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Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujcontent.uj.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Index?site_name=Research%20Output (Accessed: Date).

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Application of integrated logistics support: A South African railway

case study

A Minor Dissertation Submitted In Partial Fulfilment of the Degree

of

MAGISTER PHILOSOPHIAE

In

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

at the

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

of the

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG

by

A. Makhuvele (200729269)

2016

Supervisor: Dr A. Telukdarie

ii

DECLARATION

I, Ahmed Makhuvele, hereby declare that this dissertation under the topic ‘Application of Integrated

Logistics Support: A South African Railway Case Study’, is a presentation of my own work. I have

composed it at my own capacity with assistance from my supervisor, Dr. Arnesh Telukdarie.

Furthermore, I vow that this paper has not been submitted to any high educational institution in an

application of any professional qualification. However, information sources that aided with the

literature have been acknowledged through referencing.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my whole-hearted appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Arnesh Telukdarie for

his unwavering support throughout the process of developing this research. I appreciate his

guidance, coaching, and teaching he has offered me during the research. I would also wish to

appreciate my wife, Mrs. N Makhuvele, for the support and encouragement she offered me to

complete this research. Lastly, I would like to thank the Mighty God for providing strength, healthy

life, and wisdom to complete this research.

iv

ABSTRACT

Blanchard (1998) considers Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) as a management tool providing

controls ensuring that the product or the system meets its anticipated performance requirements and

receive adequate technical and operational support throughout its life cycle. Organisations globally

conduct gigantic projects in various sectors such as manufacturing, services and merchandising. An

increase in project size, project cost, project complexity, advanced technology and strategic

importance, enforces organisations to apply ILS practice (Jones, 2006). The practice of ILS ensures

that the benefits realised from the system and the system’s life-cycle support is adequately and cost-

effectively managed (Jones, 2006). Transnet conducts a programme of acquiring 1 064 locomotives

to improve operational efficiencies and to attract new business.

The purpose of this research is to assess the effectiveness of ILS elements in Transnet, supporting

the locomotive life-cycle. The research comprises a problem statement, literature review, research

methodology, data analysis, and a conclusion. The literature is developed and tested at Transnet

through survey techniques. Questionnaires are sent to 110 potential respondents and 95 participants

responded. The data is analysed using weighted average per question whereby the targeted average

score per question is ≥80%. Responses from respondents indicate that most ILS elements are

effective though certain elements still need improvements. Elements that are ineffective are

manpower adequacy level and inventory management systems. Chapter 5 presents a conclusion

and recommendations to close gaps on elements that did not meet the targeted score.

v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

5S Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain

°- C Degrees Celsius

AHP Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP)

CBM Condition Based Maintenance

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

CM Corrective Maintenance

D Diesel

DOD Department of Defence

E Electrical

EOQ Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)

GFB General Freight Business

HSE Health and safety executives

ILS Integrated Logistics Support

Km Kilometres

MDBF Mean Distance between Failures

MDS Market Demand Strategy

MTBF Mean Time between Failures

MTPA Million tons per annum

MTSF Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF)

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer

OHS Occupational Health and Safety

PDM Predictive Maintenance

PM Preventive Maintenance

PRASA Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

R Rand

RBD Reliability Block Diagram

RIC Russian, Indian, and China sector

RSR Railway Safety Regulator

SADC South American and Southern African Development Community

SoE School of Engineering

TCP Transnet Capital Project

TE Transnet Engineering

TNPA Transnet National Port Authority

TPT Transnet Port Terminal

vi

TFR Transnet Freight Rail

TTC Time to Completion

TFR Transnet Freight Rail

TPL Transnet Pipeline

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

1.1 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

1.2 Statement of the problem -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

1.3 Introduction to railway ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

1.4 Motivation and importance of the study --------------------------------------------------------------- 13

1.5 Research questions --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

1.6 Report configuration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

2.1 The international railway sector------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

2.2 South African Railway System -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

2.3 Transnet corporate ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

2.4 Transnet Freight Rail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

2.5 Introduction to ILS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

2.6 Evolution of logistics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

2.7 Definitions of integrated logistics support ------------------------------------------------------------ 18

2.8 Integrated logistics support elements (disciplines) ------------------------------------------------- 20

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --------------------------------------------------------- 32

3.1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32

3.2 Data collection methodologies -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32

3.3 Application of questionnaires methodology ---------------------------------------------------------- 32

3.4 Research methodology ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

3.5 Developing questionnaires and scaling techniques ------------------------------------------------ 33

3.6 Research process ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 34

3.7 Sample size and data saturation ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 35

3.8 Data analysis approach ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

viii

3.9 Comparisons of questionnaires structure and literature review --------------------------------- 37

3.10 Reliability and validity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

4.1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

4.2 Question 1: What is your working experience? ----------------------------------------------------- 40

4.3 Question 2: What is your age? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41

4.4 Question 3: What is your designation? --------------------------------------------------------------- 41

4.5 Question 4: Are the locomotives maintenance processes and procedures clear and

understood by the maintenance team? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 42

4.6 Question 5: Does Transnet have effective locomotive maintenance plans that outline the

nature of maintenance to be conducted? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

4.7 Question 6: Is there an effective inventory management system that advises when to

order and how much to order? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44

4.8 Question 7: Is there effective quality evaluation procedure applied ensuring that the

delivered material is of acceptable quality standard and specification? ------------------------------- 46

4.9 Question 8: Are the Locomotives reliability factors known and monitored? ------------------ 46

4.10 Question 9: Is there an effective system/technology used to conduct condition based

maintenance to uplift the reliability level of locomotives --------------------------------------------------- 47

4.11 Question 10: Is the training offered to maintainers and operators effective? ---------------- 48

4.12 Question 11: Is adequate training equipment in place to conduct the required practical

training? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49

4.13 Question 12: Is there enough personnel required, fully trained and certified to conduct

locomotives maintenance and operations at any time? ---------------------------------------------------- 50

4.14 Question 13: Is there an effective forecasting model in place, used to determine the future

required personnel capacity, supporting future maintenance and operations? ---------------------- 52

4.15 Question 14: Is the maintenance plant floor visibly demarcated with labelled of tools and

material? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52

4.16 Question 15: Is the lighting and temperature in the workshop favourable? ------------------ 54

ix

4.17 ILS cross-referencing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54

4.18 Management versus workers observations ---------------------------------------------------------- 56

4.19 Satisfactory and unsatisfactory elements analysis ------------------------------------------------- 57

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ------------------------------------------ 59

5.1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59

5.2 Conclusion and discussion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 59

5.3 Recommendations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62

APPENDIX A: TABULAR DATA ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------------ 75

APPENDIX B: EXPERIENCE ANALYSIS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 78

APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82

x

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Evolution of logistics support (Lambert, 2008) ................................................................................. 17

Figure 2: Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Elements (Blanchard, 1998) (Bouachera, 2012) ....................... 20

Figure 3: Maintenance types (Murthy, et al., 2002) (Lambert, 2008) (Blanchard, 1998) ................................ 22

Figure 4: Bathtub curve (Garg & Deshmukh, 2006) ........................................................................................ 31

Figure 5: Research process [103] ................................................................................................................... 35

Figure 6: Question 1 responses ...................................................................................................................... 40




Figure 10: Question 5 responses .................................................................................................................... 44



Figure 13: Question 8 Responses ................................................................................................................... 47


Figure 15: Question 10 responses .................................................................................................................. 49






Figure 21: ILS elements cross-referencing ...................................................................................................... 55

Figure 22: Employees versus management perceptions ................................................................................ 56

xi

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Likert 5-point scale............................................................................................................................. 34

Table 2: Likert scale description ...................................................................................................................... 34

Table 3: Questionnaire versus literature .......................................................................................................... 37

Table 4: Average score target versus actual average score ........................................................................... 57

Table 5: Question 4 Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 75





Table 10: Question 9 Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 76

Table 11: Question 10 Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 76






CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

An increase in project size; project cost; project complexity; advanced technology and strategic

importance, encourages organisations to apply ILS (Jones, 2006). An ILS application assists an

organisation to improve system life-cycle and reliability cost-effectively (Jones, 2006). Blanchard

(1998) defines ILS as a management tool providing controls ensuring the product or the system

meets its anticipated performance requirements and receive adequate technical and operational

support throughout its life cycle. Blanchard (1998) and Hutchinson (2000) suggest that ILS features

in the structured planning, design and operation requirements to support the asset.

1.2 Statement of the problem

According to the study by Marten Jr (2010), an increase in quantity of locomotives in the railway

industry, escalates the level of workload on maintenance and inspections, sustaining a reliability

level of locomotives. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) fluctuates from a strategy of “responding to

confirmed demand” to “creating capacity to unlock demand”. As part of Transnet’s Market Demand

Strategy (MDS), TFR committed to growing volumes by 142 million tonnes, from 208 million tonnes

to 350 million tonnes; over 60% of this growth is expected to be delivered by the General Freight

Business (GFB), which will grow from 82.6 million tonnes to 170 million tonnes by 2019 (Transnet,

2013). The average age of the locomotives at Transnet is 32 years. Major procurements occurred of

over 1000 locally manufactured electric locomotives in 1970 and 1980, becoming the workhorses of

the current fleet. No new locomotives were purchased for GFB from 1992 through to 2008. The GFB

fleet increased with a series of purchases including 50 “like new” diesel, 100 diesel, and 43 diesel

locomotives; recently, 95 x Class20E locomotives were procured. The economically designed

lifespan of a locomotive is 30 years. In the absence of new locomotives, the workhorse fleet was

provided life-extending upgrades to the lifespan of 45 years. These upgrades resulted in increased

maintenance costs and difficulty in obtaining spares. As the most cost-effective and technological

options for extending the life of a locomotive are exhausted, further extensions are no longer

economically cost-effective or technologically practical (Transnet, 2013).

13

Transnet invested in the procurement of new locomotives, supporting its planned volume ramp-up

attracting emerging businesses. The quantity of 1 064 locomotives (465 diesel and 599 electric) is

planned to run for seven years. The procurement of 1 064 new locomotives is planned to commence

in the financial year 2012, terminating in 2018 to 2019 (Transnet, 2013). Transnet’s purchase of 1

064 locomotives is a critical procurement event facilitating Transnet’s delivery against its MDS

targets, transforming the business, increasing operational efficiencies, supporting local supplier

development. Transnet’s procurement strategy will be adequately flexible to adapt to actual

locomotives demand, realised over time (Transnet, 2013). Transnet Engineering (TE) will be

significantly impacted concerning maintenance practices and consolidating maintenance depots.

The purpose of this research is to assess the effectiveness of Integrated Logistics Support

elements in Transnet to sustain locomotives’ life-cycle and reliabilities.

