Glossary
Glossary: maintenance, spare parts & asset management
Short definitions of the terms you meet in the knowledge base, from maintenance to spare parts and purchasing. Click through for the full explanation.
Back to the knowledge base- CMMS
- Computerised Maintenance Management System: software that centrally records work orders, failures, assets and maintenance history.More on CMMS
- EAM
- Enterprise Asset Management: managing assets across their whole life cycle, from acquisition to replacement. Maintenance is the core; EAM adds purchasing, cost and reliability, often across multiple sites.More on EAM
- Preventive maintenance
- Planned maintenance carried out before something breaks: at a fixed interval of time or usage, or based on measured condition.More on preventive maintenance
- Corrective maintenance
- Maintenance performed after a failure has occurred: repairing what is broken or no longer functional.More on corrective maintenance
- Condition-based maintenance (CBM)
- A form of preventive maintenance based on the actual, measured condition of an asset. You act when an indicator crosses a threshold.More on condition-based maintenance (CBM)
- Predictive maintenance (PdM)
- Maintenance that predicts the expected point of failure from trends and models, so the intervention can be planned ahead.More on predictive maintenance (PdM)
- P-F curve
- A model describing an asset's decay, from detectable potential failure (P) to functional failure (F). The P-F interval sets how often you measure.More on P-F curve
- FMECA
- Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis: a method to systematically assess failure modes, their effects and their criticality.More on FMECA
- RCM
- Reliability-Centered Maintenance: an approach that decides, per failure mode, which maintenance task is technically feasible and worthwhile.More on RCM
- OEE
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness: a single percentage combining availability, performance and quality to expose losses.More on OEE
- MTBF
- Mean Time Between Failures: the average running time between two failures. A measure of reliability.More on MTBF
- MTTR
- Mean Time To Repair: the average time to resolve a failure, from the moment it occurs until the asset works again. A measure of recoverability.More on MTTR
- Work order
- The recorded instruction to perform a task on an asset, with status, schedule, resources and history.More on work order
- Work preparation (job planning)
- Getting a job ready to execute: arranging scope, materials, labour, tools and permits in advance.More on work preparation (job planning)
- Root cause analysis (RCA)
- Systematically finding the underlying cause of a failure instead of treating the symptom.More on root cause analysis (RCA)
- Maintenance KPI
- A measurable indicator of maintenance performance, such as availability, MTBF, MTTR or maintenance cost per asset.More on maintenance KPI
- Running hours
- The time a machine actually runs. A basis for usage-based maintenance instead of calendar-based maintenance.More on running hours
- Spare parts
- Replacement parts held in stock for maintenance and repair. Good spare parts management links stock to work orders, so a job is less likely to stall on a missing component.More on spare parts
- Reorder point
- The stock level at which you reorder: expected consumption during the lead time plus the safety stock.More on reorder point
- Safety stock
- Buffer on top of expected consumption during the lead time, covering spikes in consumption and late deliveries. Usually also the minimum stock.More on safety stock
- Min/max
- A replenishment method with three levels: the minimum is the floor you don't want to go below (usually the safety stock), at the reorder point you reorder, and you top up to the maximum.More on min/max
- Available stock
- Physical stock minus what is already reserved for work orders: what you can freely use.More on available stock
- Reservation
- A part set aside for a specific work order, so it is not issued to other work. Reserved stock no longer counts as available.More on reservation
- ABC analysis
- Classifying items into three classes by annual consumption value (usage × price), so you can apply different rules per class.More on ABC analysis
- Insurance spares
- Expensive, rarely used spare parts with long lead times, held because a failure without them would be unacceptable.More on insurance spares
- Cycle counting
- Counting a small part of the stock every day or week to a fixed schedule, instead of one annual stocktake.More on cycle counting
- Inventory record accuracy (IRA)
- The percentage of counted lines where the counted quantity matches the system quantity.More on inventory record accuracy (IRA)
- Location code
- The address of a bin in the warehouse, from coarse to fine: warehouse, aisle, rack, bin.More on location code
- Request for quotation (RFQ)
- A request to one or more suppliers for price and lead time before you order. It does not commit you to anything yet.More on request for quotation (RFQ)
- Purchase order
- The instruction to a supplier to deliver, with items, quantities, price and delivery date. The order confirmation fixes the confirmed delivery date.More on purchase order
- ISO 55000
- International standard series for asset management. Certification is against ISO 55001, the part with auditable requirements.More on ISO 55000
- TPM
- Total Productive Maintenance: a philosophy in which operators, technicians and management jointly eliminate losses, measured with OEE.More on TPM
- LMRA & LOTO
- Two safety layers in maintenance: the last-minute risk assessment (LMRA), a short hazard check at the job site just before work starts, and lockout/tagout (LOTO) to isolate energy sources.More on LMRA & LOTO
- Planned shutdown (turnaround)
- A planned shutdown in which an installation is thoroughly inspected and overhauled. Preparation determines its length.More on planned shutdown (turnaround)
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