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To provide a framework that can identify and evaluate the effectiveness of a given maintenance strategy in a company. This can help in the strategic management of maintenance.

The framework is developed using Hayes and Wheelwright's four‐stage framework on manufacturing strategy as a guideline. To gain a clearer understanding of the framework and its usefulness the subject topic is elaborated in two phases: definition of maintenance strategy, framework description and operationalization using case examples. The scope of the paper is limited to performance measurement of maintenance strategies.

It is found that the framework is applicable and useful for the strategic management of the maintenance function. The case example depicting the fourth stage shows that maintenance can also contribute to enhancing the competitive advantage of a company.

Given the current position of maintenance, the framework used in this paper also suggests the strategic direction to progress for long‐term effectiveness. It helps in stimulating practising managers to manage maintenance with a strategic thinking and mindset. It also helps them to visualize the capabilities of maintenance in enhancing the competitive advantage of a company.

Unlike other functions like manufacturing and business, the strategic literature on maintenance is meagre. Many tools and techniques have been developed and applied in other fields. However, the applicability of those tools to maintenance function has never been tried. In that respect this topic is new. It helps in managing maintenance more effectively, given its growing technical and technological complexity.

The paper proposes a maturity assessment method to measure the state of maintenance practices in a company.

The method assumes that a maintenance department is evaluated in terms of its managerial, organizational and technological capabilities. By its adoption it is possible to analyse the maturity level reached by a company, in order to classify the criticalities in its maintenance processes; a company can also make a benchmark with the best companies of a reference sample.

The paper presents the method as a support to identify the levers to improve the maintenance management system. The method is demonstrated on a company whose maturity is assessed before making a benchmark against a sample of other manufacturing companies located in the Northern Italy.

The paper presents a scoring method for maturity assessment and a procedure to use it in order to identify the criticalities in maintenance processes and to subsequently drive the improvement of the maintenance management system. The paper should be useful both to researchers and maintenance professionals interested in using new methods for long‐term planning in maintenance.

This paper describes the use of an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in determining the rational weights of importance of pavement maintenance priority ranking factors. These weights were obtained by capturing the local people’s perception towards this vital part of the pavement management system (PMS). In this regard, different groups of individuals were asked to estimate the weight of importance in pavement maintenance of different factors for ranking pavement sections. These factors were road class, pavement condition, operating traffic, riding quality, safety condition, maintenance cost, and the overall importance of the road section to the community. The AHP method of pair‐wise comparison was employed to get the factor weights, which were compared with the weights obtained from the direct assignment method. It was concluded that the two methods were statistically similar which confirms that the results of the direct assignment method can be used safely with a sound reliability and consistency. This conclusion comes from the fact that the AHP method has a high reputation and applications, and it uses a high‐precision technique for obtaining the weights (priorities) of alternatives or items. Priority factor weights were used in developing a pavement maintenance priority ranking procedure for a road network. This procedure was validated by real case studies, and found to be logically and efficiently able to handle the ranking of a huge number of pavement sections for maintenance and repair.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive approach to efficiently integrate maintenance and operation by combining process and condition monitoring data with performance measures.

Intelligent stress, condition and health indicators have been developed for control and condition monitoring by combining generalised moments and norms with efficient nonlinear scaling. The data analysis resulting nonlinear scaling functions can also be used to handle performance measures used for management. The generalised norms provide limits for an advanced statistical process control.

The data‐driven analysis methodology demonstrates that management‐oriented indicators can be presented in the same scale as intelligent condition and stress indices. Control, condition monitoring, maintenance and performance monitoring are represented as interactive feedback loops.

Performance analysis can be based on real‐time information by using various stress, condition and health indices as inputs. Similar approaches can be used for outputs: quality indices, harmonised indices, key performance indicators, process capability indices and overall equipment effectiveness. Since consistent linguistic explanations based on nonlinear scaling are available for all these indices, the analysis can be further deepened with LE modelling. Efficient monitoring with intelligent indices provides a good basis for control and condition‐based maintenance and performance monitoring.