1.3 Introduction to railway

Transportation is an enormous practice and a significant part of the economy. The need for

transportation has increased significantly (Lindfeldt, 2010). Railway operation is one of transportation

model available in the transportation sector. In the freight business, railways transport a considerable

volume of commodities (OECD, 2013). Since 2001, the railway volume indicated a significant growth

on the global scale. In 2010, the railway system transported commodities of approximately 9.5 trillion

ton per kilometre (Olievschi, 2013). Africa railway operations achieved a 7% growth in freight

transportation and a slight decline in passenger transportation (Olievschi, 2013).

1.4 Motivation and importance of the study

Locomotives life-cycle management and support are parts of the complex processes as it involves

numerous factors (Ahuja, et al., 2002). If the life-cycle management is not well structured, the

organisation may experience a rise in maintenance cost and the life-cycle of an asset can be

14

significantly reduced (Szkoda, 2014) (Thorlacius, 2015). Each Locomotive cost significant amount

of capital (Transnet, 2013), requiring comprehensive life-cycle support and management.

1.5 Research questions

This study aims to answer following questions:

How effective are ILS elements (training, maintenance plan, facilities, inventory management

system, reliability management, and manpower capacity) to support the locomotives life-cycle in

Transnet?

How do railway employees perceive ILS elements based on their various superiority levels?

How do railway employees perceive ILS elements, based on their various seniority levels?

1.6 Report configuration

This report comprises five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the introduction, problem statement,

objective of the study and research questions. Chapter 2 outlines the literature in ILS and how it is

applied in the international arena. Chapter 3 presents the research design and the methodology

followed to acquire data. Chapter 4 focuses on data interpretation and analysis. Chapter 5

concentrates on conclusion and recommendations, based on findings against the international best

practice.

15

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter discusses the review of literature on ILS in the international platforms. The literature is

extracted from journal articles, railway reports, books and conference reports.

2.1 The international railway sector

According to (TheWorldBank, 2011), railway operations is the most cost-effective and efficient mode

of transportation focussing on people and goods transportation on a fixed route, using locomotives,

coaches, and wagons. On the global sphere, railway can be categorised into five key sectors. The

American sector is the biggest rail industry with a total rail of 337 791 km. The Russian, India, and

China sector (RIC) has a total rail route of 268 652 km (Ditsele, 2015). The South American and

Southern African Development Community (SADC) is the railway zone with the smallest rail route

length. The SADC rail sector has the collective route of approximately 57 869 km, in which South

African Railways contribute 59% of the length equating to 34 142 km (Transnet, 2015).

2.2 South African Railway System

The main two railway operators in South Africa are TFR and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

(PRASA) (RSR, 2014). Gautrain joined these main two rail operators, as the passenger’s transport

service provider, introduced in 2010. TFR owns and maintains approximately 22 000 km rail routes

nationally. This includes the main two export routes, coal and iron ore lines and the general freight

lines on the remainder of the rail network. PRASA owns and maintains 2 228 km of the rail network.

Gautrain comprises a total route of 80 km, linking Johannesburg Park Station, OR Tambo

International Airport and Pretoria Station (RSR, 2014). According to the Central Intelligence Agency

(CIA) World Fact Book, the South African rail network ranks number 14 on the world rail network

capacity (RSR, 2014).

2.3 Transnet corporate

Transnet is the largest and vital logistics solution delivering freight across South Africa. It is a state-

owned company, structured to deliver freight through its divisions, namely, Transnet Freight Rail

16

(TFR), Transnet Engineering (TE), Transnet Capital Projects (TCP), Transnet Pipelines (TPL),

Transnet Port Terminal (TPT) and Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) (Transnet, 2015).

Transnet is the custodian of South African ports, rail, and pipelines. Transnet is expected to align

with Government’s national development plans in developing the Government’s Medium Term

Strategic Framework (MTSF) outcome. The MTSF is balanced with structured commercial viability

analysis, whereby Transnet aims to improve operations efficiencies and market competitiveness

(Transnet, 2015). Each Transnet operating division perform a different and crucial function, ensuring

that Transnet achieves the set objectives and targets (Transnet, 2015). Various functions of Transnet

operating divisions are (Transnet, 2015):

Transnet Freight Rail – TFR is the largest Transnet operating division transporting the bulk

freight by rail between mines, production hubs, distributions centres, cross-border operations

and ports.

Transnet Engineering – TE is responsible for rolling stock maintenance, refurbishment and

rolling stock manufacturing.

Transnet National Port Authority – TNPA provides marine service, port maintenance and

improvement of port infrastructure.

Transnet Port Terminals – TPT’s main function is to operate the ports and automotive terminals.

Transnet Pipeline – TPL’s function is to transport fuel from Secunda to Durban and Richards

Bay through pipeline.

Transnet Capital Projects – TCP executes the capital programmes, such as infrastructure

upgrade and expansions.

2.4 Transnet Freight Rail

TFR is one of the largest railway organisations in Africa. This organisation positions its business

strategy to be amongst the top five global railway operators (Transnet, 2013). TFR’s core business

is to transport bulk and containerised freight (Transnet, 2013). TFR invests in procuring new

additional locomotives to support its planned volume ramp-up and to attract emerging business

(Transnet, 2010). The quantity of 1 064 locomotives (465 diesel engines and 599 electric engines)

is planned to run for seven years (Transnet, 2013). TFR comprises 2 438 locomotives of which 1

17

478 are electric and 960 are diesel. The addition of 1 064 locomotives will escalate the total quantity

to 3 494 locomotives in the TFR system.

2.5 Introduction to ILS

According to Jones (2006), Blanchard (1998) and Hutchinson (2000), an organisation benefits from

the system if an overall understanding of the system operations and maintenance is present. Prior

to system operations, there should be a comprehensive maintenance setup and support, keeping

the system reliable and operable consistently (Blanchard, 1998). Applying ILS assists in achieving

an organisational readiness to accept the system. Blanchard (1998) defines ILS as the basic

management functions for initial planning, funding, and controls ensuring users receive the system

that will not only meet its performance requirements, but the system that can be expeditiously and

economically supported through its anticipated life-cycle. ILS comprises various elements. For this

research, the following elements will be considered: maintenance plan; inventory management;

facilities requirements, manpower capacity adequacy, training standard; training devices or

equipment, and reliability management.

2.6 Evolution of logistics

ILS advanced intensely and was adopted by several business institutions. According to (Robeson,

et al., 2001), Integrated Logistics Management comprises three stages as indicated in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Evolution of logistics support (Lambert, 2008)

18

Stage 1 – Physical distribution of goods. The distribution of goods should be managed in a manner

to satisfy the customer’s needs and expectations.

Stage 2 – Internal linkages. The logistics cater for the material flow within the internal organisational

value linkage across the three internal material flow channels.

Stage 3 – External linkages. At this stage, the logistics approach includes externally focused change.

Organisations commenced strategizing to strengthen the relationship with their vendors, customers

and third parties (Robeson, et al., 2001).

Lambert (2008) suggests that the development of ILS includes scientific management, customer

focus, data processing technology, and profit influences. According to the United States DoD, ILS

was introduced in 1964 and was initially discovered by the military institution. Numerous researchers

worked tirelessly to redefine, modify and simplify ILS with greater success (Babbitt, 2000). It was

expanded with considerable attention from various business sectors. The ILS concept was also

implemented by NATO to achieve seamless transportation of personnel, facility constructions,

medical services, material handling and distribution and service acquisitions (Babbitt, 2000).

2.7 Definitions of integrated logistics support

Various definitions present the ILS, based on the nature of the environment and the field where it is

applied.

2.7.1 ILS definition by the military

The DoD Directive 5 000.39 define ILS as the management tool used to support the system design,

sustaining the system throughout its life-cycle at the considerable minimal cost (DoD, 2007). The

U.S. Army Regulations 700-127 define ILS as the management tool that can be used to influence

the operational requirements and the system specifications to continuously improve the system life-

cycle cost (DA, 2008).

19

2.7.2 ILS definition by the engineering field

Blanchard (1998) defines ILS as the basic management function for initial planning, funding, and

control, ensuring that end-users receive the system not only meeting the performance requirements

but the system that can be expeditiously and economically supported through its anticipated life-

cycle. Polad & Meher-Homji (2003) complements (Blanchard, 1998), by suggesting that ILS is the

combination of all the necessary requirements, effectively ensuring that the system is economically

and operationally supported throughout its anticipated life-cycle.

2.7.3 ILS definition by the industries

Hutchinson (2000) defines ILS as the identification of logistics risks and the mitigation actions that

prevent risks from materialising. Quayle (2000) defines ILS as a provision of the system technical

support at a lower cost. Jones (2006) defines ILS as the technical element of the military forces that

can also support an operations of the railway, shipping and petroleum industries. Jones (2006)

suggests that ILS can also be classified as the component of customer services and product support.

The study by (Adler, 2002) presents ILS as the practice to analyse the total cost of the system. It

can also be applied by management to reduce business uncertainties (Adler, 2002). Taylor (2015)

suggests that the influence of the ILS on the deployed system is measured by the operability

availability, maintainability and the testability of the system. The ILS measuring process includes the

system sustaining cost, engineering processes contributing to the system reliability and

modularisation (2015).

2.7.4 Shared view on definitions

Based on ILS definitions from various fields, the shared view is that the system should be ready to

be deployed and the business environment should be ready to accept the system, achieving its

optimal utilisation through proper management and support.

20

2.8 Integrated logistics support elements (disciplines)

ILS Elements are discussed in detail in this chapter. Elements presented in this chapter are

maintenance planning, inventory management, maintenance facilities requirements, manpower

capacity, training standards, training devices or equipment and reliability management. Figure 2

depicts the elements of ILS and how they complement each other to meet the shared objective.

Figure 2: Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Elements (Blanchard, 1998) (Bouachera, 2012)

2.8.1 Maintenance planning

Maintenance management is a vital aspect contributing to business survival and should be

approached strategically (Antony, 2014). Lyson & Laggan (2011) define maintenance management

as the practice of providing the policy guidance for maintenance activities. It performs a vital part in

managing and monitoring the entire maintenance programmes. There should be a comprehensive

synchronisation between the maintenance process and the operations process ensuring the system

is maintained seamlessly (Krivtsov, et al., 1999) (Murthy, et al., 2002).

21

As maintenance activities increases, it is important to review and build up the comprehensive

maintenance management structure that can handle the required maintenance (O'Connor & Kleyner,

2012). Locomotives’ lifespan can be reduced significantly if maintenance practice is compromised.

