Autonomous Maintenance

At the core of world-class maintenance performance is something called autonomous maintenance. In this context, the term autonomous doesn't mean performing maintenance in a vacuum or solely by the traditional maintenance department. Rather, it means that operators perform certain equipment maintenance activities and that maintenance crafts get closely involved in the daily operation of equipment. The focus of the operating team is on cleaning, inspecting, lubricating, monitoring and other such essential daily tasks traditionally within the domain of the maintenance department.

Unfortunately, most equipment operators lack a feeling of ownership. The conventional philosophy in many underperforming plants is "I run it, you fix it," or "I'm manufacturing, you're maintenance." The older the company, the more rooted this mind-set becomes and the more difficult it is to change. In world-class plants, the operator becomes the asset owner, the focus for routine maintenance and the central figure in overall equipment effectiveness.

MBX-Case-Study.pdf