Groups eye common metrics for maintenance, availability

When a company wants to compare maintenance and availability performance internally or externally, they need a common platform in terms of predefined indicators so that they can compare apples to apples. This challenge is being met by the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and the European Federation of National Maintenance Societies (EFNMS). These two maintenance organizations have launched a joint activity to compare and document existing indicators for maintenance and reliability performance. This will help maintenance managers to understand the indicators and their definitions.

SMRP has defined a number of best practice metrics to measure maintenance performance. The process is ongoing, and metrics are publicly available at www.smrp.org. In 2000, EFNMS defined a set of indicators to measure maintenance performance (see www.efnms.org). These indicators are now incorporated in the European standard prEN 15341 “Maintenance Key Performance Indicators”. The comparison activity is now aiming at a documentation of the similarities and the differences in the SMRP metrics and the prEN 15341 standard.

With increased globalization, the need for a common understanding of the indicators to measure maintenance and availability performance is paramount, and there is no doubt that this activity in a short period of time will play a part in a global standard for maintenance indicators. This is highlighted by the fact that the Technical Committee on Maintenance of the Pan American Federation of Engineering Societies (COPIMAN) is joining the comparison effort.

The result of the activity will be a document pointing out the similarities and documenting the differences in the indicators. The document is in progress, and the first step has been taken to identify the similarities between the EN standard and the SMRP metrics.

The first indicators compared and identified as similar from prEN 15341 and the SMRP Metrics are:

To increase understanding and the application of the indicators, EFNMS and SMRP organizes workshops based on the indicators or metrics.

About SMRP
The SMRP organization was formed and chartered in 1992 as a not-for-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation. SMRP promotes information exchange through a network of maintenance and reliability professionals, supports maintenance and reliability as integral part of business and asset management, and seeks to be a voice that advances innovative reliability practices. 

For information on Global Indicators, contact Jerry D. Kahn, P.E. CMRP, project manager, SMRP, at 678-364-9703 or jkahn@smrp.org. For more information about the SMRP, visit www.smrp.org. Also, contact Patrick E. Winters, CEA, executive director, SMRP, at 703-635-0893 or pwinters@smrp.org.

About EFNMSvzw
The EFNMSvzw is non-profit organization (“Vereniging zonder Winstoogmerk”) according to Belgian law created on January 18, 2003, in Amsterdam. The VZW’s objectives are: the improvement of maintenance for the benefit of the peoples of Europe. The term "maintenance" is meant as: the combination of all technical, administrative and managerial actions during the life cycle of an item intended to retain or restore it to a state in which it can perform its required function. Maintenance is of utmost importance for trade and commerce, for the environment, and for general health and safety. In order to pursue its goals, the VZW shall be an umbrella organization for the non-profit National Maintenance Societies in Europe.

For more information about the EFNMS, visit www.efnms.org. You can also contact Hans Overgaard, chairman, EFNMSvzw, at +32-2-706-8715 or hans.overgaard@albertslund.dk.