Locomotives are the most maintenance demanding resources in the railway system (Budin, 2003).

If the locomotives are improperly maintained, the entire railway system will be vulnerable (Connor,

2012).

Murray (2001) advocates that maintenance is a costly exercise, becoming more expensive if parts

are replaced too early or too late due to inadequate maintenance plans. The study by (Grimes &

Barkan, 2006) (Tu, et al., 2001) indicates that the comprehensive maintenance plan should be

developed at the earliest stage prior to the system operations to sustain system reliability and

availability throughout its operational phase. The report by (Army, 2004) suggests that it is crucial

that the entire maintenance team understand the interpretation of the maintenance processes and

procedures in order to conduct the system maintenance effectively and safely.

Locomotives maintenance can be planned in one of the three techniques: mileage based; time-

based and condition based (Connor, 2012). Times-based maintenance is conducted on the safety

components such as brake systems and wheels (Yao, et al., 2013). Mileage based maintenance is

conducted based on the mileage that the locomotive covered. Some researchers believe that some

of the locomotive components can also deteriorate quickly if the locomotive idled for longer period

(Connor, 2012).

Maintenance planning is a management practice leading to developing the maintenance plan and

schedule for the system (Amtrak, 2011). According to (Babel & Szkoda, 2016), the maintenance plan

should include all maintenance intervals; set of tasks; maintenance activities, procedures and

resources required.

A maintenance schedule is developed to articulate tasks that need to be executed with level and

types of maintenance to be implemented (Garg & Deshmukh, 2006). A maintenance schedule also

22

defines resources required ensuring that the maintenance activities are seamlessly implemented

(Al-Shayea, 2012). Scheduled maintenance is developed to ensure maintenance is prioritised based

on the system component failure rate and to improve resources utilisation efficiencies (Gandhare, et

al., 2014) (Duffuaa, et al., 2009) (Lee, et al., 2008).

The study by (Predikto, 2012) reports that railway sectors spend a significant amount of

approximately average of R2.2 million on each locomotive per year on maintenance. Amtrak

(Amtrak, 2011) believes that the locomotive maintenance philosophy should be designed to

maximise the reliability and to minimise the maintenance cost. Approximately 45% of the

maintenance activities are unplanned and cost three to nine times more than the planned

maintenance activities (Predikto, 2012). The annual locomotive downtime (due to maintenance

activities) reduces the availability of the locomotives by 11%, which is a significant loss of revenue

to the business. The study suggests that significant costs can be saved if 10% of unplanned

maintenance should transfer to scheduled maintenance, implicating failure should be predictable

(Predikto, 2012). Figure 3 depicts types of system maintenance.

Figure 3: Maintenance types (Murthy, et al., 2002) (Lambert, 2008) (Blanchard, 1998)

Preventative Maintenance (PM), as suggested by (Duffuaa, et al., 2009) (Yao, et al., 2004), is

conducted ensuring that the system remains in the acceptable operational condition, by running

inspection and amending possible failures before they occur. The primary goal of preventive

Maintenance

Unplanned Maintenance

Predictive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance

Corrective Maintenance Breakdown Emergency

CBMDeferred, Remedial, Shutdown,

Window, Running, Routine

Planned Maintenance

23

maintenance is to preserve and enhance the system reliability. Preventive maintenance includes oil

changes; greasing; changing filters and general visual inspection (Cheng, et al., 2012) (Palo, 2014).

The primary benefit of preventive maintenance is to sustain the programmed life-cycle of the system,

reduce failure rates and breakdowns, reduce unnecessary downtime costs and minimise the

repairing cost (Szwedo, 2012) (Dhillon, 2002) (Krivtsov, et al., 1999). Dhillon (2002) suggests that

the PM can be implemented effectively with adequate facilities, well-trained personnel, management

support, proper maintenance schedule and comprehensive plans.

The study by (Baek, et al., 2007) concludes that locomotive accumulative fatigues, deterioration and

the wear-out occur as the locomotive running times accumulate. The cost of wear and fatigue are

three times more expensive than the manufacturing cost (Palo, 2014). Baek, et al (2007) emphasise

that it is crucial to initiate the preventive maintenance to reduce the maintenance costs.

Corrective Maintenance (CM) is the maintenance practice conducted after the failure occurred,

aimed at eliminating the source of failure and minimising the frequency of failure occurrences

(Zhang, et al., 2012) (Marten Jr, 2010).Dhillon (2002) complements the study by (Zhang, et al., 2012)

(Marten Jr, 2010) by defining corrective maintenance as unscheduled maintenance, comprising

unpredictable maintenance requirements that cannot be planned or programmed to occur at the

particular time. According to the (Instanbul, 2016), corrective maintenance activities involve repair

and correction activities after the unpredicted failure occurred. Corrective maintenance is conducted

to return the system to its normal operating condition. For the corrective maintenance to be

conducted successfully, the original OEM parts should be used. Installation should meet the

manufacturer’s specifications, and shortcuts should be avoided (Dhillon, 2002) (Szwedo, 2012). An

assessment of spares availability and adequacy should be considered as a prerequisite factor for

the corrective maintenance of the locomotives to be conducted seamlessly (Thorlacius, 2015)

(Teshome, 2012).

Predictive maintenance (PDM) is the maintenance practise whereby the condition and operating

efficiency of the system are frequently monitored, generating the data to strategize the maintenance

24

philosophy (Bérengu, et al., 2002) (Al-Shayea, 2012). The study by (Mobley, 2002) (Bérengu, et al.,

2002) suggests that PDM lowers the cost of unscheduled maintenance due to system failure and

maximises the intervals between repairs. Locomotives conditions monitoring activities are normally

conducted with thermal, acoustic and light sensors, capturing fleet information on bearings, brakes,

wheels, undercarriage and body (Phelan, et al., 2014). The wayside condition monitoring systems

focussed on bearing temperature and dragging equipment and are used to activate the alarm

preventing derailment due to component failures (Phelan, et al., 2014) (Yao, et al., 2004).

The information generated from the sensors assist in channelling maintenance efforts on

components of highest priority, but it does not necessarily change the maintenance strategy (Phelan,

et al., 2014) (Yao, et al., 2004). Predictive maintenance analyses system condition data to influence

the preventive maintenance (Edirisinghe & Faiz , 2009) (Antony, 2014). A study by (Szwedo, 2012)

emphasises that when predictive maintenance is properly conducted, an organisation reduces

maintenance cost by over 25%; eliminate more than 70% of breakdown; reduce the down time by

45% and increase production by 25%. Locomotive predictive maintenance can be conducted based

on the mileage or operating time ensuring that the reliability level is sustained and improved (Weiss,

2013).

Condition-based Maintenance (CBM) is the maintenance practice conducted to monitor the actual

condition of the system to provide guidance on the type of maintenance needed to be conducted on

the system. CBM has also been introduced into the locomotive maintenance regime (Connor, 2012).

Some researchers suggest that the condition monitoring should be conducted by assessing the

operating behaviour of the components. The components should be replaced if it depicts the sign of

wear out or failure beyond the acceptable limits (Teshome, 2012). The condition based maintenance

practice reduces the level of uncertainty of the maintenance activity to be conducted. Condition

monitoring processes should be automated to provide accurate data enabling proper planning of the

preventive maintenance, to sustain the system condition and prevent potential failures (Nappi, 2014)

(Walker, et al., 2014).

25

2.8.2 Inventory management

Inventory management is a vital element in the supply chain management (Lar, et al., 2006) (Xiaobin,

et al., 2007). Chukwuemeka & Onwusoronye (2013) suggest that challenges of determining the time

of order, order quantity and how much to stock, balancing the ordering cost and holding cost with

less interruption to the maintenance process and activities, was asserted. The inventory level should

always be monitored and sustained ensuring that the maintenance and operations activities run

seamlessly, benefitting of the organisation (Xiaobin, et al., 2007). Inadequate control of the inventory

results in understocking or overstocking of material (Telsang, 2001).

Eagles Height Industries Limited, in Nigeria, was challenged with overstocking and understocking of

material due to improper inventory management. This improper inventory management led Eagles

Height to excessive costs due to overstocking. They subsequently closed down some of the

production sections when they were short of the material due to understocking and started to

experience customer dissatisfaction (Chukwuemeka & Onwusoronye, 2013). To avoid overstocking

and understocking, the inventory manager should develop a proper approach, outlining and

specifying orders, when to order and establish the quantity to order, minimising the storage cost and

possibility of stock overrun or stock overflow (Grondys, 2010) (Chukwuemeka & Onwusoronye,

2013) (Telsang, 2001).

2.8.2.1 Inventory priorities

Items to be procured should be categorised according to importance concerning the cost of the item,

potential profit and the usage frequency (Chukwuemeka & Onwusoronye, 2013) (Teunter &

Syntetos, 2009). According to (Pycraft, et al., 2007), managers must classify levels of control that

they apply to the various stock items. Classification of items is accomplished through multiple criteria

in the ABC classification model (Teunter & Syntetos, 2009). Application of the ABC model is based

on the Pareto principle (80/20 rule) (Ng, 2007). The Pareto analysis assumes that 20% of stock items

contributes 80% of the production or maintenance of the system (Pycraft, et al., 2007) (Kanawaty,

26

2002). Dorai, et al (2013) suggest that applying the multiple criteria ABC classification model, assists

in equipping inventory managers with advanced managerial skills. It allows applying additional

aspects, such as lead time and criticality. The ABC analysis also factors in the Saaty’s Analytic

Hierarchical Process (AHP) assessing spares criticality by weighing each spare part, describing its

importance (Fredendall, et al., 2002). Inventory managers should invest their effort to monitor and

control the significant items as classified (Pycraft, et al., 2007):

Class A Items (high-value items) – 20% stock accounting 80% of the total stock value.

Class B Items (medium-value items) – 30% stock accounting 10% of the total stock value.

Class C Items (low-value items) – 50% stock items accounting 10% of the total stock value.

2.8.2.2 Economic Order Quantity

The general model of deciding on items or stock order quantity is called the Economic Order Quantity

(EOQ) (Xiaobin, et al., 2007). The EOQ model was discovered by Ford Whitman Harris in 1913

(Pettit, et al., 2010) (Pycraft, et al., 2007). This model strives acquiring the balance between the

advantages and disadvantages of the holding stock (Pycraft, et al., 2007). The EOQ model is the

best practice ensuring that the level of the material is kept on the required quantity, based on the

production requirements (Ozdemirb & Eroglua, 2007). To effectively support the system, the required

material should be at the appropriate place at the right time (Pettit, et al., 2010). The material should

be timeously forecasted, addressing the risk of the long lead time that can result in the system not

being maintained timeously (Pettit, et al., 2010). The stock level should be tracked and managed on

the designated inventory management system to eliminate possible human errors (Weiss, 2013).

