Maintenance Training Activities

Table of Contents
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................................ 2 What is Maintenance? .................................................................................................................................. 3 Anticipation of Frame Work.......................................................................................................................... 4 Maintenance Department Functions and Organization ............................................................................... 5 A maintenance department is expected to perform a wide range of functions including: ............................ 5 Maintenance Training Activities ................................................................................................................... 6 Training Policy ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Evaluating Current Status ......................................................................................................................... 7 Need Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Desired Performance ............................................................................................................................ 9 Deviation between Actual and Expected Performance ...................................................................... 10 Root Cause(s) ...................................................................................................................................... 10 Appropriate Solutions ............................................................................................................................. 10 Selection.................................................................................................................................................. 11 Designing the Training Program.................................................................................................................. 11 Implementation of the Training Program ............................................................................................... 12 TrainingCraft Personnel........................................................................................................................... 13 Formal Instruction................................................................................................................................... 13 Informal Instruction ................................................................................................................................ 14 On-the-Job Training ................................................................................................................................ 15 References .................................................................................................................................................. 16

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Acknowledgement
We dedicate our effort to our teacher (Engr. Nasrullah Khan Babar), who guided us and helped us in the preparation of this report. Because we think that without his guidance it was almost impossible to prepare this report. Secondly we dedicate this effort to our parents as they pray for our success and we did not able to do that without their prayers.

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What is Maintenance?
Definition:

All actions appropriate for retaining an item/part/equipment in, or restoring it to, a given condition. Maintenance is a function that must be performed under normally adverse circumstances and stress, and its main objective is to rapidly restore the equipment to its operational readiness state using available resources. As with any discipline built upon the foundations of science and technology, the study of maintenance begins with a definition of maintenance. Because so many misconceptions about this definition exist, a portion of it must be presented in negative terms. So deeply, in fact, are many of these misconceptions rooted in the minds of management and many maintenance practitioners that perhaps the negatives should be given first attention. Maintenance is not merely preventive maintenance, although this aspect is an important ingredient. Maintenance is not lubrication, although lubrication is one of its primary functions. Nor is maintenance simply a frenetic rush to repair a broken machine part or building segment, although this is more often than not the dominant maintenance activity. In a more positive vein, maintenance is a science since its execution relies, sooner or later, on most or all of the sciences. It is an art because seemingly identical problems regularly demand and receive varying approaches and actions and because some managers, foremen, and mechanics display greater aptitude for it than others show or even attain. It is above all a philosophy because it is a discipline that can be applied intensively, modestly, or not at all, depending upon a wide range of variables that frequently transcend more immediate and obvious solutions. Moreover, maintenance is a philosophy because it must be as carefully fitted to the operation or organization it serves as a fine suit of clothes is fitted to its wearer and because the way it is viewed by its executors will shape its effectiveness. Maintenance represents the physical reason for the existence of the maintenance group. Responsibility here is simply to make necessary repairs to production machinery quickly and economically and to anticipate these repairs and employ preventive maintenance where possible to prevent them. For this, a staff of skilled craftsmen capable of performing the work must be trained, motivated, and constantly retained to assure that adequate maintenance skills Plant Maintenance
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are available to perform effective maintenance. In addition, adequate records for proper distribution of expense must be kept.

Anticipation of Frame Work

The most important function of maintenance is anticipation of future work. This can be done by information provided by the following sources: Instructions and guidance given by manufacturers of the machine. Technical knowledge of the maintenance and production personnel. Knowledge of the degree of utilization of the machine. Record of the behavior of the machine and work done on it. Complaints and requests from production personnel on the basis of difficulties experienced by them while operating the machines. Examination of the state of the various parts of the machine during their life span. Maintenance Activities and Control The management and control of maintenance activities are equally important to performing maintenance. Maintenance management may be described as the function of providing policy guidance for maintenance activities, in addition to exercising technical and management control of maintenance programs. Generally, as the size of the maintenance activity and group increases, the need for better management and control become essential. In the past, the typical size of a maintenance group in a manufacturing establishment varied from 5 to 10% of the operating force. Today, the proportional size of the maintenance effort compared to the operating group has increased significantly, and this increase is expected to continue. The prime factor behind this trend is the tendency in industry to increase the mechanization and automation of many processes. Consequently, this means lesser need for operators but greater requirement for maintenance personnel.

