Brian, in an earlier response this AM, I described the issue for setting maintenance levels that a plant must think through and set. For a startup it is one of the first tasks for charting how the production equipment will be maintained.
Doing something concrete rather than having an open-ended debate is something for you to strive for at this point. Therefore, in your meeting with Manufacturing in the coming weeks, focus on getting all players to understand that the task to set policy for level must be done and get their agreement to get it done.
Where exactly the functioning of the levels are structured in the plant is not as important as it is to assure that they are in effect and will be able to be effective wherever they are positioned. And you can't have a where discussion until you've finished the what discussion.
In case you have not received the description of levels, I have included them below.
Organizational levels of maintenance
Organizational levels of maintenance are the levels where categories of maintenance activities will be done organizationally. For example, activities to inspect or adjust certain types equipment may be assigned to departments outside of maintenance. There are four basic organizational levels.
Activities assigned to operating functions. The guiding criteria for this choice may include the following:
· Simple tasks.
· Tasks that can be accomplished within limited time and concentration.
· Required maintenance skills of assigned personnel are limited.
· Creates feedback, awareness or sensitivity to critical plant conditions for an operating group.
Activities assigned to mobile and fixed maintenance functions and personnel. This level includes all types of maintenance tasks. Different skill levels are identified within it. Maintenance facilities will serve both this and the previous level.
Activities assigned to specialized owner and manufacturer maintenance organizations. These organizations and their facilities may be remote and serve more than one plant or owner. The assigned tasks are beyond the capabilities of the previous levels. The level may be chosen as a function of the following criteria:
· Complex or major equipment.
· Required special working conditions, equipment, methods and skills.
· Special requirements for spare and repair parts and their management.
· For special environmental and other controls requirements.
· Economics of scale and specialization.
Activities assigned to contract maintenance organizations. This choice cuts across the above organizational levels. It may be driven by the following cases:
· When contract services are better organized, skilled or developed than those available internally.
· When existing resources cannot serve short-term workload requirements and still maintain the quality of its normal work load.