CHAPTER 8

Organization of
Maintenance Resources

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 Introduction
-Maintenance organization can take an infinite no. of forms

-The best form for particular situation is determined by a

systematic consideration of the influencing factors

-Organization of maintenance resources for a multi-trade

maintenance work load is a difficult managerial problem
which involves three areas of organization decision making

-the mix, location, and size of the maintenance resources

- the nature and type of administrative procedure
- the type of work planning and scheduling systems
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 Maintenance Resource Structure
- Here, the objective is to set up the mix, location and
size of resources which will best respond to the
expected maintenance workload

- The workload in general falls into two categories:

(a) Deterministic work load
(b) Probabilistic load:

- The fluctuating nature of the latter makes the

organization of maintenance resource a difficult
task.
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a) Trade force mix
The work load is usually divided according to trade..
This demarcation:
- determines the number and size of gangs;
- makes more difficult the achievement of high
labour utilization;
- renders work planning more difficult due to the
complexity of trade coordination.

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 b) Trade force location
The trade force location must reduce the time of plant
unavailability.
- If the work load is widely distributed and contains a
large proportion of high cost emergency
maintenance, permanent decentralization of the
trade force reduces the cost, both direct and
indirect.
- For a localized work load centralization of the
maintenance improves utilization of resources.
- For infrequent, but anticipated, highly specialized
work, the use of contract labour must be
considered.
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 b) Trade force location:
The aim of trade-force location is to balance the
advantages of centralization against the cost
associated with traveling.
The solution is often a partially decentralized system.
In this case, the maintenance gangs carry-out the
emergency work as priority and also as much of
the scheduled work as possible, while the
functions of the main workshop are:
- to act as a reserve of labour for the area gangs;
- to undertake the major reconditioning and
overhaul work;
- to act as a base for those trades men who are
better centralized;
- to coordinate the externally contracted work .
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 c) Trade force size:

- If the workload is deterministic, it is not difficult to

determine the best size of the trade force.
- However, in most manufacturing situations the work
load usually contains large probabilistic components
which render setting of trade force size a difficult
task.
- The basic aim should be to achieve a trade force
size and structure which minimizes the total cost of
labour and waiting time.

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Administrative Structure:
Two important facts
1. There is no ideal administrative structure for
maintenance, in general.
2. The administrative structure should be
designed in conjunction with and to suit the
resource structure.
In general maintenance administrative structure is
based on division of the work into specialization
including centralized planning functions.
An example of an administrative structure is shown in
the figure below.

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 EAE (GM)

Engineering Finance
AABIA Regional airports Department Department

Technique Operation Finance Airport

Division Division Division Security Management Facilitation

Electric Radio Civil work

Section Electronics Section
Section

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 Technical Division
(Maintenance Department)

Mechanical Electrical Radio Civil Work

Section Section Electronics Section
Section

Drainage Building &

Inventory Experts Workshop System road Repair
(Engineers) Control

Foreman Machinist Welder Mechanic

Technicians

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Area foremen are responsible for maintenance
workload within the specified area and are
accountable to the mechanical engineer.
Maintenance engineers, i.e. mechanical,
electrical and building, are responsible for

- overseeing and supervising all

maintenance workload
undertakings directly under them;
- overall maintenance works and are
accountable to the
maintenance manager. 13
Main function of the maintenance manager
and engineers may include
1) Set maintenance objectives and determine
maintenance policy.
2) Assist with technical advice and decision
making.
3) Assist with medium term work planning and
scheduling.
4) Look after day-to day personnel problems.

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 Work Planning and Scheduling

The objective of work planning and scheduling is

to get the right resources to the right place,
to do the right job in the right way and at the
right time in order to carry out the maintenance
function at minimum overall cost.

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a) Work planning
Some basic rules to be observed in designing a
maintenance work planning
1. The work planner must have the authority to
make the necessary decisions
2. The work planner must have the right information
at the right time
3. The areas of responsibility of, and lines of
communication between, the planning levels must
be clearly defined.
In setting a workable maintenance plan, the
maintenance workload should be categorized
- random, and
- deterministic
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Random or probabilistic workload:
- This category consists of the emergency and corrective
maintenance workload which is random in nature.
- This workload fluctuates with time.
- The repair situation can be represented by queuing
mode.
- The function of a maintenance department as regards
the probabilistic workload is to: locate the malfunction;
diagnose the fault; prescribe the action to correct the
malfunction; decide on the work priority; plan the
resources necessary to undertake the work; schedule
the work; issue job instructions; check that the work is
satisfactory.
Such a work can only be scheduled, with any degree of
certainty, a short time ahead 17
b) Deterministic workload:
- This consists of the preventive maintenance work
and the necessary plant modifications.
- It can be planned in detail and scheduled some
time ahead.
- The functions of a maintenance department as
regards the deterministic workload is to:
- schedule all preventive maintenance and
fixed- time maintenance;
- perform all performance monitoring and set
schedules based on the condition
of the plant;
- determine all reconditioning activities;
- recommend appropriate long tem solution to
recurring problems to enhance
plant maintenance and maintainability. 18
Equipment record
Proper work planning is facilitated by appropriate
equipment records. Two important equipment
records are:
i) Equipment record card which contains useful data
regarding the acquisition and installation of the
equipment, and
ii) Equipment history record card in which all faults,
corrections, replacements, repairs, etc. are
recorded during its operation time.

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Equipment
Machine
Card

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Equipment/Machine history record card

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 Maintenance Scheduling
Maintenance scheduling is a sequential arrangement of
maintenance jobs showing priorities.
A maintenance schedule shows
- the maintenance work to be done,
- frequency of the work,
- by whom the work has to be done, and
- estimated time required to complete the work.
The queuing of workload to be accomplished depends on
- priority set, and
- availability of spares, skilled labour and
equipment.
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Maintenance Scheduling

The maintenance schedule has to be prepared in

collaboration with production department.

In setting up a maintenance schedule, guidelines

must be provided by the manufacturer.

An example of a maintenance schedule is shown

below.

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Maintenance scheduling card

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Maintenance work description card

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 Maintenance Job Order
A maintenance job order is a detailed and complete
work order by means of which a technician, a
mechanic, an electrician or any other skilled
person is given the authority to attend to a specific
maintenance workload.
In addition to the workload, the job order card lists
the equipment, spares, estimated time, skill
required, etc.
A typical job order card is shown in the figure below.

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Maintenance job order card

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Maintenance job order card

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Defects analysis record card
Upon completion of a maintenance task, defects
analysis should be done in order to assist further
diagnostics on an equipment.
Information on
- nature of the defect
- causes
- action taken
are filled on defects analysis card.

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Defects analysis record card

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