Chandrahas, et al.

, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN2249–8974

Proceedings of BITCON-2015 Innovations For National Development
National Conference on : Innovations In Mechanical Engineering For Sustainable Development
Research Paper
MAINTENANCE STRATEGY AND DECISION MAKING –
AHP METHOD
Chandrahas1, Santosh Kumar Mishra2 and Deepak Mahapatra2

Address for Correspondence

1
Student, 2 Faculty at Bhilai Institute of Technology, Durg (CG) India
ABSTRACT:
Maintenance strategy plays a very important role in all kind of manufacturing industries. Each maintenance strategy has their
characteristics, importance and drawbacks. Performance of a machine depends on the type of maintenance strategies
employed on it. Machines used in industries need proper maintenance because failure of machine may cause the production
loss. Maintenance strategy may vary from one machine to another machine because of the various conflicting factors like
safety, cost, customer satisfaction etc. Factors affecting machines performance need to identify and control. Use of
inappropriate maintenance strategy may increase the maintenance cost. Increase in maintenance cost will increase the
production cost. Selection of a maintenance strategy to a particular machine or group of machines is a problem of decision
making and it is always a challenging task for maintenance Manager/Engineer. By using the decision making tools like
AHP, this problem can be solved. Use of AHP method also facilitates to calculate the weight of factors through which
decision maker can analyze the difference between actual condition and required condition. Present research work shows
that the problem of selecting an optimum maintenance strategy to a machine can be overcome by using decision making tool
(AHP).
KEYWORDS: Analytical Hierarchy Process, Decision Making, Maintenance Strategy.
1. INTRODUCTION: structure and evaluated using only a series of pair
According to Jureen Thor et al. (2013), Maintenance wise judgments. Massinio Bertolin et al. (2005)
has emerged since the construction of physical presents a Lexicographic goal programming (LGP)
structures such as ships and machines. In general, approach to define the best strategies for the
maintenance is defined as the combination of all maintenance of critical centrifugal pumps in an oil
technical and administrative actions, including refinery for each pump failure mode , the model
supervision and action indented to retain the machine allows to take into account the maintenance policy
or restore it to a state in which it can perform a Borden in terms of inspection or repair and in terms
required function. Effective maintenance ultimately of the manpower involved , linking them to
aims to determine suitable action’s that can keep efficiency risk as peats quantified as in FMECA
machine performance at acceptable level and extend methodology through the use of the classic parameter
the life cycle of the machine. Different types of occurrence , severity and detestability , evaluated
maintenance alternatives have been proposed to through an adequate application of AHP technique.
achieve the ultimate goal. However, a maintenance Ling Wang et al. (2007) analyzed deal with the
policy implemented in a similar machine but in uncertain judgment of decision makers, a fuzzy
different manufacturing environments may not modification of the AHP method is applied as an
produce similar results because of various operating evaluation tool where uncertain and imprecise
factors such as humidity, temperature and work load. judgments of decision makers are translated into
In addition, decision making in maintenance fuzzy numbers. In order to avoid fuzzy priority
selection is often accompanied by diverse constraints calculation and fuzzy ranking procedures in the
and economic perspectives. Examples of these traditional fuzzy AHP methods, a new fuzzy
constraints include operator safety issues, prioritization method is proposed. This fuzzy
government regulation, resource limitation and prioritization method can derive crisp priorities from
budget, consequently the selection of a suitable a consistent or inconsistent fuzzy judgment matrix by
maintenance policy becomes a crucial decision solving an optimization problem with non linear
making process to obtain high levels of success for constraints. Maria Scocorro et al. (2008) proposes
the firm beneficiaries in manufacturing industry. the use of a multi- criteria technique, namely the
2. REVIEW OF RESEARCH WORKS ON analysis hierarchy process, as a potential decision
MAINTENANCE STRATEGY SELECTION - making method for use in management maintenance
In last few decades there were lots of research work processes. In this case the problem corneous the
had been done all over the world on maintenance selection of a parts clearing system for diesel engine
strategy selections. Few of them are introduced in maintenance. A hierarchical structure is built for the
this research work. M. Bevilacqua et al. (March prequalification of the criteria and the alternatives
2000), the research work is all about the selection of within the system. By applying the analytical
maintenance strategy in a plant which is still in hierarchy process, the criteria can be prioritized and
construction phase. Possible alternatives are the alternatives can be organized in descending order
considered preventive, condition based, corrective so that the best parts clearing system may be selected.
and opportunistic maintenance. There are Ming- feng yang et al. 2008. In this paper an AHP
approximate 200 facilities for which best approach is used evaluating food quality management
maintenance policy have to select. The machines are of Bakery Sector. In this approach triangular numbers
clustered in three homogeneous groups after a were introduced into the conventional AHP in order
criticality analysis based on internal procedures of to improve the degree of judgments of decision
the oil refinery. With AHP technique, several aspects, maker(s). Using of AHP approach to evaluating food
which characterize each of the above mentioned quality Management of Bakery sector alternative
maintenance strategies, are arranged in hierarchic results in the following two major advantages
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 Chandrahas, et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN2249–8974

