Without effective integration between these functions, any supply chain is vulnerable. The new economy demands efficiencies that can only be obtained through tight integration of production and maintenance processes.
Competition continually creates new pressures for more cost-effective maintenance.
This scenario is especially true in highly automated manufacturing operations where continuous improvement is necessary for survival. Plant automation cannot meet its full cost and service potentials unless it is supported by a maintenance operation capable of responding to the real- time demands of the plant floor. Collecting and analyzing equipment information is not a problem. Condition monitoring vendors provide a host of data collection devices and software packages that can slice and dice equipment condition readings in numerous formats. These tools can analyze trends, trigger alarms, and predict imminent failure situations.