Maintenance Quality: Concept, Principles, Stages and More

La quality of maintenance It is the set of mechanisms, actions and tools used to detect the presence of errors. The main function of maintenance quality is to ensure that products or services meet minimum quality requirements.

The development of a successful maintenance quality system is Essential to ensure high quality repairs, exact standards, maximum availability, extended equipment life cycle and efficient equipment production rates.Quality control as an integrated system has been practiced more intensively in production and manufacturing operations than in maintenance.

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What is maintenance quality?

Maintenance as a support structure is a cost center for the purposes of the company's interests. Certainly, as a cost it is only justified if it "improves" the business through the improvement of productivity conditions, through the continuous capacity for adaptation, development and conservation (independent of its particular functions). To do so, the vision and mission must be adequately focused through the clear definition of policies, objectives, values, among others.

In addition to maintenance, another relevant aspect is presented, which is the concept of quality, which has evolved over the years, from quality control where inspection was promulgated at the end of the process to ensure the quality of the products, to a quality management system, where the emphasis is on customer focus, process management, continuous improvement and organizational well-being.

This term has been introduced into the world of business, industry, commerce and services. But there are many who confuse the meaning of this concept. Some confuse it with a product of unbeatable qualities. However, quality goes beyond the characteristics of a product or service. That is, many identify quality or conceive quality as a small part of this system.

This is why the integration of both aspects represents a form of support for the effective and efficient management of maintenance-related activities.

It is necessary the development of certain maintenance quality control systems that ensure high quality repairs, maximum availability, extension of the equipment life cycle, efficient equipment production rates and other conditions that guarantee the excellence of the process and therefore of the product.

Maintenance Quality is based on:

• Perform maintenance actions oriented to Equipment care for this No. gender defects quality, prevent defects quality certifying that the machinery meets the basic conditions for “Zero defects"and that this is within the technical standards.
• Observe the variations of the characteristics of the equipment to prevent defects and take action getting ahead to the situations of potential abnormality.
• Perform engineering analysis from the team for identify the elements of the equipment that have a high recurrence in the quality characteristics of the final product, carry out the control of these elements of the machine and intervene in these elements.

Maintenance Quality and Quality Control in the Process…are not the same

The important thing is not to keep the equipment running, it is supposed to be highly reliable thanks to other pillars. TPM. It is maintain the highest quality standards of the product by controlling the conditions of the elements and systems of the machinery. In-process quality control focuses on this, while Quality Maintenance focuses on the condition of the machinery.

Principles of Maintenance Quality

The principles on which maintenance quality is based are:

• Classification of defects and identification of the ways in which they occur, frequency and effects.
• Perform a PM (Preventive Maintenance) analysis to identify the parts of the equipment that generate quality defects.
• Establish standard team values ​​and assess results through a measurement process.
• Establish a periodic inspection frequency of critical characteristics.
• Prepare maintenance matrices and periodically assess standards.
• Analysis tools in Quality Maintenance

The main instruments used in CM are:

• QM matrix.
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.
• PM Analysis.
• 4m´s analysis
• Focused Improvement Techniques.
• Process flow diagrams
• Lessons from a point.
• Process capability analysis techniques.

Stages of Maintenance Quality

Ten steps for implementing maintenance quality. These should be audited and follow-up to the pilot testing strategies, model equipment and knowledge transfer used in other teams and pillars TPM.

• Stage 1.- Identification of the current situation of the team.
• Stage 2.- Investigation of the way in which defects are generated.
• Stage 3.- Identification and analysis of 3M conditions (Materials, Machine and Labor).
• Stage 4.- Study the corrective actions to eliminate the anomalies.
• Step 5.- Analyze the conditions of the equipment for defect-free products and compare the results.
• Stage 6.- Take action and improve 3M conditions.
• Step 7.- Define 3M conditions and standards.
• Step 8.- Strengthen the inspection method.
• Step 9.-Evaluate the standards used.
• Step 10.- Review established standards.

Maintenance Quality Control Responsibilities 

Achieving maintenance quality and reliability objectives is the responsibility of maintenance personnel. The combined effort and dedication of quality control personnel, maintenance supervisors, and technicians are essential to ensuring high-quality maintenance and equipment reliability.

More specifically, quality control responsibilities include the following:

• Conduct inspections of maintenance actions, procedures, equipment and facilities.
• Maintain and improve documents, procedures, equipment and maintenance standards.
• Ensure all units are aware of and knowledgeable about maintenance procedures and standards.
• Maintain a high level of expert knowledge by keeping up to date with literature regarding maintenance procedures and records.
• Provide input into the training of maintenance staff.
• Conduct gap analysis and process improvement studies, using various tools for statistical process control.
• Ensure that workers adhere to all technical and administrative procedures when performing actual maintenance work.
• Review job time standards to assess their adequacy.
• Review the quality and availability of materials and spare parts to ensure their availability and quality.
• Conduct audits to assess the current maintenance status and prescribe remedies for deficient areas.
• Establish certification and authorization of personnel performing highly specialized critical tasks.

• Develop procedures for inspections of new equipment and testing equipment before accepting it from suppliers.

Benefits

The main benefit, as described above, is the solution to the problems detected or the improvement of some functional area, which in most cases has a positive impact on the jobs of the members themselves.

Furthermore, when implemented properly, they represent a good tool to increase awareness, sensitization, integration and communication of the company's human resources.

They also encourage ongoing training through the exchange of knowledge generated in work meetings and the extrinsic motivation of workers, since the team feels involved in the management process by observing that their proposals are collected, analyzed and subsequently implemented by the company's managers.

For this reason, it is important that, whatever the outcome of the circles, the proposals generated are well received and appreciated by the organization, and in cases where it is deemed appropriate, publicly recognized or even encouraged in some way.