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Maintenance Department Functions and Organization
A maintenance department is expected to perform a wide range of functions including: Planning and repairing equipment/facilities to acceptable standards Performing preventive maintenance; more specifically, developing and implementing a regularly scheduled work program for the purpose of maintaining satisfactory equipment/facility operation as well as preventing major problems Preparing realistic budgets that detail maintenance personnel and material needs Managing inventory to ensure that parts/materials necessary to conduct maintenance tasks are readily available

Keeping records on equipment, services, etc.

Developing effective approaches to monitor the activities of maintenance staff Developing effective techniques for keeping operations personnel, upper-level management, and other concerned groups aware of maintenance activities Training maintenance staff and other concerned individuals to improve their skills and perform effectively Reviewing plans for new facilities, installation of new equipment, etc. Implementing methods to improve workplace safety and developing safety educationrelated programs for maintenance staff Developing contract specifications and inspecting work performed by contractors to ensure compliance with contractual requirements

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Maintenance Training Activities

Maintenance training activities can be considered in the form of a cycle.

Training Policy
Most companies give their employees some form of training. The existing training program must be reviewed periodically to monitor its effects on improving the skills of maintenance workers. The focus should be on developing a training program that improves the existing conditions. Issues such as developing multi-skilled workers, imparting specialist skills through a combination of lecture and on-the-job training, and so forth have to be clearly stated in the basic policy. To develop equipment-competent maintenance workers and to nurture human resources that will meet long-term requirements should be stated explicity in the companys goals. Priorities have to be clearly delineated for developing equipmentcomponent people, administration people, ultimately, an ability-development system.
Training Policy

Evaluate Effectiveness

Evaluate Current Status

Need Analysis Implement Training Program Design Training Program

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The policy should state clearly the vision, the long-term objectives of the training program, and the organizations priorities in training. An effective mechanism to achieve the objectives of the program must be developed.

Evaluating Current Status

More sophisticated and automated equipment has in creased the need to ensure quality of output, low energy consumption, and safety of operation. A well-designed training system is essential in order to meet these objectives. Usually, maintenance professionals should be able to perform the following activities. This, by no means, is an exhaustive list of such activities. To assess if the equipment is operating normally To diagnose the cause of abnormalities and restore normal operations To improve equipment reliability and minimize abnormalities and failure. To minimize the related costs To perform the job with the required level of quality and safety Keeping in mind the functions to be performed, an inventory of the skills possessed by the maintenance personnel should be taken. This will help in developing the training program. For taking the inventory of skills, it is essential that a list of typical tasks that the worker is performing on his/her machine, as well as future potential tasks to be done, be prepared. A specimen worker-skill inventory form:

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Worker Skill Inventory Form Equipment Name : ___________________ Location : ____________________________ Name of Assessor: _____________________________________________________________________________ Date : __________

Skill level

Worker # 1 (name)

Worker # 2
(name) Skill Level Addition

Worker # 3
(name) Skill Level Addition

Worker 4
(name) Skill Level Addition

Total Need

Required Work Classification

Skill Level

Addition

Equipment Operation 4 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4

Tracing abnormalities of equipment malfunction 4 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4

Equipment Diagnostics 4 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4

Safety

Background Knowledge

Total

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Typical task to be performed on the equipment, along with future potential tasks, are listed on this form. The skill levels required for each task are listed as well. On the same form, workers name and current skill levels are entered. The current level is usually provided by the supervisor and may be determined by interviewing the work. The completed form can be analyzed to estimate training program requirements in a quantified manner. This form enables the categorization of task-related training requirements and the identification of additional training needs.

Need Analysis

It is essential that a worker possess the necessary skills for performing a given tasks adequately. Factors like motivation, availability of necessary tools, and so on are known to effect worker performance.

A need analysis is carried out to identify worker performance deficiencies, to pinpoint the cause of these deficiencies, and to determine the appropriate solutions.

This process is normally based on the following five steps: 1. Identifying the desired performance 2. Identifying the deviation between expected and actual performance 3. Identifying the root cause of the deficiency(ies) 4. Selecting and implementing appropriate solutions

Desired Performance

The desired performance of a worker is known and predetermined. It usually involves, but is not limited to the following: Detecting equipment abnormalities Correcting the abnormalities Maintaining the equipment

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Deviation between Actual and Expected Performance

The difference between the expected and actual performance can be judged by the rework that a maintenance worker has to do, quality of equipment, output, and so forth.
Root Cause(s)

Usually, the cause of a performance deficiency falls into one of the following categories:
1. Knowledge and skill factor. Worker may not be able to do their jobs because they do not possess the required knowledge and skills. 2. Organizational factors. Workers may know how to perform their jobs but lack the required tools, equipment, and references. 3. Motivational factors. Workers may know the job, have every thing they need, but lack the motivation to perform the job up to the required standards.

