Where to Start with Maintenance Data – A Guide for Optimal Efficiency

• Published date: 8 September 2024
• Author: SSG Insight

In maintenance management, data is king. Effective data analysis is crucial for reducing downtime, cutting costs, and enhancing operational efficiency. We have put together a structured guide to help maintenance managers prioritise and make the most out of their data.

1. Identify Key Objectives

Define your Goals & Set Priorities – Begin by pinpointing the primary objectives of your maintenance program. Whether it’s reducing downtime, minimising costs, improving asset reliability, or ensuring safety compliance, having clear goals will guide your data analysis efforts. Prioritise your goals based on their importance to your organisation’s overall strategy, as this will help you focus on the data that matters most.

2. Focus on Critical Assets

Assess Asset Criticality – Identify which assets are most critical to your operations. These are typically the ones that have the highest impact on production, safety, or costs when they fail. Prioritising these assets ensures that your analysis efforts yield significant benefits.

Ensure Data Availability – Reliable data is the foundation of effective analysis, so ensure you have comprehensive and accurate data for critical assets.

3. Analyse Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Select Relevant KPIs – Choose KPIs that align with your goals, and establish a baseline for these to understand current performance levels. This will help you measure improvements over time.

4. Start with Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Data

Preventive Maintenance (PM) – Analyse your preventive maintenance schedules and completion rates. Evaluate the effectiveness of PM tasks in reducing unplanned downtime and extending asset life.

Corrective Maintenance (CM) – Review corrective maintenance records to identify common failure modes and root causes of equipment breakdowns.

5. Utilise Failure Data

Conduct Root Cause Analysis (RCA) – Perform RCA on frequent or critical failures to understand their underlying causes and implement corrective actions.

Identify Failure Patterns – Look for patterns or trends in failure data to identify recurring issues that need attention.

6. Evaluate Maintenance Costs

Break Down Costs – Analyse maintenance costs, including labour, parts, and downtime. Identify high-cost areas and opportunities for cost reduction.

Perform Cost-Benefit Analysis – Compare the costs and benefits of different maintenance strategies to determine the most cost-effective approach.

7. Leverage Predictive Maintenance Data

Condition Monitoring – Use data from condition monitoring tools (e.g., sensors for vibration, temperature) to predict potential failures and plan maintenance proactively.

Predictive Analytics – Implement predictive analytics to forecast future failures and optimize maintenance schedules.

Analyse Workforce Utilisation – Consider labour hours and skill levels to ensure optimal allocation of maintenance personnel and identify training needs.

Evaluate Productivity – Assessing job completion times can help determine areas that need to be improved, or resources who could be more productive.

8. Monitor Safety and Compliance

Review Safety Incidents – Analyse safety incident reports related to maintenance activities to enhance safety protocols. Undertake audits and review compliance with industry regulations to address any non-compliant issues.

9. Implement Continuous Improvement

Schedule Regular Reviews – Conduct regular reviews of maintenance performance data to track progress towards goals, and establish a feedback loop where data insights lead to actionable changes.

10. Use Maintenance Management Software

Centralise Data Collection – Utilise a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to centralise data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Leverage Automation – Take advantage of automation features in your CMMS to streamline data analysis and generate actionable insights.

Getting started with data analysis within maintenance management doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By focusing on key objectives, critical assets, relevant KPIs, and leveraging modern tools like a CMMS or EAM, maintenance teams can make informed decisions that drive efficiency and minimise costs. Begin with the most impactful areas, and expand your analysis as you gain more insights. Embrace the power of data to transform your maintenance operations today; get in touch at info@ssginsight.com to discover how Agility CMMS can support your organisation.