Abstract

Maintenance is one of the main drivers for ensuring the sustainability of manufacturing in capital-intensive production systems. However, in many cases, as a result of budgetary constraints, it is necessary to select which machines will be subject to maintenance actions on the basis of a list of priorities. Traditionally, such prioritization decisions are made using techniques which, in general, do not consider the systemic impact of maintenance actions. This paper is focused at the definition of a novel graphical technique for physical assets prioritization. This technique is aimed at establishing maintenance priorities considering the impact on the overall throughput of the production system. Due to the fact that the proposed technique is based on the well-known Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) index, its use is not only limited to measuring the effects of maintenance decisions and actions (availability), but also to operational implications (productivity and utilization). The results could be displayed graphically, which makes it particularly useful and manageable for different types of users. The methodology is illustrated though an example based on a comminution plant from the copper mine industry. It is evident how the proposed technique facilitates business-oriented and economic sustainability focused decisions.