance departments that take this approach will be doing their 

part to ensure that their organization survives and thrives.