Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss cost of poor maintenance (CoPM), as a concept for managing the improvement of maintenance performance within manufacturing industry. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on literature studies and two workshops with representatives from industry and academia. Findings -CoPM is proposed as a new concept for maintenance performance improvement. The concept is derived from established practices in quality costing and hence it should be easily accepted in industry. Practical implications -By using CoPM as a concept for maintenance performance development, manufacturing companies may identify the potential financial impact of the development work. The CoPM concept should provide a good viewpoint for identification of deficiencies in the maintenance performance within a given manufacturing system. Originality/value -By adopting a well-known measure from the research area of quality development, a financial measure for maintenance is proposed in this paper. The measure shows which parts of the maintenance costs are justified and which costs relate to poorly performed maintenance. In this way a more balanced view of the financial contribution of maintenance activities may be achieved, even at board level of the company.
In order to stay competitive most small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) need to make decisions and improve their processes in a more efficient way. To manufacturing companies this is crucial not the least within the design and production phases. This means that a deeper understanding of the concept of variation, identification of causes of variation, and handling of these causes are important factors within SMEs. This paper presents two studies of implementation of statistical methods. One is related to the use of process capability studies in Swedish industry. The other one is related to the use of design of experiments at two small enterprises within the high performance ceramic industry. From both the studies we find recommendations how to implement statistical technics in SMEs in order to increase the possibilities of success.
Historically, a theoretical framework has been established to judge whether a process is capable or not. These studies, called process capability studies, have received both positive and negative comments. Both researchers and practitioners have indicated that the concept of process capability studies is often misused in practice. This article aims to identify and quantify this misuse, and when it is severe, try to provide some explanations of its origin. The survey presented is primarily based on questionnaires and carried out among 97 Swedish organisations where process capability studies are used regularly. It shows that there is often a gap between theory and practice concerning process capability studies. The article also provides some possible answers to why the gap exists. It has been found that the gap between theory and practice can be explained by management issues, practical problems, conservative personal attitudes and methodological aspects. Based on the results, some suggestions for successfully implementing and using process capability studies are presented.
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