Appropriate estimation of the EOQ application comprises inputs aspects such as ordering cost,

holding cost and the demand rate (Pycraft, et al., 2007) (Xiaobin, et al., 2007). The primary purpose

of the EOQ is to determine the optimal order quantity at any time, whereby the sum of the holding

and ordering cost is established at the minimal level (Weiss, 2013) (Xiaobin, et al., 2007) (Pycraft,

et al., 2007).

27

2.8.3 Maintenance facilities readiness

Locomotives require exceptional and remarkable maintenance facilities. The locomotive

maintenance facilities should be designed and built to last 100 years or more. Adequate condition

monitoring is required to keep the facility resilient (Connor, 2012) (Ouyang & Xie, 2015).

2.8.3.1 Maintenance and inspection sheds or workshops

The locomotive service facilities necessitate conducting the locomotive inspection and maintenance

activities. The inspection facility should be designed to accommodate the full length of the

locomotive. The floor of locomotive inspection and maintenance workshop should be clearly

demarcated, depicting the safe pathways and hazardous areas to prevent accidents and injuries

(OSHA, 2002).

Workshop Lighting must also be adequate for the employees to notice a hazard that can be swiftly

avoided. Adequate lighting improves employee concentration and prevents eyestrain (HSE, 2010).

According to (Skansi, 2012), poor illumination in the workshop can negatively impact the productivity

and efficiencies of the employees.

HSE suggests the productivity of employees improves when operating in favourable temperature

conditions. Too high or too low temperatures in the workshop can be detrimental to employees. In

referring to workplace occupational health and safety (OHS) Acts, an acceptable temperature is

indicated at, at least 16° C. It is recommended though, that the temperature should be at the

minimum of 13° C in workshops where severe physical effort is applied (HSE, 2010).

2.8.4 Manpower capacity adequacy

A report by (Transport, 2016) indicates that locomotive maintenance sections face challenges

whereby 40% of the personnel is over the age of 50 years and 22% is over 55 years. The railway

recruitment plan should earmark the younger professionals, growing within the organisational

system (Transport, 2016).

28

Blanchard (Blanchard, 1998) defines the labour as the adequate human capacity required to support,

maintain and operate the system throughout its life-cycle. Hikmat (2001) indicate that labour planning

is not a simple exercise since it involves human behaviour that is sometimes not controllable. It

should be approached in a strategic manner. His study indicates that skilled personnel must be

recruited to fulfil the labour requirements, based on the workload plans (Hikmat, 2001). Sustaining

the labour capacity is not only by recruiting but is also influenced by retraining the current workforce.

Insufficient maintenance personnel can pose a risk in achieving the required maintenance objectives.

Management should thus ensure ample capacity to perform the maintenance activities (Duffuaa, et

al., 2009).

Management should develop the labour forecasting model, assisting labour planning and prediction.

Forecasting and planning are important factors in the maintenance environment. It involves

considering a multiple and wide ranges of criteria (WiproLTD, 2014) (Al-Shayea, 2012).

2.8.5 Training and training devices

(Noe, 2010) (Bekkering, 2004) (Blanchard, 1998), define training as a planned effort by an

organisation to facilitate labourers learning on-the-job-related competences. Training is procedures

and processes used to train personnel in specific knowledge areas. The training devices are the

equipment and machinery required to conduct the training (Bekkering, 2004) (Noe, 2010). Noe (Noe,

2010) emphasises that organisations must advance their training programmes to realise quality work

and safe operations. Training should not focus on junior employees only; even the aging employees

must be trained on new technology (Noe, 2010).

Training devices include simulators and audio-visual mock-ups. The certified trainer must conduct

the training, using the appropriate training devices and systems. Noe (2010) believes that on-the-job

training is important for trainees, providing real-world practice. Bekkering (2004) recited the Chines

proverb stating “I hear – I forget; I see – I remember and I do – I understand”. The final assessment

should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the training programme.

29

2.8.6 Reliability management

Reliability is the probability of the system to operate without any failure with the provided condition

and the anticipated time interval (Milutinović & Lučanin, 2005). Reliability is the most vital aspect of

the railway operations thus, maintenance should be a priority ensuring that the reliability level of the

locomotives is sustained (Lee, et al., 2008). Locomotive reliability level can either be measured by

the Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) or Mean Distance Between Failure (MDBF) (Lee, et al.,

2008) (Connor, 2012). Locomotive breakdowns should be frequently and properly recorded to

assess the locomotive reliability ratios (Budin, 2003). For the system to remain reliable, causes of

failure should be comprehensively understood to be prevented (O'Connor & Kleyner, 2012). The root

causes of locomotive failure should be specified per component ensuring that the failure trend is

properly recorded, for example, diesel, engine failure, pneumatic system failure, electrical rotating

and machine failure. (Budin, 2003).

The locomotives should have the high-reliability level since it is a risky mode of transportation of

freight and people. Unreliable locomotives led to a huge financial loss at the Indian Railways

(Gandhare, et al., 2014). To address the system reliability challenges, the reliability probabilities

should be categorised as discrete functions, continuous functions and point processes (O'Connor &

Kleyner, 2012). The system component is assessed in the discrete functions and declared functional

or non-functional. The continuous functions are governed by continuous variables such as time and

distance. The reliability of the system components will be based on time and the distance travelled.

Whether the system component fails or passes the test, may be due to aging and the reliability

should be treated as the continuous function. The reliability of the system components can also be

treated as the point process if the failure rate is high within the provided period (O'Connor & Kleyner,

2012). The reliability of locomotives is mostly determined by one million kilometres travelled by the

locomotive (Milutinović & Lučanin, 2005).

The Channel Shuttle locomotives cover approximately 5 000 kilometres a week and receive an initial

inspection (Meeker, 2013). The French locomotives are provided with the daily visual inspection of

30

the underframe components and the pantograph. It is the responsibility of the locomotives owners

to sustain locomotive reliability levels by preventing in-service failures and unplanned maintenance

(Meeker, 2013). It is always important to predict the locomotive retirement to avoid operating with

an unreliable locomotive due to age (Meeker, 2013).

Furthermore, Meeker (2013) suggests that the early detection software of the locomotive reliability

issues or challenges should be factored in the locomotive design ensuring the locomotives reliability

challenges are addressed proactively through proper maintenance practice. When locomotives

approach their ageing state, they should be modernised to improve their reliability level (Babel &

Szkoda, 2016). The modernisation should be focussed on the most unreliable units and systems of

the locomotives.

Maintenance teams should also understand the locomotive reliability phases/classes that provide

guidance on when to address the reliability challenges. The reliability concept has three classes of

the system life-cycle, being the infant mortality phase, the normal period and the wear out period.

During infant mortality, the system tolerates a declining failure rate. During the normal operating

period, the system endures the constant failure rate. During the wear-out, the system accumulates

an increasing failure rate (Tarum, 2014). Figure 4 depicts the reliability bathtub curve with the

reliability phases.

31

Figure 4: Bathtub curve (Garg & Deshmukh, 2006)

32

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The previous chapter presents the literature on ILS and how it is implemented on the international

best practice. Each ILS element is unpacked to determine its influence on the ISL value chain. This

chapter provides the research methodology applied to acquire and analyse the data.

3.2 Data collection methodologies

Data is the information or material recorded and retained to validate the research findings (Jonathan

, 2012). The research data are collected, observed, created and analysed to produce concrete and

reliable results (Jonathan , 2012). According to (Hox & Boeije, 2005), two types of data exist;

secondary and primary data. Khothari (2004) defines secondary data as data readily available and

analysed. Primary data are collected afresh and for the first time (Khothari, 2004). For this research,

primary data were collected and analysed. A questionnaire technique is used as a methodology to

collect data.

3.3 Application of questionnaires methodology

The questionnaire provides effective means of collecting data on individuals’ beliefs, assertiveness,

motivations and behaviours or reactions on the research subject matter (Greenhalgh & Boynton,

2004). A questionnaire is an impartial tool for collecting data in the research exercise and is used by

the researchers, not familiar with the problems associated with the research subject matter (Abawi ,

2013) (Potter, et al., 2000). A well-structured questionnaire provides a potential and capability to

meet the research objectives and to minimise the level of unanswered questions. As suggested by

(Abawi , 2013) (Yin, 2004), the questionnaire should be structured properly ensuring the relevant

data is acquired and the respondent answers the question honestly and effortlessly. The

questionnaire methodology assists the researcher to obtain information from the large sample in the

field of research. It is also good in protecting the privacy of the respondents whereby the participant

shares some profound information (Potter, et al., 2000) (Greenhalgh & Boynton , 2004) (Corbetta ,

2003). The challenge on the questionnaires method is to make it clear and easy for all the

33

respondents and subsequently, the validity of the data depends on the honesty of respondents (Yin,

2004).

The questionnaire is conducted to source data from Transnet personnel on various levels and

functions. According to (Greenhalgh & Boynton , 2004), questionnaires can be used as a tool of

research and accurate findings can be obtained. On questionnaire approach, the questionnaire is e-

mailed and hand submitted to the respondents, requesting to return the completed template to all

questions.

3.4 Research methodology

According to (Abawi , 2013), research can be either qualitative or quantitative. Hox & Boeije (2005),

Khothari (2004) suggest that quantitative research approach centres on the expression of quantity

or amount whereas the qualitative research approach acquires underlying reasoning, opinions, and

perceptions in the research area. This research focuses on quantitative research approach

assessing the effectiveness of ILS and clarifies the principles of locomotive life-cycles. The prime

examples of the quantitative research are social surveys, case studies, and experiments evaluated

against the statistical strengths and weaknesses (Yin, 2004) (Khothari, 2004).

3.5 Developing questionnaires and scaling techniques

According to (Sato, 2005), questionnaire design is one of the common elements as it has a high

effect on the results or response from the respondents. It is possible that the same questions can

yield diverse results if they are asked in a different manner (Sato, 2005). The study by (Burton &

Steane, 2004), suggests that well-structured questionnaires can achieve more than a 50% response

rate, whereas poorly structured questionnaires can achieve a 5% response rate. Burton and Steane

(2004) believe that long questionnaires obtain poor response rate; thus, it should be short and

precise.

