Several months ago, I was approached by my Maintenance Manager to author a report that

addresses the Standard Operating Procedure (S.O.P.) of the Maintenance Department. I wrote
this report as a general bases of what defines the building blocks of a functioning Maintenance
Department.

Purpose: The function of the Maintenance Department is to act as a support group for plant wide
operations. Specially skilled Maintenance Technician, Maintenance Management, and Logistics,
make up the inter working of the maintenance department. Management is made up of a
Maintenance Manager, Supervisor, and a Planner/Scheduler. As the department head, the
Maintenance Manager main duties and responsibility lie with setting direction and tone for the
department, which includes the budget. The Supervisor is directly responsible for logistics and
resolving issues with the Maintenance Technician, and the Planner/Scheduler provides the
harmony.

Computerized Maintenance Management: Computerized Maintenance Management (CMMS)

is software used by the Planner/Scheduler to generate scheduled PM, track labor hours, track
equipment down time, track inventory, track vendors, and generate reports to management.
CMMS also provides data to the Maintenance Manager so as to assist in planning his budget.
CMMS provides the necessary data to write PFA (Post Failure Analysis) on failed equipment
and S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedures) on production standards that need to be upgraded.

PM Generation: A /PM/ is Generated in a monthly, weekly, or daily format, using task

numbers, start dates, and finish dates as a time reference, to determine when the PM will be
generated by CMMS system. Other information such as the equipment number, equipment
description, location of equipment, are added to help properly identify the equipment that is to
receive a PM.. A /PM/ is generated with special instruction and recommendation from the
manufacture, and experienced senior technician, on how best to service the equipment. Special
instructions may include information about proper lubricants or adjustments needed to maximum
performance and life of the equipment.

A /PM/ is also used as a feed-back tool by the CMMS system, in collecting data such as pressure
readings, temperature readings, visual inspection on the condition of the equipment and planning
for future work, to be done in a more controlled environment, and in order to predict a better
opportunity to ensure proper repairs.

Planner/Scheduler: All PM are time sensitive and are generated at the beginning of the work
week. After the Planner/Scheduler generates the PM, she/he begins the task of assigning and
posting PM (work order numbers) to the scheduling board located in the maintenance shop. PM
posting is determined by production schedules, production shifts, and the proper Maintenance
Technician. Maintenance Technicians are issueda work bidder with a Maintenance Department
Equipment Listing inside. The Department Equipment Listing contains equipment numbers,
description of equipment, equipment types, department numbers, location of equipment, and
other useful information which are needed when filling out a work order. The Planner/Scheduler
then places the posted-generated PM, inside the bidder and it is the responsibility of the
maintenance tech to complete the PM on the day that it was issued. Other duties of the
Planner/Scheduler include locating and ordering replacement parts that are needed to affect
scheduled and unscheduled repairs on plant wide equipment.

After the PM has been completed, it is returned to the Planner/Scheduler for review and data
entered into the MP2 (CMMS) system. The PM will contain feed-back on collected data, such as
a check list of tasks that the technician has preformed on the equipment, as well as comments
about the condition of equipment or about future repairs needed. These comments will be
reviewed by the Maintenance Manager for further action.

The Planner/Scheduler is responsible for compiling morning reports, equipment reports, labor
cost reports, up-dated vendor list, inventory reports, inventory control, and make them available
for review by the Maintenance Manager. The Planner/Scheduler sets in on daily-morning-
production meetings, so as to properly schedule maintenance support around the needs of the
production department and there schedule.

Maintenance Work Orders: Maintenance Work Orders are generated on a daily basis by the
Maintenance Technician. The information provided helps the Maintenance department track
labor hours-worked, inventory stock, add additional work or repairs needed on the equipment.
Work Orders are returned to the Planner/Scheduler at the conclusion of every shift and reviewed.
If the work order is viewed, showing only labor hours worked, then this data is entered into the
MP2 (CMMS) system. Labor hours-worked represents line/equipment change overs,
adjustments to equipment, and labor involved in replacing worn or broken parts on equipment. If
however the Work Order shows that additional work or repairs are needed, then the
Planner/Scheduler and Maintenance Manager decide the proper course of action. The
Planner/Scheduler then post that project and the correct course of action needed, to the Project
(white) Board, located in the maintenance shop. From the Project Whiteboard, a work order will
be generated, assigning the needed work to a maintenance technician to complete. The
Maintenance Work Order will be scheduled when the equipment can be taking off line and
without disruption to production schedule. Repair parts and or additional technical information
may be added, so as to further assist the maintenance technician in successfully completing the
task in a timely matter. After the work has been completed, the finished work order is then
returned to the Planner/Scheduler and recorded into the MP2 (CMMS) system, capturing labor-
hours, parts used, and the condition of the equipment after repairs. The Maintenance Work Order
is an invaluable proactive tool that the Maintenance Department uses to service its customers
plant wide.

Post Failure Analysis: An event is defined as any loss of production time due to a failure of the
production equipment, and a PFA is triggered when one of three events happen during
production time. If downed-equipment cost more than one thousand dollars to repair, or an event
takes longer than a half an hour to affect repairs, or an event is reoccurring, then the maintenance
technician is required to write a (PFA) Post Failure Analysis. The purpose for a PFA is to reduce,
prevent, and improve the standards by which the company produces a product. The Post Failure
Analysis helps all departments within the company structure, develop practical and efficient
S.O.P.(Standard Operating Procedures), and bring clarity to all employees on producing a
company product. PFA often reveal hidden safety issues or improper use of equipment and
systems. After completing the PFA, the maintenance technician returns the data to the
Planner/Scheduler for evaluation. From that, the Maintenance Manager may pass the PFA to the
affected department heads (including the Plant Manager) for further evaluation. From that the
Plant Manager and plant wide department heads may decide to correct or modify their S.O.P.
(Standard Operating Procedures).

Pass Down Meeting: At the conclusion of every shift, Maintenance Technicians are required as
a matter of maintenance policy, to meet with the on-coming shift, to discuss and pass-down an
accounting of events which has occurred on the previous shift. Technicians are also required to
enter into a log book, all things discussed in the pass down meeting. This assures a continuity of
commutation between shifts and opens for discussion, any concerns or issues confronting our
Technicians.

Training: Management is proactive in providing specialized training to our Maintenance

Technicians in order to insure quality service to the departments that we support. Management is
constantly providing new skill sets to our technicians by arranging for factory reps to conduct
training seminars on production equipment. We also encourage our technicians with special skill
sets, to hold training seminars, to insure that we have a highly technical maintenance group.
Management also provides opportunity to learn new skills through trade schools and college.

Technical Resource Library: This is a function of the Planner/Scheduler to provide a current

technical resource (equipment manuals) to our Maintenance Technician. The Resource Library
provides proper factory recommended settings and adjustment for all production equipment,
including part numbers needed for reordering. The Resource Library is used in part to verify and
maintain our inventory parts room and will always be a work in progress.