(i)Numbers are preferable to extend the range of crisp of consistency problem structure, concept, core
comparison matrix of the conversion matrix of the process and accuracy of final results.
convection AHP method. (ii)Adoption of numbers 3. FIELD OF MCDM (AHP) METHOD:
can allow decision makers to have freedom of In our day to day life from morning market to
estimation regarding the food quality management of business market we need to make decisions with
Bakery sector selection. Mansoore Momani et al. some genuine logics and sense. The purpose is to get
(2011) studied the selection of maintenance strategies better outputs and results. Now a day’s decision
in Electro Fan Company. It is studied that the making tools are getting rapidly popular in various
evaluation of maintenance strategies for each piece of fields like Maintenance strategy selection, Supply
equipment is a multiple criteria decision making chain management, Agriculture, Medical Science,
(MCDM) problem. To deal with the uncertain Food industry, Education, Automobile industry,
judgment of decision makers are translated into fuzzy Project selection etc.
numbers. A specific example of selection of 4. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF
maintenance strategies in this company with the MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES:
application of proposed fuzzy TOPSIS method is When there is need to identify the various
given, showing that the preventive maintenance alternatives to take in consideration for the selection
strategy is the most suitable for equipment. Jureen of best maintenance strategy, it is always helpful to
Thor et al. July 2013 reviewed and compared compare the alternatives by important factors like
analytic hierarchy process, elimination and compared philosophy, reliability level, percentage in use,
analytic reality, simple additive weighting and advantages, disadvantages etc. It simplifies the
technique for order preference by similarity to ideal understanding between various points and conditions.
solution. The comparisons were based on the aspects
Table no.1 Comparative study of maintenance strategies
S.N. Factors Corrective Maintenance Preventive Maintenance Condition Based Maintenance
1. Nature  Run-to-failure  Time based maintenance  Predictive maintenance,
monitor as per assets condition
2. Basic  Allow machinery to run to  Schedule maintenance  Schedule maintenance activities
Philosophy failure activities at pre-determined when mechanical or operational
 Repair or replace damaged time intervals. conditions warrant.
equipment when obvious  Repair or replace damaged  Repair or replace damaged
problem occur. equipment before obvious equipment before obvious
problem occur. problem occur.
3. On the basis of  Small parts and  Equipment subjected to wear.  Equipment with random failure
Reliability equipment.  Consumer-able equipment patterns.
 Non-critical equipment  Equipment with known  Critical equipment
 Equipment unlikely to fail. failure pattern.  Equipment not subjected to
 Redundant systems  Manufacturer wear.
recommendations  System which failure may be
induced by incorrect preventive
maintenance.
4. Advantages  Low cost  Cost effective in many  Increased component
 Less staff capital intensive processes. operational life/availability.
 Flexibility allows for the  Decrease in equipment or
adjustment of maintenance process downtime.
periodically.  Decrease in costs for parts and
 Increased component life labors.
cycle.  Better product quality
 Energy savings  Improved worker and
 Reduced equipment or environmental safety.
process failure.  Energy savings.
 Estimated 12-18% cost  Improved worker morale.
savings over CM.  Estimated 8-12% cost savings
over PM.
5. Disadvantages  Increased cost due to  Catastrophic failure still  Increased investment in
unplanned downtime of likely to occur. diagnostic equipment.
equipment.  Labor intensive  Increased investment in staff
 Increased labor cost,  Includes performance of training.
especially if overtime unneeded maintenance.  Savings potential not readily
needed.  Potential for incidental seen by management.
 Cost involved with repair damage to components in
or replacement of conducting unneeded
equipment. maintenance.
 Possible secondary or
process damage from
equipment failure.
6. Maintenance  55% Reactive  31% preventive maintenance  12% predictive maintenance
Strategy used maintenance used in used in industry. used in industry.
in industry. industry.
7. Equation Breakdown cost = labor + Preventive Maintenance cost Condition Based Maintenance
downtime = labor + downtime due to Cost = labor + downtime due to
(PM) cost planned shutdown (CBM) cost planned shutdown

