Critical success factors for the implemntation of reliability centred maintenance

Power utilities are faced with a challenge of sustaining the continuity of supply by reducing the frequency and durations of power interruptions and outages. There is therefore an increasing responsibility to meet the required levels of reliability of supply to secure current customers and to attract new ones. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) has been implemented by various industries to promptly identify and mitigate equipment failure with the aim of improving overall system reliability. Studies have been conducted on the implementation and application of the RCM program with emphasis on the analysis process steps. This study focuses on the critical success factors to be considered for a successful implementation of the RCM program and the impact of a successful RCM program on performance indicators. This paper explores multiple published research case studies to identify best practices in implementing a successful RCM program and the benefits of the RCM to the organization. The reviewing of multiple case studies provided an in-depth knowledge on various approaches towards the RCM implementation by various organizations as well as the results attained. The results indicate five critical success factors for a successful implementation of the RCM program namely: stakeholder support, training, RCM team competency, culture change and the use of a pilot study. These factors can be adopted by the organization as a strategic guideline to promote the success of the RCM implementation. The results further prove that the RCM program is a cost-effective maintenance strategy that can offer an improved and efficient plant performance.