Purpose of MaintenanceThe main purpose of maintenance in an industrial perspective is to reduce the business risks.

In general, operation & maintenance is synonymous with high level of availability, reliability and assets operability linking directly with production capacity, productivity and business profit.

Maintenance FunctionsTo get a smooth, reliable and cost effective maintenance in a company, different functions in the company has to be co-ordinated and not only the maintenance department alone.

Maintenance functions can be grouped in two categories:1) Basic Functions (Job-wise)2) Composite Functions

1) Basic FunctionsReplace: To remove an unserviceable item and install a serviceable counterpart in its place.

2) Repair: The application of maintenance services including fault location/troubleshooting, removal installation, and disassembly/assembly procedures and maintenance actions to identify troubles and restore serviceability to an item by correcting specific damage, fault, break down or failure in a part, sub-assembly, module (component or assembly), end item, or system.

3) Overhaul: the maintenance effort (service/action)prescribed to restore an item to a completely serviceable/operational condition as required by maintenance standards in appropriate technical problems.overhaul does not normally return an item to like new condition.

4) Rebuild: It consists of those services/actions necessary for the restoration of unserviceable equipment to a like new condition in accordance with original manufacturing standards.

5) Service/Lubricate: operations required periodically to keep an item in proper operating condition, i.e., to clean, to preserve, to drain, to paint, or to replenish fuel, lubricants, chemical fluids, or gases.

Lubrication is introduction of any of various substances between sliding surfaces to reduce wear and friction.

6) Inspect: to determine the serviceability of an item by comparing its physical, mechanical, and/or electrical characteristics with established standards through examinations.

7) Test: to verify serviceability by measuring the mechanical or electrical characteristics of an item and compare those characteristics with prescribed standards.

8) Adjust: To maintain, within prescribed limits, by bringing into proper or exact position, or by setting the operating characteristics to specified parameters.

9) Align: to adjust specified valuable elements of an item to bring about optimum or desired performance.

10) Calibrate: to determine and cause corrections to be made or to be adjusted on instruments or test, measuring and diagnostic equipment used in precision measurement.

11) Install: the act of emplacing, seating, or fixing into position an item , part, or module in a manner to allow the proper functioning of an equipment or system, etc.

2) Composite function1) protecting the buildings, structures and plants/factories.

2) Reducing downtimes and increasing equipment availability; also helping in increasing equipment utilization.

3) Controlling and directing labor forces.

Composite function4) Economy in maintenance department.

5) Maximizing utilization of available resources.

6) Ensuring safety of installation and reducing environmental pollution.

7) Cost reduction and cost control; Also helping in costing of individual jobs and departments.

Composite function8) Preparing maintenance budgets.

9) Waste reduction and waste recovery.

10) Improving technical communication.

11) Training of maintenance personnel on related jobs, etc.

Maintenance Objectives1) To maintain plants and equipments at its maximum operating efficiency, reducing downtimes and ensuring operational safety.

2) To safeguard investments by minimizing rate of deterioration and achieving this at optimum cost through budgeting and controls.

3) To help management in taking decisions on replacements or new investments actively participate in specification preparation, equipment selection, its erection and commissioning etc.

Maintenance Objectives4) Help in implementation of suitable procedures for procurement, storage and consumption of spares, tools and consumables etc. (inventory control).

5) Standardization of spares and consumables, in conformity with plant, national and international standards and help in adoption of these standards by all users in the plant.

6) Running of centralized services like steam generation and distribution, water supply, air supply and fuel supply etc.

Maintenance Objectives7) Running of captive workshops for repairs and conditioning and also for making some new spares.

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