Decision support systems for effective maintenance operations

To compete successfully in the market place, leading manufacturing companies are pursuing effective maintenance operations. Existing computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) can no longer meet the needs of dynamic maintenance operations. This paper describes newly developed decision support tools for effective maintenance operations: (1) data-driven short-term throughput bottleneck identification, (2) estimation of maintenance windows of opportunity, (3) prioritization of maintenance tasks, (4) joint production and maintenance scheduling systems, and (5) maintenance staff management. Mathematical algorithms and simulation tools are utilized to illustrate the concepts of these decision support systems. Results from real implementations in automotive manufacturing are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools.