Strategic maintenance-management in Nigerian industries

A developing society needs to adapt to change and foster creativity. In the pursuit of continual improvement (i.e. reducing energy consumption, better service performance, greater availability and improved reliability), implementing wise maintenance schedules is essential for contemporary organisations. Several studies of a wide range of Nigerian industries indicate that indigenous low availability and low productivity are endemic. The resulting closure of some of these industries has triggered off a realisation of the strategic challenges in maintenance management. In addition, the contemporary increasingly-competitive business environment in Nigeria has raised the strategic importance of maintenance functions, especially in organisations with significant investments in physical assets. Five strategic aspects of maintenance management have been identified, namely:- maintenance methodology; support processes; organisation and work structuring; comparable culture; and general management. Three factors that permeate these dimensions are wise leadership, excellent communications and an understanding of the human factors involved. Abbreviations ASP Application service provider BSC Balanced score card CBM Condition-based maintenance CEO Chief executive officer CMMS Computerised maintenance management system ES Enterprise system FMECA Failure modes, effect and critical analysi