The Likert scale is used for this research to acquire data from respondents. According to (Khothari,

2004) (Beglar & Nemoto, 2014), the Likert scale is designed in a manner whereby an item is

34

evaluated and assessed on the basis of quality distinguishing between people providing high scores

and the those providing low scores. The Likert scale approach allows respondents to react

favourable, unfavourable or neutral towards questions on the research subject (Dawes, 2007)

(Khothari, 2004). Each response will be furnished with the numerical score indicating the level of

favourableness or unfavourableness. The score will be summarised, obtaining the overall reaction

of the respondents. Table 1 depicts the five-point scale used to rate agreement levels of respondents

towards the statements.

Table 1: Likert 5-point scale Strongly disagree Disagree

Unsure Agree Strongly agree

1 2 3 4 5

Negative Negative Neutral Positive Positive

The Likert scale ratings are explained in Table 2, to elaborate and explain each variable and its

differences.

Table 2: Likert scale description Scale code Scale Description 1 – Negative Strongly Disagree – Indicates that the respondent completely disagrees with the statement

and there is no room for any arguments. 2 – Negative Disagree – Indicates that the respondent disagrees with the statement but there is room for

arguments. 3 – Unsure Unsure – Indicates that respondents are fair-minded about the response due to the fact

that they do not have a clear answer, thus they do not want to be prejudice. 4 – Positive Agree – Indicates that the respondent agrees with the statement that the practice is

applicable in the environment. 5 – Positive Strongly Agree – Indicates that the respondent fully agrees with the statement that the

practice is highly applicable, and robustly plays a vital role in an environment.

3.6 Research process

A case study by (Yin, 2004) consider research as a systematic process of inquiring, analysing and

exploring the information. Research is used to resolve practical problems and boost the knowledge

level of the researcher (Khothari, 2004). The researcher should follow a research process and

methodology when conducting the research study, meeting an anticipated objective (Sato, 2005).

Figure 5 depicts the process that the researcher followed when conducting the research for this

study.

35

Figure 5: Research process [103]

3.7 Sample size and data saturation

The theory of data saturation was introduced in the research field by Glaser and Strauss (Ness &

Fusch , 2015). Data saturation is achieved when adequate information exists for an analysis of the

research subject. Data received after the saturated state will add minimal value to the total outcome

of the analysis. Failure in reaching the situation state has a negative impact on the quality and the

validity of the data received (Ness & Fusch , 2015) (Ditsele, 2015).

The study by (Thomson, 2011) reports that 100 articles were reviewed to assess the sample size

used in those researches. It is suggested that from 100 articles, 33 articles used sample size

between 20 and 30; 32 articles used sample size between 10 and 19; 22 used sample size of more

than 31; 12 articles used sample size of ≤10 and one article used sample size of >100. It is

determined that the average sample size of all the studies for 100 articles is 25, ranging from 5 to

114 (Thomson, 2011).

In this research the questionnaire is conducted with 110 respondents, aiming to receive a 75%

response rate, equating 83 responses. The total population involved in the locomotives support

36

process and maintenance is 245 employees assessed, from two Transnet maintenance depots. The

statistical method and principles are used to determine the acceptable sample size for this study:

𝑛 =𝑧2 .𝑝.𝑞.𝑁

𝑒2(𝑁−1)+(𝑧2.𝑝.𝑞) (Khothari, 2004)

Where: n = Sample size

N = size of population

e = Acceptable error

z= standard variate at a given confidence level.

P = sample proportion and q = 1 – p

A 95% confidence level was used, with a 2% estimation of acceptable error. The standard variation

is 1.645 as per area under the normal curve, with the confidence of 95% (Khothari, 2004). The p-

value is assumed to be 2% and the q-value is 1 – p. Therefore, the sample size used for this study

is determined as follows:

𝑛 =𝑧2 .𝑝.𝑞.𝑁

𝑒2(𝑁−1)+𝑧2.𝑝.𝑞 (Khothari, 2004)

= (1.64)2 (0.02). (1 − 0.02)(245)

(0.02)2(245 − 1) + (1.64)2(0.02). (1 − 0.02)

= 86 Participants

3.8 Data analysis approach

Data analysis is the process of applying statistical principles and logic techniques to make sense out

of data (Burton & Steane, 2004). The analysis process aimed to present the data in an intelligible

and illustratable manner determining the tendencies and relations in accordance with the literature

of the research. This includes grouping, summarising and demonstrating the data. Percentages and

averages are used to analyse data. An average is obtained through weighted approach calculations,

where 5 represents Strongly Agree and 1 represents Strongly Disagree. The formula used to

calculate the weighted average is as follows:

𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 =∑ 𝐴𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 % ×𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔

5 × 100 (Grela, 2013)

37

The total average is considered to determine the perception of respondents towards certain

questionnaire subjects. The targeted average score per question is ≥ 80%. If the response achieves

the targeted average score, the element will be deemed to be effective and if the response does not

achieve the targeted average score, the specific element will be deemed unsatisfactory or ineffective.

Response per category or designation will be considered to assess the correlations and differences

between management, employees and subsequently, dissect data based on employees’ seniority.

The data acquired will be represented in the form of graphs, tables, and charts. Analytical

descriptions and interpretations are provided, based on the visual presentation on the tables, graphs,

and charts.

3.9 Comparisons of questionnaires structure and literature review

The questionnaire is developed based on the context and lessons learned from an ILS literature

review in Chapter 2. A full questionnaire spreadsheet is attached in Appendix C.

Table 3: Questionnaire versus literature Question Number

Lessons Learnt from Literature Review Sources/Cases Study of reference

Question 2: Personnel age must be frequently monitored to minimise the shortage of personnel due to retirements

Duffuaa, S. et al., 2009. Handbook of Maintenance Management and Engineering. 1st ed. New York: Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Question 4: The locomotives maintenance processes and procedures must be clear and understood by the maintenance team

- Dhillon, B. S., 2002. Maintenance Engineering: A Modern Approach. 1ST ed. New York: CRC Press.

- Army, D. o. t., 2004. Maintenance Operations and procedures, Washington DC: Department of the Army , Headquaters.

Question 5: Effective locomotive maintenance plan must be in place to outlines the nature of maintenance to be conducted

Garg, A. & Deshmukh, S. G., 2006. Maintenance Management and Engineering, Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology.

Question 6: Effective Inventory management system must be in place to advise when to order and how much to order

Chukwuemeka, G. H. & Onwusoronye, U. O., 2013. Inventory Management: Pivotal in Effective and Efficient Organisations. Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences, iv(1), pp. 115-120.

Question 7: Effective quality evaluation procedure should be applied ensuring that the delivered material is of acceptable quality standard and specification

Pycraft, M., Singh, H. & Phihlela, K., 2007. Operations Management. Cape Town: Pearson Education.

Question 8: The Locomotives failure rates must be known by all personnel involved in the locomotives life-cycle support process

- O'Connor, P. & Kleyner, A., 2012. Practical Reliability Engineering. 5th ed. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

- Budin, K.-J., 2003. Managing Locomotive availability and utilization, s.l.: Transport No. RW-1.

38

Question 9: Effective system/technology must be in place to conduct Condition Based Maintenance to uplift the reliability level of locomotives

- Nappi, R., 2014. Integrated Maintenance: analysis and perspective of innovation in the railway sector, Naples: TT Solution.

- Szwedo, J. D., 2012. Preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance, Florida: Baxter & Woodman, Inc

Question 10: Training offered to the locomotives maintainers and operators must be remarkable

- Bekkering, W., 2004. Training and Teaching: Learn how to do it. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Tool.

- Blanchard, B. S., 1998. Logistics Engineering and Management-5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Question 11: Adequate training equipment must be in place to conduct required practical training

Question 12: There should be adequate personnel required who are fully trained and certified to conduct locomotives maintenance and operations at any given time.

Duffuaa, S. et al.., 2009. Handbook of Maintenance Management and Engineering. 1st ed. New York: Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Question 13: Effective forecasting model must be place used to determine the future required personnel capacity to support future maintenance and operations.

- Al-Shayea, A. M., 2012. Maintenance Capacity Planning: Determination of Maintenance Workforce. Science and Engineering Research, iv(3), pp. 37-43.

- Amtrak, 2011. Locomotives Maintenance Philosophy, California: California Department of Transportation.

Question 14: Maintenance workshop’s floor must be visibly demarcated with labelled of tools and material

OSHA, 2002. Floor Marking Guide, USA: Creative Safety Supply.

Question 15: The lighting and temperature in the workshop must be favourable

- HSE, 2010. Health and safety in engineering workshops, United Kingdom: Health and safety executives.

- Skansi, R., 2012. Ergonomics of Light, Serbia: GE Lighting.

3.10 Reliability and validity

Golafshani (2003), Khothari (2004) define reliability as an extent in which results are an accurate

representation of an entire population and are consistent. If similar results can be reproduced using

a similar methodology, the research instrument is deemed to be reliable. Golafshani (2003) suggests

that the consistency of respondents can be determined through test-retest methods at two different

times. The test-retest method is a stability measure ensuring the same results. Reliability can be

negatively impacted by errors of respondents when responding, influencing the score (Jokovic, et

al., 2002) (Golafshani, 2003).

The reliability of Likert scale in this research is substantiated by Cronbach’s alpha, determining the

degree of the quantity items in the questionnaire complementing and supplementing each other

(Gliem & Gliem, 2003). Cronbach’s alpha that is less than 0.6 is unacceptable, and Cronbach’s alpha

that is greater than 0.7 is acceptable (Gliem & Gliem, 2003). Validity determines whether outcomes

39

successfully measures what it is intended to measure, based on design and the reliability of the

study outcomes (Gliem & Gliem, 2003) (Jokovic, et al., 2002) (Khothari, 2004). A locomotive

maintenance managers reviewed the validity of ILS questions for this study, ensuring relevance to

the maintenance environment.

40

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction

The aim of this chapter is to present analysis and discussion of the data obtained from respondents.

The questionnaire was sent to 110 respondents. Ninety-five respondents participated in the

questionnaire equating to the 86% response rate of the sample size. The questionnaire was sent to

senior managers, middle managers, supervisors, and maintainers. Questionnaires were

communicated through e-mails, and some were hand-delivered to respondents without computer

facilities, more especially the respondents from the production floor. Fifteen sub-questions are

presented in the questionnaire spreadsheet, based on ILS literature.

4.2 Question 1: What is your working experience?

Experiences are categorised from one to 10 years (Low); 11 to 25 years (Medium) and ≥26 years

(High). The purpose of this question is to estimate experiences ranges within locomotive life-cycle

support teams. It can be established from Figure 6, that 22% represents the low experienced

respondents. The medium experienced contributes 36%, and high experienced contributes 42% to

the total respondents.

