Buffer Utilization Based Scheduling of Maintenance Activities by a Shifting Priority Approach – A Simulation Study

Paper in proceeding, 2016

Machine breakdowns and improper maintenance management cause production systems to function inefficiently. Particularly, breakdowns cause rippling effects on other machines in terms of starved and blocked states. Effective planning of maintenance can lead to improved production system efficiency. This paper aims at improving system throughput through prioritization of maintenance work orders by continuously monitoring buffer levels. This paper proposes and tests a new approach to determine the machine priorities for dynamic scheduling of maintenance work orders by identifying buffer utilization. The approach is exemplified in an industrial use-case. The results have shown to increase throughput in comparison to a first-come-first-served approach for executing maintenance work orders. This new approach relies on simple data collection and analysis, which makes it a viable option for industries to implement with minimal effort. The results can suggest that systems view for maintenance prioritization can be a powerful decision support tool for maintenance planning.