The paper extends the nonlinear scaling methodology and linguistic equations to intelligent performance measures. The methodology provides a consistent way to also represent all information with linguistic terms.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how a risk‐based dependability approach can be used to link maintenance performance measurement and management to overall objectives within an organization. Design/methodology/approach – The applied study approach is a case study at Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration). Qualitative data were collected through interviews, workshops and document studies, while quantitative data was collected through data bases. As a framework for analysis, international standards within the risk and dependability areas were applied. Finally, the conclusions of the study were verified by key informants. Findings – Through the proposed risk‐based dependability approach, critical availability goals are communicated with and involve top management. The approach also contributes to enhanced data and information quality by pinpointing critical data and information for dependability management activities. The proposed availability indicator can be used to monitor the effect of dependability management activities aimed at different indenture levels of the infrastructure and related to the responsibility of different hierarchical levels of the organization, e.g. different maintenance echelons. Practical implications – The proposed approach strengthens the internal control of an organization by supporting the achievement of: objectives that are aligned with and support the mission; operations with an effective and efficient use of resources; reliable operational and financial reporting; compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Originality/value – By integrating risk management in the work with availability goals included in the balanced scorecard, a more holistic and risk‐based dependability management practice is achieved.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of the performance measurement (PM) in maintenance. The authors aim to discuss the background and development of the PM for maintenance, besides defining the concept of performance measures for maintenance and the frameworks developed.

A detailed and extensive literature search and study was undertaken by the authors on the concept and definition of PM, performance indicators (PIs), maintenance performance indicators and various performance frameworks. The history and theory of PM over different phases of business and technological developments have been critically examined and analysed in this review paper.

This paper reviews and presents the different PIs and PM frameworks like; balanced scorecard (BSC), performance prism, performance pyramid and performance matrix, etc., and identifies their characteristics and shortcomings. After considering related issues and challenges, frameworks and approaches for the maintenance performance measurement (MPM) are also presented, where the emerging techniques like; emaintenance have also been discussed amongst others. More and more industries are applying the balanced and integrated MPM frameworks for their competitive survivability and sustainability.

The concept, issues and approaches considered for the MPM frameworks can be adapted by the practicing managers, while trying to define and develop an MPM framework for the operation and maintenance activities. The considerations of the advantages and limitations of different frameworks can provide insights to the managers for implementation.

Some literature reviews on MPM and MPM frameworks are available today. This paper makes an attempt to provide a detailed and relevant literature review, besides adding value in this new and emerging area.

Output from the Irish Dairy Industry has grown rapidly since the abolition of quotas in 2015, with processors investing heavily in capacity expansion to deal with the extra milk volumes. Further capacity gains may be achieved by extending the processing season into the winter, a key enabler for which being the reduction of duration of the winter maintenance overhaul period. This paper aims to investigate if Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques can be used to enhance operational maintenance performance, thereby releasing additional processing capacity.

Combining the Six-Sigma Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology and the structured approach of Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) widely used in process industries creates a novel hybrid model that promises substantial improvement in maintenance overhaul execution. This paper presents a case study applying the DMAIC/TAM model to Ireland’s largest dairy processing site to optimise the annual maintenance shutdown. The objective was to deliver a 30% reduction in the duration of the overhaul, enabling an extension of the processing season.

Application of the DMAIC/TAM hybrid resulted in process enhancements, employee engagement and a clear roadmap for the operations team. Project goals were delivered, and original objectives exceeded, resulting in €8.9m additional value to the business and a reduction of 36% in the duration of the overhaul.

The results demonstrate that the model provides a structure that promotes systematic working and a continuous improvement focus that can have substantial benefits for wider industry. Opportunities for further model refinement were identified and will enhance performance in subsequent overhauls.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that the structure and tools of DMAIC and TAM have been combined into a hybrid methodology and applied in an Irish industrial setting.