It occurred to me a while ago that RCM was not just another tool in the toolbox, but it was the toolbox itself. A structured approach that could and should house a range of additional methods.
Importantly, there is no insistence anywhere that each of these should be addressed every single time. But there are a range of techniques and methods that can be used to obtain more accurate answers where this is deemed to be necessary.
This post is a brief summary of some of the work we have been doing in this area, and I hope it sparks some interest and research within your own organisations. I will work to detail some of these areas in more detail in later posts.
Failure Mode Analysis
Within the area of Failure Mode Analysis the skill set for RCM seemed to be relatively complete. However there remained a large area which was still relatively new which was related to Human Error.
We have extended RCM in this area to include a range of modern human error tools and techniques. These include H.E.A.R.T the risk assessment technique from the airline industry, as well as other concepts such as the 20 common errors from the Maintenance Error Decision Aid.
This is a competitive advantage for our RCM Analysts and underlines the very rigorous approach we continue to take to development and application of Reliability-centered Maintenance principles.
The RCM Decision Algorithm
The best way to approach this is to tie in with the RCM decision algorithm which you can download here if you are interested.
Predictive Maintenance (PTIVE)
The approach to using and finding information related to P-F Intervals is now very well known although it is still a little misunderstood.
We started from that point and began working on another element, Probability of Detection. This has involved a lot of research in areas of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) as well techniques traditionally called condition monitoring.
This has resulted in some more detailed probability of detection information, as well as inclusion of more rigorous formulae.
Preventive Restoration and Replacement (PRES, PREP)
Even though time based maintenance makes up the majority of pre-RCM strategies, the companies using them remain remarkably unfamiliar with rigorous engineering life estimate techniques, as well as other methods such as Weibull Engineering.
We have introduced a very elementary understanding of Weibull Analysis into our RCM 101 training, as well as a quick overview of some of the more commonly used engineering calculations.
Detective Maintenance (DTIVE)
The common formula for calculating DTIVE task Frequency Reliability-centered Maintenance has been pretty well known now since the publication of the original RCM Standard in 1999.
What is less known is the inter relationship with existing standards, known and growing data sources, and some pretty innovative methods for finding out failure data for common asset types.
We have extended this area substantially by exposing the underlying formula of Fractional Dead Time (FDT) and Layer of protection Analysis (LOPA), as well as tying in with standards such as IEEE 61508 (AS 61508).
8 Maintenance Tasks
The last major area where we are affecting a lot of change is in the recognition that there are not only 4 routine tasks within RCM, but also 3 corrective tasks as well as Reactive Maintenance.
Identifying these is often a real eye opener for the delegates on the RCM 101 training, particularly for those working in infrastructure or other industries where WHole-of-Life concepts have become paramount to cost effectiveness.
Advanced RCM Training
We have bundled this information up into our three day RCM 101 training course, and into our 5 day RCM Analyst Training course.
These courses are totally unique in their content and have been built with the express intention of providing people with shortcuts to knowledge it has taken us several decades to uncover and discover.
These courses, particularly the second course, also reflect the RCM Analyst method. An approach I pioneered in the UNited Kingdom during 2002 to help companies with limited resource availability to implement RCM without resorting to the fully facilitated methods.
For further information please consult our website, or feel free to drop me an email here. Good luck with your RCM initiatives.
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