EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE : ORGANISATIONS

 1.5 EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE: ORGANISATIONS

By Aleksandar Pudar

Technical Superintendent and Planned Maintenance Supervisor Reederei Nord BV

Co-founder of "Out of Box Maritime Thinker Blog" and founder of Narenta Gestio Consilium Group

Many different types of organisational structures are used in the maritime industry, but not all effectively utilise the workforce and may have too few or too many indirect personnel. This section provides practical knowledge for evaluating the existing organisational structure to determine its effectiveness.

An effective organisation is composed of people with a purpose working together toward a common goal. Planning a corporate organisation is both a science and an art. The dimensions of structure, culture, systems, and processes are common to all maritime organisations. However, how these dimensions are coordinated and governed is more art than science, and there is neither a clear guideline nor a single ideal organisational structure that is best for all maritime organisations.

A fundamental principle of organisation is that the pieces or functions must fit together, and there should be effective coordination between functions. As a system, organisations can only be understood or governed as an integrated whole. The performance of individual functions, such as technical, financial, crewing, operations, or chartering, cannot provide an accurate picture of the entire organisation.

Organisations must maintain integrity and balance policy and practice, philosophy and performance, and decisions and deeds. One serious problem that limits maritime organisations' performance is that many have failed to recognise the interrelationship of functions, with each operating separately without coordination or communication with other functions.

To improve performance, the success of the maintenance function depends on the participation and total commitment of all employees within the company. Various approaches are used to gain employee involvement, such as suggestion systems, information sharing, training, and survey feedback. While these methods may positively impact overall performance, a core group with the authority and responsibility for program implementation is necessary for long-term employee commitment. In addition, care should be taken to ensure that organisational change is not perceived as another quick-fix management solution.

 

1.5.1 FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Each position within the company has specific responsibilities that must be enforced as part of

an effective reliability excellence change process. These responsibilities include :

 

Responsibilities of maintenance supervision (Ch. Eng, 2nd Eng, VMT)

 

·         Control over quality, duration, cost, and thoroughness of work:

o    Time lost between jobs due to maintenance during off-hire.

o    The vessel must be ready for subsequent employment at all times.

o    Follow up on breakdowns and machinery /equipment getting offline.

o    Balance motivation and discipline.

o    Regular safety rounds

o    Significant jobs supervised by senior engineers.

• Training and motivation:

o    Identify and provide or obtain the skills training required by each crew member.

o    Give adequate time and attention to formal and on-the-job training. Never neglect the development of employees.

o    Act upon requests for support and help. Effective listening reduces grievances.

·         Tactical decisions to stay on schedule:

o    Refine and finalise labour, materials, priorities, and methods.

o    Tactics often must be established after the job start.

o    Communicate with the technical department, operations, and makers (as necessary)

·         Administrative or personnel functions:

o    Control tardiness

o    Assure reasonably accurate distribution of time and materials to specific jobs.

o    Prompt and fair handling of grievances.

 

Responsibilities of Maintenance Planning and Scheduling

 

Planning is concerned with preparing work to be done in the future. In the case of most maritime organisations, this is set up within software ( PMS). Usually, set-up is done by Planned Maintenance Supervisor; specific responsibilities may  include:

·         Liaison with internal and external stakeholders for nonemergency work, as appropriate

·         Job plans and estimates

·         Man hours required for a specific job

·         Ensures that records are maintained appropriately

·         Reports on performance versus goals

 

Responsibilities of Reliability Engineering (vessel management team)

 

The role of reliability engineering is to apply technical expertise and innovation to resolve equipment issues that cause excessive downtime and maintenance work. The position is dedicated to the maintenance function and focuses on eliminating repetitive failures.

·         Ensure that new installations are maintainable.

·         Identify and correct chronic and costly equipment/machinery problems, and eliminate repetitive failure.

·         Provide technical advice to the crew and liaise between the equipment manufacturer and crew.

·         Design and implement an effective and economically justified preventive or predictive maintenance program.

·         Ensure proper operation and care of equipment.

·         Implement a comprehensive lubrication program.

·         Conduct inspections, make adjustments, replace parts, overhaul equipment, and perform other maintenance tasks for selected equipment.

·         Conduct vibration and other predictive analyses.

·         Protect equipment from environmental factors.

·         Maintained and analysed equipment data and historical records to predict maintenance needs.

 

1.5.2 KEY CONSIDERATIONS OF ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

 

In order to establish an organisational structure that fosters reliability, the following key considerations should be taken into account:

·         Clearly establish organisational principles and ground rules.

·         Technical management should have a structure that is on par with operations management.

·         Technical ( maintenance)  should not be seen as subordinate to operations.

·         The maintenance function should be viewed as a supportive service rather than a subordinate one.

·         Define the roles, responsibilities, and authorities of each department, including:

o    Operations department

o    Technical department

 

 

1.5.3 SELF-DIRECTED WORK TEAMS

 

In the vessel management business, lean vessel management is a becoming adopted approach prioritising efficiency over wasteful practices. Crewing practices are critical in implementing and institutionalising lean methods onboard and onshore. One practical approach involves organising crew and onboard engineers into self-directed or self-managed work teams.