8. Example  Lubricate motors when  Lubricate pumps every 2000  Conduct scans on pumps and
they become noisy or in hours. panels to determine if and when
vibrations occur. work is required.

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 Chandrahas, et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN2249–8974

5. SELECTION OF CRITERIA AND SUB- Criteria Decision Making tools facilitate to rank these
CRITERIA criteria’s with respect to the others. Most general
Selection of criteria is also a very important factor in criteria and sub criteria for manufacturing industries.
the process of selecting the best maintenance According to Ling Wang (2007), the important
strategy. Criteria’s which highly influence the criteria’s and sub-criteria’s are classified in table
performance of machine or to achieve the goal of form.
company, need to be analyzed very carefully. Multi-
Table no.2 Classifying Criteria and Sub-Criteria
Criteria Sub- Criteria
Cost of poor maintenance practices (A1)
Cost (A) Cost of using spare parts (A2)
Staff training cost (A3)
Environmental effects (B1)
Safety (B) Personnel safety (B2)
Role of professional specialist (C1)
Value –Added(C) Spare parts quality and availability (C2)
Customer satisfaction (C3)
Equipment and Technology(D) Fault Identification (D1)
Feasibility (D2)

Table no.3 Comparisons between Criteria’s

Factor Factor Weight
More important than Equal Less important than Factor
Cost 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Safety
Cost 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Add- Value

Cost 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Equipment and Technology

Safety 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Add-value
Safety 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Equipment and Technology
Add- 9 7 5 3 1 3 5 7 9 Equipment and Technology
Value

6. STRATEGY OF DATA COLLECTION REFERENCES:

Data collection is a very important task in the
selection of maintenance strategy by using the
MCDM Methods. Appropriate well planned data
sheet must take all the required information from the
expert when ask for any decision. Inappropriate way
of data collection may lead to fail the purpose of
analysis. When a question is asked to an expert there
must be no any confusion related to understanding
meaning of question. Logic must be arises in the
mind of the decision maker at the time of answering.
A sample paper of questionnaire is added in this
research paper (table no. 3). Data collected from
sample questionnaire are required to put in matrix
form and then after it can be calculated by AHP
process. Tools like MATLAB etc can be used for
matrix calculation for large size of data calculation.
7. CONCLUSIONS:
This research paper aims to show how a typical
problem of maintenance strategy selection can be
simplified by using a decision making tools. Using
the advantages and facilities of MCDM methods
helps to control the factor which influences to
achieve the goal of company. In this paper review of
various researches suggest that large scope of
applicability of MCDM methods. Comparative study
of alternatives can help to understand the condition of
problem and also at the time of decision making i.e.
to fulfill questionnaire part for data collection.
Selection of any criteria is also a challenging task but
it can be well estimated by review of various research
studies at different conditions in different companies.
It can be concluded at the end of this research paper
that for the general problem of maintenance strategy
selection above steps can be taken in the account and
along with this sensitivity analysis can also be
implemented so that influence in output can be
measured by changing the criteria weight.
Int. J. Adv. Engg. Res. Studies/IV/II/Jan.-March,2015/256-258
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Note: This Paper/Article is scrutinised and reviewed by
Scientific Committee, BITCON-2015, BIT, Durg, CG, India