Lean maintenance principles should not be confined to the company operations only. The organization operates both internal and external environment and therefore the principles should be implemented in the environment as well. The various benefits accrued from their application are increased and better service delivery, high quality services and not forgetting the reduction in costs.
Maintenance is mainly concerned with the ensuring that the facilities and equipment used in operations are in good condition. Programs have to be manufactured in such a way as to enable the regular servicing of the same units. However, the systems reliability has to be credential enough so that the costs involved can not go beyond the requirements.
Some of the maintenance tools that improve the lean functions include the establishment of work that meets the required standards, setting up techniques that will be able to prove mistakes and making 5S programs. It is also possible to take used units and then remake them all over again. The cost involved in these operations must be tightly monitored to reduce the costs while at the same time improving the quality and service delivery.
Some of the essential lean tools that are used for remanufacture operations include those ones used for the overall effectiveness of the equipment, tools intended for visual management and Teian systems. There are techniques which are applied in these operations as well. They are basically those for proofing mistakes and visual management.
There is a major difference between the operations involved in maintenance, remanufacture and repair. The units and systems at the repair stage have lost their functionality completely. There is also need for higher expertise because of the diagnostic and the checking of the internal functions of the equipment.
Just like in the other operations, there are lean tools meant specifically for repair. It is essential to take note of all the costs constituted in the processes so that the wastes that exist can be identified. Lean maintenance principles will help in the reduction of these costs.
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