Improving on Machine Reliability and Productivity Through Data Analysis

Abstract

The objective of the manufacturing industry is to produce quality and quantity of goods to satisfy existing customer base, expand market sphare, remain competitive and profitable. However, achieving these ideals depend largely on the reliability of the machines in the production line. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the impact of machine reliability on production and profiability in a manufacturing industry by analysing and interpreting the operational information in the computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) database.This research adopted the principle of action research, involving a two-year longitudinal analysis of the operational information in the database of the machines in the production line of Adcock Ingram Critical Care (AICC) and benchmarking the same with that of Adcock Ingram Health Care (AIHC), a similar pharmaceutical industry. It focused on how AIHC used the factors of total breakdowns, total down time, mean time between failure (MTBF) and the mean time to repair (MTTR) to improve on the reliability of machines in their production network. The analysis was complemented with interviews of participants from inter-related units of the same industry. The findings revealed that in all the areas of measurement in 2017, the machines in the production line of AICC performed below the benchmark of AIHC. However, in 2018, there were appreciable improvements, due to the practice of preventive maintenance. Therefore, the introduction of appropriate CMMS in maintenance operations, including the detailed analysis of operational information and benchmarking, provides a useful learning curve to improve on the reliability of machines in the production line of manufacturing industries.