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This paper provides an overview of research and developments in the measurement of maintenance performance. It considers the problems of various measuring parameters and comments on the lack of structure in, and references for, the measurement of maintenance performance. The main focus is to determine how value can be created for organizations by measuring maintenance performance, looking at such maintenance strategies as condition based maintenance, reliability centered maintenance, e-maintenance etc. In other words, the objectives are to find frameworks or models that can be used to evaluate different maintenance strategies and determine the value of these frameworks for an organization. The paper asks the following research questions:-What approaches and techniques are used for Maintenance Performance Measurement (MPM) and which MPM techniques are optimal for evaluating maintenance strategies?-In general, how can MPM create value for organizations, and more specifically, which system of measurement is best for which maintenance strategy? The body of knowledge on maintenance performance is both quantitative and qualitative based. Quantitative approaches include economic and technical ratios, value-based and balanced scorecards, system audits, composite formulations, and statistical and partial maintenance productivity indices. Qualitative approaches include human factors, amongst others. Qualitative-based approaches are adopted because of the inherent limitations of effectively measuring a complex function such as maintenance through quantitative models. Maintenance decision makers often come to the best conclusion using heuristics, backed up by qualitative assessment, supported by quantitative measures. Both maintenance performance perspectives are included in this overview.

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in ABSTRACTWe rank 5,107 products and 124 countries according to the Hidalgo and Hausmann (2009) measures of complexity. We find that: (1) the most complex products are in machinery, chemicals, and metals, while the least complex products are raw materials and commodities, wood, textiles, and agricultural products; (2) the most complex economies in the world are Japan, Germany, and Sweden, and the least complex, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, and Nigeria; (3) the major exporters of the more complex products are the high-income countries, while the major exporters of the less complex products are the low-income countries; and (4) export shares of the more complex products increase with income, while export shares of the less complex products decrease with income. Finally, we relate the measure of product complexity with the concept of Complex Products and Systems, and find a high degree of conformity between them.

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Increased demand for railway transportation is creating a need for higher train speeds and axle loads. These, in turn, increase the likelihood of track degradation and failures. Modelling the degradation behaviour of track geometry and development of applicable and effective maintenance strategies has become a challenging concern for railway infrastructure managers. During the last three decades, a number of track geometry degradation and maintenance modelling approaches have been developed to predict and improve the railway track geometry condition. In this paper, existing track geometry measures are identified and discussed. Available models for track geometry degradation are reviewed and classified. Tamping recovery models are also reviewed and discussed to identify the issues and challenges of different available methodologies and models. Existing track geometry maintenance models are reviewed and critical observations on each contribution are provided. The most important track maintenance scheduling models are identified and discussed. Finally, the paper provides directions for further research.

We evaluate empirically the impact of the dramatic 1991 trade liberalization in India on the industry wage structure. The empirical strategy uses variation in industry wage premiums and trade policy across industries and over time. In contrast to most earlier studies on developing countries, we find a strong, negative, and robust relationship between changes in trade policy and changes in industry wage premiums over time. The results are consistent with liberalization-induced productivity increases at the firm level, which get passed on to industry wages. We also find that trade liberalization has led to decreased wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers in India. This is consistent with the magnitude of tariff reductions being relatively larger in sectors with a higher proportion of unskilled workers. Copyright � 2007 The Authors.

Product design and service delivery both affect service performance, and therefore a product support strategy must be defined during design stage, in terms of these two dimensions, to ensure the delivery of “promised product performance” to customers. Furthermore, product support strategy should not only be focused around product, or its operating characteristics, but also on assisting customers with services that enhance product use and add additional value to their business processes. This paper examines various issues such as reliability, availability, maintainability, and supportability (RAMS), etc., which directly or indirectly affect product support, maintenance needs and related costs on the basis of a case study conducted in a manufacturing company. The main purpose of the study was to analyse the critical issues related to the product support and service delivery strategy as being practised by the company, and to suggest means for improvements. On the basis of the case study, the paper presents an approach for design and development of product support and maintenance concepts for industrial systems in a multinational environment. The paper emphasizes that the strategy for product support should not be centred only on “product”, but should also take into account important issues such as the service delivery capability of the manufacturers, service suppliers, the capability of users' maintenance organization, etc.