Plant Maintenance:

1. Concept: Plant maintenance means to maintain the facility in a systematic way up to some measures of performance e.g. to keep assets in a satisfactory condition or to restore these to that conditions. According to Allen kent, ‘Maintenance is defined as the activity required keeping a facility in as built conditions, continuing to have its original productive capacity and maintenance management is managing the maintenance activity”.

2. Objectives:

(a) To maximize the time of assets validity for use.
(b) To minimize the rate of depreciation.
(c) To perform the maintenance activities in most economical manner.
(d) To plan and schedule the maintenance work so that interruption in operations can be prevented replacements and operations of the shop
(e) To perform the activities of inspection, adjustment, repairs, replacements and operation of the shop performing the various jobs to prevent industrial accidents.

3. Function of Plant Maintenance:

(a) Inspection: Inspection involves periodic verification of machines and equipments to ensure safe and efficient operations. It implies detection of faults before they develop into breakdowns of the machines and equipments. It is an expensive strategy and has to be used selectively.

(b) Repairs: It is required when any item or its components breakdown. Repair is done too restore the machine or the equipment in its working condition. It is not a preventive tool because it takes place after breakdown. Repair is an integral part of the maintenance management.

(c) Overhauling: Overhaul is the periodic check up of the machine for continuous and smooth functioning of machine and equipments. This is also known as service of equipments. Every part of the machine is leaned and washed to prevent future breakdown.

(d) Lubrication: Lubrication means giving oil and grease to the machine or its parts to reduce the rate of wearing and tearing of machines, and decrease the power consumption by the machine. Besides these functions regular lubrications prevents breakdown and moistures.

(e) Salvage: Salvage value is the value of the machine that can be realized in the market after the whole life of machine or of a fully damaged machine. The function of maintenance management also involves the sale of such machine to generate funds for new machines.

TYPES OF MAITENANCE

1. Breakdown Maintenance/Corrective Maintenance.

2. Preventive Maintenance Management.

1. Breakdown Maintenance/Corrective Maintenance (BDM): It is carried out after the machine gets breakdown. It s economical for those equipment, pulls down time and repair cost is less. Some important causes of BDM are follows:

(a) Overloading.
(b) Too low or too high voltage.
(c) Lack of lubrication.
(d) Use of old machines.
(e) Use of wrong fuel etc.

Some disadvantages of BDM are given below:

(a) It results in excessive delays in production or reduction in outputs.
(b) Wages are to be paid for idle time resulting in loss of profits.
(c) Failure of machines may cause of accidents leading to losses and troubles.

2. Preventive Maintenance Management (PMM): It is an activity which prevents breakdown of machinery, cut in operating cost and improve output and quality of the product to be produced. It involves periodic cleaning, se5rvice, inspection and replacement of worn-out parts.

Constitution of preventive Maintenance Management:

1. Inspection: It is done to check various facilities in the plant to uncover situations that may lead to production breakdown or harmful depreciation.

2. Lubrication: It is done to remove friction from the moving part of a component of an equipment. The main thing to be kept in mind is the choice of right lubricant and application at the right time so that breakdown can be averted.

Advantages of Preventive Maintenance Management:

1. Less production down time because of the fewer breakdown.
2. Lesser overtime payments for workers.
3. Fewer production rejection and better quality control is possible.
4. Ensures, greater safety to the workers.
5. Better spare part control leading to minimum inventory level.