A lot has been said about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it is certainly worth a read.
Analogues to human needs, machines have certain needs which if satisfied, lead to high performance and reliable operation through its life cycle. Let’s discuss this further.
1. Machine specification matches use, is designed and selected for the right application and the right environmental conditions.
2. Machine is manufactured defect free and with high quality (think 6 sigma and defects per million), stored and transported with utmost care so that no defects are introduced till the point of application.
3. Machine is installed correctly (Aligned, balanced, lubricated).
4. Ran and operated with care at the right conditions. Operator driven reliability anyone?
5. Has the right Preventive maintenance being performed periodically (have you changed your filters, gotten the oil changed?)
The above five correspond to what is referred to as Deficiency needs. If we deprive the asset of any of the above needs, the asset will experience a failure earlier than expected – akin to a “special cause variation”. Imagine the different groups that make a reliable asset! Engineers who design and pick a certain machine, manufacturers with all their different capabilities, skilled tradesmen who install the equipment, operators who use the equipment daily and finally the maintenance crew who perform periodic maintenance or repair when needed.
