Chapter Aims and Outcomes

To review the changes that have taken place over the last 30 years to the management function in general, and to the maintenance-management function in particular. The overriding aim is to identify and discuss those changes which improve the efficiency of the maintenance organization.

On completion of this chapter you should be able to:

• appreciate the maintenance organizational trends that have emerged over the period 1970 to date;

• understand why the changes have occurred and the influence the changes have had on organizational efficiency;

• understand the principles and concepts associated with each of the organizational changes.

Chapter Route Map

Key Words

• Functional organization

• Plant custodian

• Resistance to change

• Operator maintenance

• Business unit

• Down sizing

• Plant manufacturing unit

• Maintenance organizational trends

7.1 Introduction

During the course of the last 20 or 30 years considerable changes have been brought about in the way in which the maintenance-management function is organized. This section will review these trends and explain the principles, concepts and structure of each of the organizational initiatives, e.g. teams. The remaining sections of this module will use case studies and exercises to explain each of the initiatives in more detail.

The models of resource structure and administrative structure that have been introduced in Chapters 4 and 5 will serve as useful vehicles for mapping the various developments.