The purpose of this paper is to present models and practical procedures for the analysis of maintenance operations and development of maintenance policies in the context of an oil…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present models and practical procedures for the analysis of maintenance operations and development of maintenance policies in the context of an oil filling factory. Basic maintenance models, maintenance policy selection and optimum spare part quantity determination procedures are illustrated with a specific case application in a factory.
Design/methodology/approach
Maintenance formulas are constructed and applied in a factory to determine down time due to various types of failures and maintenance practices in the system. Based on the analysis of the current system, a new preventive maintenance policy is proposed and its effect on reducing down time due to random failures is estimated by using the formulation developed. Procedures for spare part requirements and optimum order quantities with respect to total costs are outlined for critical spares.
Findings
Models and case study results presented in this paper demonstrate that selection of appropriate maintenance policy and optimum spare part order quantities should be based on scientific procedures since the results can significantly affect system performance.
Research limitations/implications
The results obtained in this paper are specific to the case application. However, the models and procedures presented are general and can be applied to any similar problems.
Practical implications
Formulations and procedures outlined in this paper can be used to determine effects of various types of maintenance activities and related policies on system performance. They can be valuable tools for maintenance engineers and operational managers in improving system productivity.
Originality/value
The paper considers a management problem related to maintenance policy selection and spare part order quantity determination in a factory. Detailed procedures outlined in this paper can be highly valuable tools for maintenance managers.
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Mehmet Savsar and Moiedh M. Al‐Ajmi
The purpose of this paper is to determine the significant factors that cause delays in surgery operations in a hospital and factors that affect productivity of surgery clinics.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the significant factors that cause delays in surgery operations in a hospital and factors that affect productivity of surgery clinics.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected from surgery clinics of an international hospital to identify main factors that affect delays in surgery operation. A design of experiment is then performed and the significance of the effects of these factors is determined. A regression model was also developed to find a relation between surgery delays and the selected factors.
Findings
The results show that such factors as the type of doctors and missing information significantly affect the delay in surgery operations as compared with some other factors, such as admission time considered in the study.
Research limitations/implications
The models developed and the results obtained in this paper are specific to the application presented. However, the procedures are general and can be applied to similar problems.
Practical implications
The results of the study can be used to control important factors to reduce the delays in surgery operations, reduce risks in patient health related to these delays, reduce hospital costs and improve the productivity of these clinics.
Originality/value
The paper considers a management problem related to surgery delays which has not been considered before and presents a procedure to study the causes of the problem. It provides a methodology that could be used to study similar problems in health care management systems and to improve these systems by analyzing operations and activities with respect to the factors that affect productivity and efficiency of such operations.
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Presents a simulation model and the results on the effects of different maintenance policies on performance measures of just‐in‐time production systems under different operating…
Abstract
Presents a simulation model and the results on the effects of different maintenance policies on performance measures of just‐in‐time production systems under different operating conditions. Develops a simulation model for a line, which consists of five stations in series and is operated according to demand from the last station. Shows that the introduction of preventive maintenance to the production and assembly machines on the line increases line performance under all conditions studied. The effects of maintenance are more pronounced in a longer line.
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Mohammad J. AlSalamah, Ebrahim Shayan and Mehmet Savsar
This paper aims to examine the reliability of a cooling seawater pumping station which pumps seawater to refineries and petrochemical plants in Kuwait mainly for cooling purposes…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the reliability of a cooling seawater pumping station which pumps seawater to refineries and petrochemical plants in Kuwait mainly for cooling purposes. Owing to the harsh operating climate and the lack of other alternative sources of water, high reliability of the pumping system is crucially important.
Design/methodology/approach
The reliability of a system can be considered from different views. The one taken in this study is to measure the reliability of the cooling seawater arriving to the consumer at the required pressure and flow rate while observing the operational constraints on the system. A reliability model has been developed and applied to the actual data from the pumping station.
Findings
The preliminary results indicate that the model could be a useful tool to assess the current condition of the system and to find ways of improving system reliability and availability.
Originality/value
The paper provides information of value to all concerned with relibility management.
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– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of supply chain practices (SCPs) in Indian manufacturing organizations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of supply chain practices (SCPs) in Indian manufacturing organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The 15 SCPs are identified based on the literature support and opinion of industry experts and academia, and data were collected from 292 organizations. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for the social science software to see the current level/penetration of SCPs in Indian manufacturing organizations.
Findings
The practices, namely, organizational culture, customer relationship, information and communication technology, benchmarking and performance measurement, lean manufacturing, agile manufacturing, supplier relationship are highly penetrated practices in Indian manufacturing organizations. The practices, namely, outsourcing, information sharing, just in time manufacturing, green supply chain management are moderately penetrated practices, while the practices, namely, reverse logistics, postponement, vendor managed inventory, radio frequency are least penetrated practices in Indian manufacturing organizations.
Research limitations/implications
Further study can be extended to see the of penetration practices applicable to service and agriculture sectors.
Practical implications
The result of this paper will enable the organizations to identify and direct their focus on the areas that requires improvement. Also, the organizations will become more aware of the SCPs that will help in boosting up their performance and competitiveness and indirectly boost the growth and contribute to India’s economic development.
Originality/value
This is the first kind of study which checked the level of selected SCPs in Indian manufacturing organizations.