A Vessel Management Team should consist of senior vessel management and TSI, PMS MSI, and Purchasing Officer members from the office side to achieve an integrated, customer-driven management process. Team members are cross-trained in various tasks within the defined process and gradually expand their capabilities to include administrative and support roles. As the team matures, it becomes increasingly autonomous and requires minimal supervision.

Self-directed work teams are similar to the lean management philosophy but have two key distinctions. First, lean management teams focus on continuously improving and relentlessly eliminating unnecessary costs, while self-directed work teams allow the onboard crew to take on additional responsibilities for administrative and managerial tasks. Second, lean managers expect team members to cross-train in all skills within the team's boundaries, whereas self-directed teams recognise that human limitations cap the number of different competencies any individual can master.

Therefore, each rank within a self-directed team is responsible for its specific role, and the team leverages all its crew members' diverse and complementary skills to ensure it has all the needed competencies with just enough redundancy. This approach emphasises teamwork, empowerment, participation, flexibility, and cooperation.

Implementing Self-directed Work Teams

 

Setting up self-directed work teams is an evolutionary process consisting of four significant steps:

(1) cross-training, (2) enhancing teamwork skills, (3) participating in proactive improvement

efforts, and (4) developing administrative skills.

Cross-training: Crew members need to learn how to perform various tasks within the responsibilities of their team and department. Cross-training enables the team to rotate job responsibilities and relieve boredom. Additionally, cross-training ensures team members can substitute for other crew members on short notice.

Enhancing teamwork skills: Crew members must learn or improve their skills in cooperation, conflict resolution, communication, negotiation, and consensus formation. These skills are crucial for effective teamwork and collaboration.

Participating in proactive improvement efforts: Management should empower crew members to analyse processes and develop and implement ideas to improve quality, increase productivity, and reduce waste.

Developing administrative skills: Team members must develop support and administrative skills, including maintenance and repair, quality control, scheduling, purchasing, inventory control, personnel management, performance measurement, and personal computer skills.

Continuous improvement, motivated workers, overcoming resistance to change, and appropriate incentives are critical for successful self-directed work teams. However, managers and crew members should never lose sight of the purpose of adopting self-directed work teams to improve the quality of production and business processes continuously. Developing incentive structures that reward the right behaviours and undermine resistance to change can support the self-directed team concept.

Senior managers must provide the vision and leadership to spark change to ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, securing vessel managers' buy-in is crucial to overcoming resistance to change. However, it is essential to remember that this process takes time, and setbacks are inevitable. Therefore, teams should not take on too much responsibility too quickly.

 

1.5.4 MAINTENANCE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Best practices for maintenance inclusion in organisational structure are directly dependent on factors such as operations business plans, maintenance work types, and the like.

1.5.4.1 OPERATIONS BUSINESS PLAN

In the context of the oil tanker business, it is essential to establish a maintenance organisation that can meet the demands of the vessel's operations. The maintenance organisation structure should be designed to support continuous operation and ensure effective planning and scheduling of maintenance activities.

For instance, if the vessel is operated 24 hours per day, seven days per week, the maintenance organisation should be structured to support this mode of operation. The maintenance workforce should be distributed to ensure continuous operation, and maintenance activities should be scheduled to take advantage of any available "windows of opportunity" when the vessel employment permits sustaining maintenance activities.

1.5.4.2 MAINTENANCE TYPES

Corrective

Corrective maintenance occurs when an issue is noticed; in essence, it is nonscheduled maintenance tasks which result from:

·         Additional findings from the scheduled tasks accomplished at specified intervals of time or usage

·         Reports of malfunctions or indications of impending failure (including automated detection)

This second group of tasks aims to maintain or restore

Corrective maintenance may be done in the:

·         Emergency. Owners or vessel operators must provide timely responses to emergency work requests without adversely affecting the vessel's ability to utilise the workforce or negatively impacting total maintenance cost-effectively. In most cases, this requires an organisation structure that dedicates a small percentage of the workforce, as well as planning and supervisory support, to emergency response work

·         Reaction, i.e. Reactive maintenance, is done when a total failure or breakdown occurs.

Preventive

 

Preventive maintenance is an absolute requirement of asset reliability and effective management of vessel life cycle costs. Therefore, an effective company must dedicate a portion of its craft workforce time, planning, and supervisory support to consistent, timely execution of preventive maintenance activities.

Preventive maintenance tasks include failure-finding tasks scheduled at specified intervals or based on condition. The objective of these tasks is to identify and prevent deterioration below inherent safety and reliability levels by means such as:

·         Lubrication or servicing

·         Operational, visual, or automated checks

·         Inspections, functional tests, or condition monitoring

·         Repairs

·         Discard or disposal

This group of tasks is determined by reliability-centred management (RCM) analysis and comprises the RCM-based preventive maintenance program.

