Maintenance Basics: The First Step to Achieving Zero Breakdowns

One of the latest buzzwords sweeping through plant engineering and maintenance circles is equipment reliability. When equipment reliability is the goal, the optimum situation is zero breakdowns. While the possibility of zero breakdowns seems unrealistic to some, that nevertheless is the target for many organizations, especially those with quality programs in which the goal is zero defects. An informal survey of more than 2,000 seminar attendees conducted over a two-year period asked what situations contribute to break are related to basic maintenance, the basics are precisely where many maintenance training programs fail to focus.

The basics highlighted in the survey fall within three main categories:

1. Equipment Cleanliness
2. Fastening Procedures
3. Proper Lubrication Procedures

The survey examined the breakdowns and what percentages of breakdowns are attributable to each kind of situation. Examining these three areas will help explain why the basics of maintenance training are so important and why so many equipment breakdowns are related to the neglect of basic maintenance training.