Grace Robinson HNC Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering- Unit 18

LO2: Evaluate the merits and use of different maintenance strategies in an industrial
workplace.

-List the different maintenance methodologies: planned, preventative, predictive, and reactive.

-Explain them and how they have different approaches.

-Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Work site introduction- The company of which I work at is called Runcorn MCP. The company is part of a
range of different companies which are all part of a company called INEOS. As well as Runcorn MCP,
other companies such as INOVYN, VYNOVA and INEOS Salts. At my company we produce Chlorine (Cl2),
and ethylene dichloride (EDC). The Site has one of the largest membrane electrolysis units in
Europe. The chemicals produced at the Site are sold into a wide variety of industrial
applications across sectors such as water, building and construction, electronics and
pharmaceuticals. INOVYN also produces Sulphur chemicals and salt at Runcorn Site, for sale to a
range of industrial customers. Runcorn Site is highly integrated and hosts a number of other
chemical manufacturers including Runcorn MCP Ltd (a joint venture between INOVYN and
VYNOVA), Koura, VYNOVA, Industrial Chemicals and Packed Chlorine Limited.
Operations introduction:
Grace Robinson HNC Maintenance Engineering

Planned, preventati ve, predicti ve, and reacti ve methodologies

-Planned maintenance is maintenance that is put in the work schedule as it may need doing
regularly at a certain time in the process cycle. By the maintenance being planned, this can
reduce the downtime in between the process being on and off. By having all the time
scheduled in, this means that all required equipment, resources and labor can be found
beforehand, this is a main part of reducing the downtime.
-Advantages of planned maintenance include avoiding costly downtime. A planned
maintenance system allows front-line supervisors and managers to spend more time
managing production and less time dealing with the consequences of system failures. Also,
without planned maintenance, equipment operates at an ever-decreasing rate of efficiency
until it breaks down completely. When that break comes, the production of the company
comes to a standstill and hourly employees suddenly becoming a profit drain on the
company.
- Disadvantages of Planned maintenance include over maintenance- Because there is a
regular plan, sometimes items may not need to be checked as often as planned. If this is the
case, you can change your maintenance plan to checking the specific equipment or areas
less often, while still maintaining a schedule. Also, more workers- Planned maintenance
require more workers because regular checks are a must. When compared to reactive
maintenance, you simply need to call someone in for a onetime fix. Instead, this method
requires workers to always be on site and perform daily works.
- Preventive maintenance avoids such unexpected machine failures and helps keep the
company running smoothly without undue interruption. This type of maintenance can be
done when we know that a machine need maintaining, so work is done to prevent any
issues from occurring because it is known to occur or known it could happen. Preventative
maintenance means regularly checking equipment for small problems and fixing them
before failure can occur. Preventive maintenance activities may consist of inspections,
calibrations, lubrications, adjustments, cleaning, or part replacements. As preventive
maintenance activities are performed, workers also document an asset’s condition so they
know when future maintenance may be needed.
- Advantages of preventative maintenance include reduced breakdown and repair time, low
maintenance cost. Also, better production quality and lower unit cost of manufacture. The
chance of accidents is also reduced. And there is also no delay in delivering the product to
the customer, etc.
- Disadvantages of preventative maintenance could include the increased risk of injury.
Compared to planned maintenance it is increased as the job isn’t as planned so the injury
could occur when not expected.
Grace Robinson HNC Maintenance Engineering