Figure 6: Question 1 responses

22%

36%

42% 1 – 10 Years

11 – 25 Years

26 and above Years

41

4.3 Question 2: What is your age?

The question of age categories is presented, evaluating the age of personnel from locomotive

maintenance and support functions. Figure 7 depicts that 20% of respondents are between 20 and

30 years. Respondents of 30 to 45 years are 63% of the respondents and the age group of 40 and

above contributed 17% of respondents. The international railway study reports that the locomotive

maintenance depots are facing challenges whereby 40% of the personnel are above the age of 50

years and 22% is 55 years. The railway industries are competing for the young engineers with other

sectors such as energy, construction, and automotive. The railway recruitment plan should earmark

the youngest professionals, growing within the organisation (Transport, 2016). Statistics from data

received, indicate that approximately 17% of locomotives maintenance personnel are ≥45 years.


4.4 Question 3: What is your designation?

The questionnaire was sent to senior managers, middle managers, supervisors, and maintainers.

Three (3%) senior managers, six (6%) middle managers, twelve (13%) supervisors and seventy-four

(78%) maintainers or operators participated in the survey as indicated in Figure 8. Nominated

participants are selected based on their involvement in locomotive maintenance and support

processes.

20%

63%

17%

20- 30 Years

30 - 45 Years

45 and above Years

42


4.5 Question 4: Are the locomotives maintenance processes and procedures

clear and understood by the maintenance team?

This question is asked to evaluate the complexity the maintenance process and procedures to the

respondents. The literature indicate that the entire maintenance team must understand the

maintenance process and procedures to effectively conduct the maintenance practices (Army,

2004). Respondents rate on the scale of one to five, where five represent strongly agree and one

represents strongly disagree. It can be seen from the Appendix A: Table 5 indicates the average

understanding of maintenance process and procedures by the respondents, is 94%. The average of

94% is influenced by 55% respondents being maintenance staff who strongly agree with the

statement and 21% agree as indicated in Figure 9. Furthermore, 12% of respondents are supervisors

and 6% are middle management who strongly agreed with the statement.

Most of the respondents irrespective of their experience scale, understand maintenance processes

and procedures. This might be influenced by the quality of training offered, supporting the

maintenance practice and locomotive handling. Highly experienced personnel are strategically

disseminated to operate on a regular basis with low experienced personnel; therefore, 98% of

respondents understand locomotive maintenance processes and procedures. In summary,

3%

6%

13%

78%

Senior ManagementMiddle ManagementSupervisorMaintainer/Operator

43

maintenance processes and procedures are understood by the personnel within locomotives

maintenance and support streams.


4.6 Question 5: Does Transnet have effective locomotive maintenance plans

that outline the nature of maintenance to be conducted?

This question is asked to assess if existing locomotive maintenance plans are effective to address

all kinds of maintenance conducted. All senior managers strongly agreed that the current

maintenance plans are effective to address all the maintenance activities on locomotives. Based on

Appendix A: Table 6, an average score of maintenance plan effectiveness is 93%. This average

score is reinforced by 53% of respondents being maintainers, 12% of respondents are supervisors

and 3% are middle managers who strongly agreed with the subject as indicated in Figure 10.

Furthermore, 22% of respondents are maintainers and 3% are middle managers who agreed that

the maintenance plans are effective.

StronglyAgree Agree Unsure Disagree Strongly

DisagreeSenior Managers 2% 1% 0% 0% 0%Middle Managers 6% 0% 0% 0% 0%Supervisors 12% 1% 0% 0% 0%Maintainers/ Operators 55% 21% 1% 1% 0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%%

of r

espo

nden

ts

44

It can be established from Appendix B: Q5 that virtually all respondents reacted positively to the

effectiveness of locomotive maintenance plans. Some of the highly experienced respondents are

concerned with the execution and adherence to the maintenance plan.

Based on the positiveness of the responses, it is acknowledged that the locomotive maintenance

plans are effective.


4.7 Question 6: Is there an effective inventory management system that advises

when to order and how much to order?

This question is asked to probe the effectiveness of an inventory management system used to

conduct the planning and execution of material procurement. The average score for this statement

is 59% based on Appendix A: Table 7. Figure 11 depicts that senior management trust that the

inventory management system is effective. Respondents (33%) are maintainers and 7% are

supervisors disagreeing that an inventory management system is effective. Moreover, 19% of

respondents that are maintainers, strongly disagree that an inventory management system is


DisagreeSenior Managers 3% 0% 0% 0% 0%Middle Managers 3% 3% 0% 0% 0%Supervisors 12% 1% 0% 0% 0%Maintaners/ Operators 53% 22% 3% 0% 0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

% o

f res

pond

ents

45

effective. The disagreement is elevated by the shortage of material on the floor to conduct required

maintenance. Some respondents indicated, they sometimes use the cannibalisation approach

(stripping other locomotives spares to conduct maintenance activities on the required locomotive).

The shortage of material has a negative impact on the locomotives turnaround time as they spent

additional time in maintenance depots.

Reference to Appendix B: Q6, 58% of medium experienced respondents disagree. This

disagreement is supplemented by 68% highly experienced respondents. Furthermore, 57% equates

to 12 out of 21 of low experienced respondents also disagree that an inventory management system

is effective. Highly experienced respondents (25%); 35% medium experienced respondents and

43% low experienced respondents agree that an inventory management system is satisfactory.




0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

% o

f res

pond

ents

46

4.8 Question 7: Is there effective quality evaluation procedure applied ensuring

that the delivered material is of acceptable quality standard and

specification?

This question is asked to assess how effective the quality evaluation methodology and procedure is

applied on maintenance material procured. Babel & Szkoda (2016) emphasise that spares and

material non-conformance to quality can impose reliability risks to the system. Appendix A: Table 8

indicates that an average score on the effectiveness of quality evaluation is 84%. Collective 93% of

respondents consider the quality evaluation procedures and methods effective; they allude that the

non-conformance materials are identified during material delivery process. Figure 12 indicates that

about 7% of respondents disagree with the effectiveness of a quality management process.


4.9 Question 8: Are the Locomotives reliability factors known and monitored?

This question is presented to investigate whether locomotives can run expected mean distance

before minimum failures occurred. The study by (Lee, et al., 2008) (Connor, 2012) suggests that



0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

% o

f res

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ents

47

locomotives reliability can either be measured by the Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) or Mean

Distance between Failures (MDBF). According to the Transnet reliability guideline, the locomotive is

deemed reliability if it accumulates less than 20 faults per million kilometres (Transnet, 2010). The

average score of 82% is obtained in this element as depicted in Appendix A: Table 9. Respondents

indicate that more than 80% of locomotives fleets can run one million kilometres and experience less

than 20 faults. Most of the ageing locomotives exceed 20 faults within a million kilometres of

operation.

Figure 13: Question 8 Responses

4.10 Question 9: Is there an effective system/technology used to conduct

condition based maintenance to uplift the reliability level of locomotives

This question is asked to assess the effectiveness of condition monitoring systems or devices for

locomotives at Transnet. According to Szwedo (2012), if the predictive maintenance is conducted

properly by a qualified person with adequate technologies to condition monitoring systems. An

organisation can reduce maintenance costs by ˃25%; eliminate ˃70% of breakdown; reduce the

FullyAgree Agree Unsure Disagree Fully


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

% o

f tot

al re

spon

dent

s

48

down time by 45% and increase production rate by 25%. Responses from the survey on this element

achieved an average score of 91%, based on Appendix A: Table 10. Management and employees

believe locomotives condition monitoring systems in place, are effective.

Based on Appendix B: Q9, the effectiveness locomotives condition monitoring systems/technologies

are rated high by respondents in all experiences groups. Only one low experienced respondent

disagreed.


4.11 Question 10: Is the training offered to maintainers and operators

effective?

The purpose of this question is to assess the effectiveness level of training offered to the personnel

of locomotives maintenance. According to (Bekkering, 2004), effective training requirements are

compulsory in all the maintenance levels ensuring assets are supported seamlessly through

adequate maintenance management. Based on the responses on Appendix A: Table 11, an average

score for the effectiveness of personnel training is 96%. It is apparent that the training offered by



0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

% o

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49

Transnet is of adequate quality, as the maintainers acknowledged do not encounter any challenges

when they conduct their daily activities. From figure 15, it is presented that 80% of the respondents

strongly agree that the training is of high quality, whilst 20% agree that the training requirements are

effective enough to equip the personnel with the necessary skills to conduct required maintenance

activities. A scheduled refresher training exists, ensuring the personnel are retrained to sustain

knowledge and improve the quality of their work.


4.12 Question 11: Is adequate training equipment in place to conduct the

required practical training?

The purpose of this question is to assess the availability and effectiveness of the practical training

devices or equipment. According to a study by (Tsuruga, 2012), using effective training facilities,

such as simulators and mock-up for practical training, can successfully back up the classroom theory

and procedures. Tsuruga (2012) emphasise that training facilities must be used under the guidance

and supervision of a well-experienced instructor, aspiring motivation to trainees and reduce safety



0%

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30%

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80%

% o

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50

incidents. Based on responses results from Figure 16 and Appendix A: Table 12, an average score

on training facilities is 96%. The training facilities average score corresponds with an average score

of training effectiveness. Transnet uses effective simulators and physical locomotive to conduct

practical training to maintainers. Maintainers are satisfied with the practical training equipment used

to capacitate them on practical exposure of the locomotive.


4.13 Question 12: Is there enough personnel required, fully trained and

certified to conduct locomotives maintenance and operations at any time?

The purpose of this question is to determine whether the current personnel capacity is adequate to

conduct the required locomotives maintenance requirements. According to a study by (Duffuaa, et

al., 2009), insufficient maintenance personnel poses a risk of not meeting required targets.

Management should ensure that there is enough labour capacity required to perform the

maintenance activities. Based on results on Appendix A: Table 13, an average score for labour

capacity adequacy is 44%. It can be seen from Figure 17 that management considers the capacity



0%

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30%

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50%

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% o

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51

adequate to conduct the plan and unplanned maintenance. Supervisors and maintainers indicate

that labour capacity is insufficient granted the workload. Figure 21 outlines that 66% of 74%

disagreeing respondents are maintainers or operator. They indicated that the current personnel

capacity is inadequate to fulfil the maintenance requirements. From 74% disagreeing respondents,

10% are supervisors who also underline that there is inadequate labour capacity to fulfil locomotive

maintenance requirements and support.

Appendix B: Q12 depicts that personnel capacity is inadequate. Highly experiences (90%)

respondents contribute to the disagreeing group. Medium experienced (91%) respondents and 67%

of low experienced respondents also disagree.




0%

10%

20%

30%

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50%

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% o

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52

4.14 Question 13: Is there an effective forecasting model in place, used to

determine the future required personnel capacity, supporting future

maintenance and operations?

