Reliability analysis required to determine CBM condition indicators

The implementation of condition-based maintenance, CBM, is growing by organizations that seek to gain a competitive advantage in the global economy. CBM, properly implemented, saves money by reducing lost opportunity costs, making maintenance actions more efficient in the use of resources, and optimizing logistical support expenses. Anecdotal evidence finds an immerging market that supplies diagnostic and prognostic sensor systems to enable organizations to implement CBM. This poses a problem of the cart before the horse; investing in sensor systems in the absence of reliability analysis has been termed, ldquo.technology insertion without adequate justification.rdquo It has been described as, ldquowhen one has a hammer in their hands everything looks like a nail.rdquo The error of starting with sensors to implement CBM is compounded by the fact that CBM is one of four paths of reliability-centered maintenance, RCM; the others being time-directed maintenance, TDM, run-to-failure, RTF, and no maintenance solution. A reliability-centered analysis is presented that defines the process to correctly select CBM as the technically and economically feasible maintenance solution.