Predetermined/Planned maintenance is set up per machiner/equipment maker requirements, schedules, statutory class rules, and industry standards. It includes Periodic Rebuilds and Overhauls. Without exception, machinery/equipment and the vessel require periodic overhauls or rebuilds to replace worn parts and finite-life components and ensure that acceptable reliability levels are consistently maintained. Because of the liability or risk and higher skill levels associated with major rebuilds or overhauls of significant equipment, the organisation must ensure that the best-qualified technicians are utilised for this type of work. Usually, this is outsourced to the maker with a supervisor from the owner representative.

Condition-based

Condition-based maintenance is a technique or a maintenance strategy that uses condition-monitoring tools and techniques to track equipment performance during regular operation to detect and fix possible defects before they fail. Condition-based maintenance is done when a situation or machinery/equipment condition indicates maintenance is needed.

Predictive-based maintenance, together with risk-based maintenance

Predictive maintenance uses condition-monitoring equipment to evaluate equipment performance and, based on results, identifies whether the equipment needs to be maintained. The Internet of Things (IoT) is critical to this process. IoT allows different assets and systems to connect, work, share, analyse and action data.

Predictive and risk-based maintenance are two important approaches to managing maintenance.

Predictive-based maintenance uses data and analytics to predict when equipment will likely fail so that maintenance can be scheduled before the failure occurs. This approach is based on the principle that performing maintenance before a failure occurs is more cost-effective than performing corrective maintenance after a failure.

On the other hand, risk-based maintenance considers the potential consequences of a failure when determining maintenance schedules. This approach prioritises equipment that poses the most significant risk to safety, the environment, or vessel employment.

Both approaches are complementary and can be used together to optimise maintenance practices. For example, predictive-based maintenance can help identify potential equipment failures, while risk-based maintenance can help prioritise maintenance activities based on the potential impact of equipment failure.

Using both approaches, organisations can achieve a more proactive and efficient maintenance strategy that minimises downtime, reduces costs, and improves safety and environmental performance.

Prescriptive maintenance

Prescriptive maintenance, a revolutionary approach in the maintenance sector, has significant potential for application within the maritime industry. This strategy is all about harnessing the power of data analysis, predictive modelling, and machine learning to anticipate potential faults before they escalate into severe failures, thereby advising on the most effective actions to optimise equipment performance and maintenance routines.

Prescriptive maintenance is a paradigm shift from conventional maintenance methods. It is fundamentally about turning insightful data into meaningful action.

Prescriptive maintenance uses advanced analytics to predict potential failures and suggests optimal maintenance strategies. It's an approach that goes beyond simply predicting problems, aiming instead to prescribe the right interventions.

Prescriptive maintenance can lead to significant cost savings and enhanced system reliability. It minimises unplanned downtime and extends the lifespan of equipment, which is vital for operations at sea where immediate professional help is not always available.

Prescriptive maintenance presents a proactive approach to vessel maintenance, aligning with the maritime industry's shift towards digitalisation and smart technologies. By predicting and preventing potential issues before they occur, vessels can increase operational efficiency, decrease downtime, and enhance safety, all critical factors in the maritime environment.

1.5.4.3 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

 

·         Work execution.

·         Planning and scheduling.

·         Maintenance engineering.

·         When one component of any organisation maximises, the organisation sub-optimises.

·         Application of technical knowledge.

·         Consider the nature of maintenance work and its control.

·         Consider the impact of technological advancements on the nature of maintenance.

 

1.5.5 SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS

 

Unlike operations, reliance on self-directed or self-managed teams does not work well in maintenance because the nature of maintenance work does not lend itself to natural work teams and must rely on more traditional organisational structures for success. The following information provides guidelines for an effective organisational structure.

Best Maintenance Organisation Practices

To support effective identification, prioritisation, planning, and execution of maintenance activities, the organisation structure must provide direct and indirect support to the crew. The span of control for these support activities includes the below managements divided per number of vessels.

·         Technical Superintendent - one TSI for five vessels

·         Planned Maintenance Supervisor – one PMS for 20 vessels

·         Fleet Manager – one FM for 40 vessels

·         Maintenance/ Training/Technical assistants: one for 40 vessel

·         On board, standard crew complement should be followed.

Note: Maintenance duties and responsibilities are defined within IMS for each rank (both onshore and vessel).

 

References & Bibliography :

 

1.       Swatkowski, P. (2018) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Maintenance Organisations - Emerson, www.emerson.com. Emerson Reliability Consulting. Available at: https://www.emerson.com/documents/automation/-7-habits-of-highly-effective-maintenance-organizations-en-5259570.pdf (Accessed: March 30, 2023).

 

Disclaimer:

Out of Box Maritime Thinker © by Narenta Gestio Consilium Group 2022 and Aleksandar Pudar assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this paper. The information in this paper is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness, or timeliness or of the results obtained from using this information. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your company's situation or system or consulting a consultancy professional. The content of this paper is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only.