Towards true dynamic decision making in maintenance

The maintenance of machinery and assets in European industry has been shown to account for a significant proportion of operating costs, however substantial savings are possible through the use of more technologically advanced approaches. Modern industrial production systems are experiencing ever increasing demands for improved machinery reliability, efficiency, safety and environmental performance. Maintenance system technology has progressed to some extent but complete solutions with the flexibility to satisfy the demands of a wide range of users are still not widely utilised. One current research project, DYNAMITE (Dynamic Decisions in Maintenance) intends to address this problem by developing and applying a blend of leading-edge communications and sensor technology, combined with state-of-the-art diagnostic and prognostic techniques. The objective of the project is to deliver a prototype maintenance system to enable the monitoring of machines and processes for predictive maintenance and control. An infrastructure for mobile monitoring technology is to be developed along with devices incorporating sensors and algorithms to support enhanced capability for decision support systems. A key strategy of this project involves the extensive use of stored and transmitted electronic data in order to ensure availability fo up-to-date, accurate and detailed information. This strategy provides great advantages for both human and machine-based decision making capability. For instance the system aims to assist in the inspection and maintenance process by identifying priority cases, collating and delivering detailed documentation on maintenance procedures and also to plan and schedule these activities. Several key aspects of the project will be identified and the methods and technologies used to develop the maintenance infrastructures that allow such rapid, efficient, and costeffective decisions to be made will be discussed.