This question is presented to assess the effectiveness of the labour forecasting model. Based on

the response on Appendix A: Table 14, the average score on effectiveness labour forecasting model

is 54%. It is evident that most of the personnel are unsure of the effectiveness of the labour

forecasting model. It is supposed that respondents rated the effectiveness of the forecasting model

low, based on the dissatisfaction of the current human capacity. It discovered that highly experienced

respondents contribute more percentage on the disagreeing respondents.


4.15 Question 14: Is the maintenance plant floor visibly demarcated with

labelled of tools and material?

The aim of this question is to assess if the workshop floor is clearly demarcated based on the

workshop health and safety standards. According to (OSHA, 2002), the workshop floor must be



0%

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% o

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53

clearly demarcated to mark the safe pathways and highlight hazardous areas to prevent accidents

and injuries. Based on the questionnaire responses on Appendix A: Table 15, the average score is

93%. Figure 19 depicts that 81% of respondents strongly agree and 11% agree that the floor

workshop is properly and visibly demarcated based on the 5S principles. However, there is 8% of

respondents who disagree that the floor is well demarcated.

With reference to Appendix B: Q15, the maintenance plant floor demarcation, and visibility are

satisfactory to most of the respondents. Five of 21 on low experienced respondents, two of 34 on

medium experienced respondents and one of 40 on highly respondents disagree that floor is visibly

demarcated. They advocated that the paint worn out in some sections and it should be resurrected.




0%

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% o

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54

4.16 Question 15: Is the lighting and temperature in the workshop

favourable?

This question is asked to assess if employees are satisfied with working conditions such as workshop

temperature and lightings. Based on questionnaire responds on Appendix A: Table 16, an average

score on this question is 95%. Employees indicated they are satisfied with the lightings and the

temperature in the workshop. Figure 20 indicates that 81% strongly agree that the workplace

conditions, concerning lights and temperature are favourable, whilst 16% of respondents agreed that

indeed the lighting and temperature are satisfactory. There is 3% of respondents who believe that

the workshops are too cold during winter seasons and available heaters do not fully address the

problem.


4.17 ILS cross-referencing

Cross referencing is conducted based on the influence and the impact ILS Elements have on each

other. The ILS elements are dependent on each other to be effective. Ineffective elements can

impact the entire value chain of ILS. The figure below depicts the relationship and dependency of



0%

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55

elements on each other. The cross-referencing is conducted between maintenance plan, manpower,

and inventory management.

Figure 21: ILS elements cross-referencing

Maintenance plan effectiveness recorded an average score of 93%. It is a concern that there is a

shortage of labour and spares based on Figure 21. Twenty percent and 29% of respondents

respectively highlight an inventory management system and labour capacity is inadequate.

According to the study by (Xiaobin, et al., 2007) (Hikmat, 2001), effective implementation of a

maintenance plan, strongly depends on the adequate labour and spares. Current labour and spare

capacity are inadequate to maintain existing fleet size of 2 438 locomotives. Transnet procures an

additional 1 064 locomotives. If the issue of labour and spares shortage is not resolved,

implementation of a maintenance plan will be unachievable.

56

4.18 Management versus workers observations

Management versus employees’ perceptions and observations are analysed to determine their

differences and correlations. Figure 22 depicts observations trends for management and employees

on ILS elements. The analysis is conducted on inventory management system and labour.

Figure 22: Employees versus management perceptions

A scholar, Vithessonthi (2005) presents that management and employees do not share the same

view and perceptions. Employees’ perceptions were assessed versus management perception, on

two of the ILS element; inventory management system and labour adequacy. As depicted in Figure

22, 88% of labourers indicated that the labour is inadequate, granted the maintenance workload,

whereas all managers suggested that labour is adequate. All managers believed that an inventory

management system is effective whereas 68% of labourers highlighted that inventory management

systems are ineffective as a significant shortage exist, of spares on the floor and warehouse. In a

nutshell, management has a perception that the production line functions smoothly entirely, whereas

employees had a diverse view.

57

4.19 Satisfactory and unsatisfactory elements analysis

The aim of this section is to summarise findings of the responses on the questionnaire from Question

4 to Question 15. Twelve questions are categorised as subsets to the main elements to determine

the overall effectiveness of elements as depicted in Table 4. For this research, the researcher has

set the target of an average score of ≥80% per question or subject. If an average score of ≥80% is

achieved, it is assumed that the particular element is satisfactory or effective and if the average score

is ≤80%, indicating that the element under examination is ineffective. Elements that have achieved

≤80% require improvement. Table 4 indicates that four of six elements achieved an average score

of ≥80% and two of six elements did not meet the targeted average score. These are elements that

management should improve to uplift the entire supply chain of locomotives life-cycle support.

Elements that are unsatisfactory are:

Effective Inventory management system – an inventory management system are deemed

ineffective by the respondents. There is shortage of spare components to fulfil locomotives

maintenance requirements. The ILS literature indicates that there should be an effective

inventory management model that advices when to order and the quantity to order (Grondys,

2010) (Chukwuemeka & Onwusoronye, 2013) (Telsang, 2001).

Adequacy of Labour capacity – the outcome of the survey indicates that the current labour

capacity is inadequate to conduct the maintenance practice, granted the workload. There are

conflicting views between employees and management on this subject. Management believe

that the current workforce is adequate to fulfil the maintenance requirements, whereas

employees have different views.

Table 4: Average score target versus actual average score

ILS Elements Sub Questions and the results

Average Results per element

Maintenance plan effectiveness o Q 4 = 94% o Q5 = 93% o Q9 = 91%

93%

Training Effectiveness o Q10 = 96% o Q11 = 96%

96%

Reliability Management o Q8 = 82% 82% Inventory Management Systems Effectiveness

o Q6 = 59% o Q7 = 84%

72%

Maintenance Facility Readiness o Q14 = 93% 94%

58

o Q15 = 95%

Labour Adequacy o Q12 = 44% o Q13 = 54%

49%

59

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

The overruling purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of ILS in the railway sector,

specifically in the locomotive life-cycle support. The problem statement within the railway sector has

been discussed in the introductory chapter of this study. TFR procures the total of 1 064 locomotives

to improve operational efficiency and attract potential business within the logistics sector.

The study assesses the effectiveness of ILS elements, supporting existing locomotive fleets,

subsequently the additional locomotives at Transnet. The concept of ILS was defined in Chapter 2.

The definition of ILS centres on the readiness of an organisation supporting the life-cycle of the

system cost-effectively.

The questionnaire is used as a research methodology for this study. Questionnaires are developed

using the one- to five-point Likert scale, where five represents strongly agree with the statement

being raised on elements of ILS. Questionnaires were sent, using e-mails to respondents and other

questionnaires were distributed through hand submission, more especially to the respondents in the

workshop. Questionnaires were presented to the sample of 110 respondents involved in the

locomotive life-cycle support process. Ninety-five respondents participated in the survey. Of the 95

respondents, 74 Maintainers, 12 Supervisors, 6 Middle Managers and 3 Senior Managers. The

questionnaire comprises 15 questions, developed on the literature of ILS and questions ranged from

biodata, technical and managerial. Through this research approach, data are received from

respondents and analysis is conducted to assess the effectiveness of each element. The weighted

average is used to deduce the status quo for ILS subject of study within Transnet.

5.2 Conclusion and discussion

The main objective of this study is to evaluate and assess how ILS is implemented within the Railway

sector and subsequently evaluate the effectiveness of each ILS element to support the locomotives

lifecycle. Furthermore, the study aim to evaluate the perceptions differences between management

60

and employees on ILS implementation status quo. Transnet is used as the study area where the

locomotives life-cycle support is considered as a theme of study. The conclusion on the effectiveness

of ILS elements is presented together with perceptions from management and employees.

Maintenance plan effectiveness

The locomotive maintenance plan is effective based on the response from the questionnaire

participants. It addresses time-based maintenance and condition based maintenance to keep the

locomotives reliable. The maintenance plan is revised if there is a new locomotive in the system.

The locomotive maintenance plan is automated; thus, it is easier to manage all the locomotives

maintenance practices.

Most of the respondents indicated they understand the maintenance process and procedure in their

respective departments. Management indicated a breakdown of activities, ensuring the maintainers

find it easy to conduct their job. Highly experienced labourers assigned to work with less experienced

labourers for knowledge sharing is strategic.

A collective 97% of respondents believed that the condition monitoring systems are effective. The

respondents indicated that system assists in determining the type and the level of maintenance that

need to be conducted on the locomotives. Management also indicated failure rates of locomotives

are significantly reduced as the system detects the failure timeously. Based on international best

practice on ILS, condition monitoring system must be in place to save the cost of system

maintenance.

Effectiveness of inventory management system

The supervisors and maintainers suggest that the inventory management system is ineffective. A

significant shortage of spares in the production line exists. They also indicated they have to

cannibalise ensuring they proceed with the locomotives maintenance. The spare shortage can

negatively impact the business because production can delay. However, the material quality

evaluation procedure and processes are effective based on the respondents’ average score.

61

Reliability management

The locomotive reliability in Transnet is measured by 20 faults per million kilometres. If the locomotive

is deemed reliable, it accumulates less than 20 faults per million kilometres. Based on responses

from the maintenance team, more than 80% of locomotives meet reliability standards though some

of the older locomotive fleets have reliability challenges.

Training effectiveness

The labourers are satisfied with the training presented to them. The training is of high quality because

they can conduct the fault diagnosis and maintenance with no significant challenge. The OEM is

availed to project managers as warranty management contract for two years to work with Transnet

employees and share additional skills in conducting maintenance practice. It is also deduced that

the locomotive training equipment is effective. Employees indicated they are contented with the

training equipment and facilities. Simulations are used in training centres, providing practical training,

and the physical locomotive is used for practical assessments.

Labour capacity adequacy

The current personnel capacity is insufficient to perform the work. The labourers on the floor are

inadequate to perform the volume of work, whilst management believes that the current capacity is

adequate to conduct the work imminent. This issue will get more critical as deploying the additional

locomotive will add more work to an inadequate personnel capacity.

The responses provide an awareness that the recruitment forecasting model in is ineffective. The

forecasting model is not aligned with future locomotives maintenance requirements. An ineffective

recruitment model negatively impacts the production rate because the labourers on the production

line are inadequate to conduct required amount of work. The other underpinning challenge is that

the recruitment process takes longer than expected.

62

The international railway study indicates that locomotives maintenance depots are facing challenges

whereby 40% of personnel are over the age of 50 years and 22% of the population is over 55 years

(Transport, 2016). Based on the survey study in Transnet, it is deduced that approximately >83% of

personnel are between 25 and 50 years; thus, there will be no significant amount of retirements

soon.

