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In this challenging and competitive environment, Industries have started adopting lean processes to optimise their operating expenditures while maintaining the reliability of their assets. Maintenance cost contributes significantly to the total operating expenses of a facility. RCM provides a systematic approach to determine & optimise the maintenance requirements of assets in their operating context, taking a step towards optimising maintenance costs and ensuring more reliable operations.

MAINTENANCE STRATEGY – RCM

RCM is a systematic process to identify the maintenance needs of the assets, to ensure they continue to perform their intended functions safely, reliably & in a cost-effective manner.  RCM focuses on preserving the functions of an asset or group of assets which their users require them to perform. The process yields a maintenance program consisting of technically precise & economically feasible tasks. Additionally, RCM serves as a link to the ISO 55000 series standards pertaining to asset management, ensuring that aspects of ISO 55001 including Leadership, Assurance, Value and Alignment are achieved to effectively accomplish the corporate objectives.

The RCM process has evolved over the last couple of decades and the processes have become more mature and more practically implemented. Guidelines and criteria that a process must comply with to be called “RCM” are set out in standards such as SAE JA1011, SAE JA1012, and IEC 60812. Other references that support the RCM process include ISO 14224 and the Offshore and Onshore Reliability Data Book (OREDA).

WHAT CAN RCM ACCOMPLISH?

In asset-intensive industries, ensuring equipment reliability is critical to meeting production targets in a safe and effective manner. RCM provides the framework to develop a maintenance program that focuses on the primary and secondary functions of assets. Some of the key benefits of RCM include:

• Ensuring Safety & Environmental Integrity
• Implementation of a systematic maintenance program
• Improved operating performance of the facility
• More involvement of key stakeholders in the maintenance program to meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) encouraging teamwork
• Optimised Maintenance Cost & reduced overall Life Cycle Cost
• High Return on Investment
• Improved Maintenance Planning
• Improved workforce engagement and motivation

FUNDAMENTALS OF AN RCM PROCESS

RCM typically measures the following questions of asset performance:

• What are the desired Functions & Performance Standards of the Asset?
• In what ways can an asset fail to perform its intended functions (Functional Failures)?
• Why does each Functional Failure occur (Failure Modes)?
• What happens when each failure occurs (Failure Effects)?
• What implications do each failure have (Failure Consequences)?
• What steps can be taken to predict or prevent each failure (Proactive Task & Intervals)?
• What should be done if an appropriate proactive task cannot be identified (Default Actions)?

AIE’s APPROACH TO RCM

AIE provides a complete solution for performing FMECA based RCM in conformance with applicable International Standards, right from the selection of system / assets till the development of maintenance strategies & job plans. Selection of right assets & defining boundaries for RCM implementation is a critical process. AIE utilises the following criterion for system selection through the identification of:

• Bad Actors using Pareto 80/20 Rule
• Highest total maintenance costs
• Highest downtimes
• Systems / Assets posing substantial risk to Safety of personnel

AIE makes use of multiple tools to identify failure modes including our extensive industrial experience and prioritises them based on the probability of failures & consequence of failures. Moreover, at AIE, we select the appropriate RCM strategy (Streamlined RCM or Classical RCM) for effective utilisation of the resources & attaining desired outcomes. Veracity RCM can be used to aid in the process of conducting RCM.

RCM is an iterative process in which performance of assets under RCM program should be fed back to the study to make the program more effective & efficient. AIE not only provides the solution for performing RCM but also supports in devising & monitoring the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This helps to gauge the overall effectiveness of the RCM program.

To learn more about RCM, contact us at info@aiegroup.org