THE EFFECT OF PLANT AND EQUIPMENT AINTENANCE STRATEGIES ON FACTORY PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF BEVERAGE BOTTLING COMPANY, ASKU Plc.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of plant and equipment maintenance on factory performance of beverage bottling company Asku Plc. The research was aimed specifically to identify plant and equipment maintenance strategies adopted, factors affecting factory performance and analyzing the relationship between the two and side by side identification of other factors affecting the factory performance was reached in conclusion. The four maintenance strategies’ namely break down or corrective maintenance (BCM), preventive maintenance (PM), predictive maintenance (PDM) and proactive maintenance (PRM) related questioners were incorporated under each strategies. On the other side variables like cost of maintenance, factory time efficiency, production in bottles per year, and equipment availability related questioners under each variables were included. The research revealed that the maintenance strategies were found to have a positive correlation and have meaningful effects on the achievement of factory performance. It is observed that PM is the most factor affecting followed by BCM each with Likert score of 2.8784 and 2.7973. The survey also shown that the most monitored factory performance indicator and its mean weighted Likert score was production of bottles per year (3.49), while the least monitored was factory time efficiency (2.78). Influence of plant and equipment maintenance on the factory performance indicators was recognized by the respondents who acknowledged that four factory performance indicators were frequently affected by the maintenance tasks. A modern prevention technique called Total productive maintenance (TPM) activities which is involving operators in maintaining their own equipment, independent of the maintenance department must be aggressively implemented by the company.