The need for a holistic view on dependable production systems

When discussing dependability of mechanized, discrete item production, the focus tends to be on maintenance. By studying experiences and breakdown data from eight automotive manufacturing sites in Sweden, a new view on the problem arises. It seems that on average, 40% of the breakdowns are related to poor maintenance practices. This indicates that maintenance management is not the dominant cause of breakdowns. Rather, companies should focus on human factors, e.g. skills, routines, and workload, among operators, as well as maintenance staff. Also, the Early Equipment Management process requires more attention in order to increase the dependability in the production system. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.