Track: Industry 4.0

Abstract

The increasing demand for productivity, quality and availability is driving the need for the effective management of physical assets. The depletion of traditional cost cutting, the disadvantages associated with rapid growth and the management of change has caused companies to explore more effective and efficient options. Not only do organisations have to meet customer needs and improve the availability and performance of equipment, organisations also need to do so while also reducing operational costs. These factors have led to the increasing concentration on reliability within the business sector, specifically strategic maintenance management. Digital maintenance management systems are software-based systems used for managing and controlling plant and equipment maintenance in modern manufacturing and service industries. Many companies make use of such systems to ensure the effective management of physical assets, which plays an enormously important role in maintaining a profitable business. Historically, selecting a digital maintenance management system was simple and required minimal research, however, as markets become saturated with various types of maintenance software and technologies become more advanced, selecting digital maintenance management systems is becoming more complex. The main objective of this research is to develop of a framework for evaluating and selecting digital maintenance management systems. The research approach for this study applies a combination of various methods. Results analysis focuses on the current status of the maintenance management system, business needs and priorities. The results indicate that the toolset developed is effective in evaluating and selecting digital maintenance management systems that are of best practice and cater to the specific needs of the business.