The possible interactions of all these factors are shown. While determining the root causes, their interaction must be kept mind.

Appropriate Solutions
Identifying of the root causes of performance deficiencies leads to their solutions. In addition to training, the following must be examined as probable causes of performance deficiencies: Job standards Tools and equipment Necessary incentives

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Selection
After the appropriate solutions have been identified, these should then be implemented. Training is commonly neglected and postponed. To avoid this, a proper training program should be formalized.

Designing the Training Program

Currently, the use of robots, numerical control machines, and flexible manufacturing systems by industry is increasing everyday. Maintenance of this sophisticated equipment poses a challenge to the maintenance group and also increases the demand for multiskilled personnel. Engineers and technicians, in addition to maintenance workers, must also be trained. It is desirable that a company develop equipment competency at every level. To develop such competency, a program of training must be constructed that progresses in steps from elementary through basic, intermediate, and advanced skills.

It is desirable that each company devise its own particular system to suit its equipment. Companies have usually neglected equipment maintenance training in past. Due consideration must be given to improving maintenance skills from the basic level on up. The instructional methods adopted by companies do influence the pace of learning and retention of training information by trainees.

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Implementation of the Training Program
A training curriculum has to be developed. While developing such a curriculum, due consideration must be given to the equipment that the company has, skill levels required for maintaining it, and what specific items to teach and how much time should be spend in teaching items. A typical maintenance training system may include courses and on-the-job training.

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The effectiveness of any training program should be evaluated periodically. During this evaluation, the progress made by individuals toward skill development should be observed. Periodic reviews of the skills, training system, training processes, and the curriculum are essential ingredients for continuous improvement. For this purpose, a worker-skill inventory form can be used. This form provides the information regarding additional skills needed by each worker and also the total additional skills for all the workers with respect to the maintaining a particular equipment. The data obtained before the onset of a training program may be compared with the data collected after completion of the program. Rates of progress may be examined to see if the target has been achieved. This may necessitate looking at the entire program in case the desire target is not achieved. Similarly, rates of rework by each worker before training and after training will give some insight into the effectiveness of the training program.

TrainingCraft Personnel
This activity can be performed in three ways: Formal instruction Informal instruction On-the-job instruction.

Formal Instruction
While this subject is covered in some depth later in this handbook, it has a place in this earlier area. Many formalized maintenance training programs are currently available, usually in packaged form. The most common is an apprentice training program that conforms to the National Apprenticeship System of the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Apprenticeships. Moreover it has the added advantage of acceptance by most unions. Graduates are presented with certificates and are considered to be fairly well equipped on a nationwide basis. But the administration of such a system constitutes an expense which must be taken into consideration.

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Most other formalized training plans are those developed by major firms for their own use and then made available, at a fee, to others. Often these have an advantage over the federal plan since they can conform to peculiar plant needs. But they are usually even more expensive and lack the universal recognition of the former.

Informal Instruction
This consists primarily of spot exposure of personnel to intensive instruction in some phase of plant activities. It takes the form of lectures, sound-slide films, movies, or trips to suppliers, who may, with or without charge, provide instruction on their particular equipment. Usually these are directed more at developing advanced mechanical skills, however.

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On-the-Job Training
This is the most prevalent method for training maintenance personnel. Although its shortrange effectiveness is difficult to measure, many excellent craftsmen have acquired their skills in this way. Usually a new man is assigned to an experienced craftsman as a helper and learns by exposure to the job and from the instruction he receives from his appointed mentor. The effectiveness is improved if the training is supplemented by routine rotation of the trainee among several knowledgeable craftsmen and is accompanied by personal interviews by the foreman to determine the degree of progress.

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References
Planning and Control of Maintenance Systems by SALIH O. DUFFUAA, A. RAOUF, JOHN DIXON CAMPBELL Maintenance Engineering Handbook by R. Keith Mobley, Lindley R. Higgins, Darrin J. Wikoff Engineering Maintenance: A Modern Approach by B. S. Dhillon, Ph.D. Maintenance Engineering Handbook by Lindley R. Higgins, P.E. , R. Keith Mobley, Knoxville, Tenn, Ricky Smith

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