Enhanced Modeling of Machine Repair Cycle to Maximize Uptime in Developing Countries

Abstract

In this paper, the machine repair cycle in the manufacturing industry is explored in the context of developing countries. The scope of this paper is the failure of electronic components in the machine along with its software. A Markov model is developed to take into account the different types of failures (hardware or software) and the repair procedures while focusing on the effect of training the maintenance personnel as well as that of stocking spare parts onsite. It is shown that the Steady State Availability obtained when using the proposed enhanced model is occasionally different than that obtained when using more conventional models. The proposed model can be used to support decision making regarding the appropriate amount of training for the maintenance personnel and the factory’s spare part stocking policy. Finally, the Payoff is analyzed in relation to the cost of Downtime versus the Uptime.