Maintenance facility readiness

The responses from the questionnaire based on this question indicate that the shop floor

demarcations in the workshops are of acceptable standards. Demarcated areas are present,

signalling the hazardous areas and pathways. A lean manufacturing office applies 5S and continuous

improvements in the workshop.

It is also deduced that lightings and temperature are favourable to labourers. The score is positive;

thus, the researcher can conclude that workshops setups comply with International Workshop Health

and Safety acts.

Management versus employees perceptions on ILS implementation

Employees’ perceptions were assessed versus management perception, on two of the ILS element;

inventory management system and labour adequacy. Twenty-three percent of labourers indicated

that the labour is inadequate, granted the maintenance workload, whereas all managers suggested

that labour is adequate.

All managers believed that an inventory management system is effective whereas 68% of labourers

highlighted that inventory management systems are ineffective as a significant shortage exist, of

spares on the floor and warehouse. In summary, management has a perception that the production

line functions smoothly entirely, whereas employees have a diverse view.

5.3 Recommendations

Recommendations on this study are based on the data received from the questionnaire co-

operatively with the ILS literature. Lessons are learned from this research implementation. Below

63

are the recommendations and lessons learned on the research methodology and data collection

exercise:

It is recommended that survey questionnaires must be simplified to avoid ambiguity.

E-mails are not convenient for surveys because the response rate is slow. It is advisable to use

other media of communication to acquire data. Hand-delivery is more appropriate.

It is crucial to validate questionnaire with subject matters experts to sustain relevance of the

study to the field.

Some of the respondents are agitated to participate in a survey; thus, it is significant to request

the line managers providing awareness about the survey exercise so that the respondents can

be comfortable.

Respondents are likely to be biased or dishonest if not provided enough time to comprehend the

gist of a question and provides an honest answer. Therefore, it is important to provide adequate

time to the respondents to analyse questions and provide their truthful answer.

In this research, follow-up questions were randomly asked. If the respondent awards the

minimum score of 1 (strongly disagree) or the maximum score of 5 (strongly agree). The

researcher randomly requested the underpinning reasons or rationale why respondents strongly

agreed or strongly disagreed.

It is discovered from the data received that some of the ILS elements are not effective. Holistically,

ILS elements function complementarily, comparing to puzzle pieces with an objective of creating a

single picture. If one element is not effective, it negatively impacts the entire value chain of the ILS

application. A research identified elements ineffectively implemented and provides the following

recommendations:

Insufficient labour – as a short-term remedy, management should conduct a line balancing,

ensuring that labourers are adequately allocated to increase productivity. Redundant employees

should be redeployed to other functions where a shortage of personnel exists, to balance the

performance rate and reduce time to completion (TTC).

64

It is recommended that management should consider adopting the automated labour forecasting

model. The model synchronises labour requirements with maintenance workload based on the

maintenance plan. It develops and monitors the balance between labour and the workload.

Ineffective inventory management system – it is concluded that a shortage of material exists in

several sections based on the responses from respondents. The supposed cause of the material

shortage is ineffective inventory management system. Therefore, it is recommended that

management conduct root causes analyses to mitigate factors that negatively affect the inventory

management application.

65

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APPENDIX A: TABULAR DATA ANALYSIS

Table 5: Question 4 Analysis


Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors

Maintainers/ Operators ∑ Agreement%

5-Levels Rating Average

Strongly Agree 3 3 11 50 71% 5 3.5 Agree 0 3 1 21 26% 4 1.1 Unsure 0 0 0 3 3% 3 0.1 Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 2 0.0 Strongly Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 1 0.0

Weighted Average 93% Table 7: Question 6 Analysis

Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors




Weighted Average 52%


Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors






Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors


5-Levels Rating

Average Fully Agree 3 3 10 3 20% 5 1.0 Agree 0 3 2 66 75% 4 3.0 Unsure 0 0 0 2 2% 3 0.1 Disagree 0 0 0 3 3% 2 0.1 Fully Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 1 0.0 Average 82%

Senior Managers

Middle Managers Supervisors


5 Level Rating Average



76


Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors



Strongly Agree 3 2 7 45 60% 5 3.0 Agree 0 4 5 26 37% 4 1.5 Unsure 0 0 0 2 2% 3 0.1

Disagree 0 0 0 1 1% 2 0.0 Strongly Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 1 0.0



Senior Managers

Middle Managers

Super visors



Strongly Agree 3 5 3 65 80% 5 4.0

Agree 0 1 9 9 20% 4 0.8 Unsure 0 0 0 0 0% 3 0.0 Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 2 0.0 Strongly Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 1 0.0



Senior

Managers Middle

Managers Super visors





Weighted Average 96% Table 13: Question 12 Analysis

Senior Managers



5-Level Rating Average

Strongly Agree 0 1 0

0 1% 5 0.1

Agree 3 5 2 3 14% 4 0.5

Unsure 0 0 0 0 0% 3 0.0

Disagree 0 0 7 63 74% 2 1.5 Strongly Disagree 0 0 3

8 12% 1 0.1



Senior Managers



5-Level Rating Average



77


Senior

Managers Middle

Managers Supervisors Maintainers/ Operators ∑ Agreement%

5-Level Rating

Average Strongly Agree 3 2 10 62 81% 5 4.1 Agree 0 4 1 5 11% 4 0.4 Unsure 0 0 0 0 0% 3 0.0




Senior Managers


Maintainers/ Operators

∑ Agreement%

5 Level Rating Average


Disagree 0 0 0 3 3% 2 0.1 Strongly

Disagree 0 0 0 0 0% 1 0.0 Weighted Average 95%

78

APPENDIX B: EXPERIENCE ANALYSIS Q4: The locomotives maintenance processes and procedures are clear and understood by the

maintenance team.

Q5: Transnet have an effective locomotive maintenance plan that outlines the nature of maintenance

to be conducted

Q6: There is an effective Inventory management system advising when to order and how much to

order

129

25

8

1

34

51

Strongly Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Strongly Disagree

1 - 10 years 10 - 25 years ≥26 Years

11 10

0

23

9

2

33

7

0



2

7 75

1

11

2

18

2

8

2 3

14 13



79

Q7: There is effective quality evaluation procedure that is applied ensuring that the delivered material

is of acceptable quality standard and specification

Q8: Locomotives failure rates are known and there is effective reliability measuring factors in place

Q9: There is effective system/technology that is used to conduct Condition Based Maintenance to

uplift the reliability level of locomotives

4

15

2

9

23

2

22

15

3

Strongly Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Strongly Agree


4 4

13

1

5 4

24

0

912 13

6

Fully Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Fully Agree


5

15

1

23

11

29

9

2



80

Q10: The training offered to the locomotives maintainers and operators is effective

Q11: Adequate training equipment is in place to conduct required practical training.

Q12: There is enough personnel required who are fully trained and certified to conduct locomotives

maintenance and operations at any provided time.

17

4

28

6

31

9



18

3

29

5

31

9



1

6 7 7

03

30

10

4

33

3



81

Q13: There is effective forecasting model in place that is used to determine the future required

personnel capacity, supporting future maintenance and operations

Q14: The maintenance plant floor is visibly demarcated with labelled of tools and material.

Q15: The lighting and temperature in the workshop are favourable

1

5

10

5

0

4

20

5 5

0

3

20

10

7



7 95

32

0 2

38

1 1



19

2

33

1

25

12

3



82

APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE

Integrated Logistics Support Questionnaires: Locomotive Life-cycle Support

Bio data Purpose of the

question/statement 1. What is your working

experience? a) 1 – 10 Years b) 11 – 25 Years c) 26 and above Years

This question aims to determine the experience of the respondent. This will enable the researcher to segment the outcome of the survey in terms of experience differences provided

2. What is your age? a) 20- 30 Years b) 30 -40 Years c) 40 and above Years

This question aim to determine the age of the respondent. This information will assist the researcher to categorise the responses based on the age and experience.

3. What is your designation?

a) Senior Management b) Middle Management c) Maintainer/Operator/Lower Level

Management

This question aims to determine the position that the respondent occupied. This information will enable the researcher to categorise the outcome of the survey in terms of the disciples and designations.

Maintenance Strategy and Plan 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree

Purpose of the question/statement

4. The locomotives maintenance processes and procedures are clear and understood by the maintenance team.

This statement aim to evaluate if the existing maintenance processes and procedures are understood by the employees

5. Transnet have effective locomotive maintenance plan that outlines the nature of maintenance to be conducted

The purpose of this statement is to evaluate the effectiveness of the maintenance plan, it will answer the question of is the maintenance plan comprehensive enough to keep the locomotives reliable through maintenance?

Inventory Management 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree


6. There is an effective Inventory management system that advises when to order and how much to order

The purpose of this statement is to evaluate the effectiveness of the inventory management system, does it serve the purpose?

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7. There is a comprehensive quality evaluation procedure that is applied ensuring that the delivered material is of acceptable quality standard.

The purpose of this statement is to determine if there is an effective quality management process that is followed to assess if the incoming material meet the acceptable standards.

Locomotives Reliability 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree


8. The Locomotives failure rates are known

The purpose of this statement is to determine whether the locomotives failure rates are known and if there is an effective response plan to the failures.

9. There is effective system/technology that is used to conduct Condition Based Maintenance to uplift the reliability level of locomotives

The purpose of this statement is to determine if there is any existing system/ technology that is used to conduct the condition monitoring activities on the locomotives.

Training and Training Devices 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree


10. The training offered to the locomotives maintainers and operators is effective

The purpose of this statement is to assess the quality of training that is offered to the labourers, it also aim to answer the question of can the maintainers able to maintain and the operators able to operate?

11. Adequate training equipment is in place to conduct required practical training.

The purpose of this statement is to determine the availability and effectiveness of the practical training devices/ equipment

Labour and Personnel 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree


12. There is enough personnel required who are fully trained and certified to conduct locomotives maintenance and operations at any given time.

The purpose of this statement is to determine whether the current personnel are adequate to conduct the required locomotives maintenance requirements.

13. There is effective forecasting model in place that is used to determine the future required personnel

The purpose of this statement is to investigate if there is an impending recruitment plan to address forecasted maintenance activities

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capacity supporting future maintenance and operations

Maintenance Facilities Requirements 5

Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Unsure

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree


14. The maintenance plant floor is visibly demarcated with labelled of tools and materials

The purpose of this statement is to assess if the plant floor demarcations are visible and understood by the employees

15. The lighting and temperature in the maintenance area is acceptable.

The purpose of this statement is to evaluate the condition of the maintenance area to the employees who are working there.

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