Developing optimum preventive maintenance schedules using simulation: A case study

Using simulation, optimum preventive maintenance (PM) schedules are developed for the major components of a detergent-packing line. For each component, two PM policies are considered. In the first policy, the interval between any two successive PM inspections is constant and unaffected by failures between inspections. In the second policy, the PM interval is restarted in the case of failure and repair. A simulation model is constructed to represent each policy and determine the optimum PM schedule for each component. The objective is to determine the policy and associated interval between PM inspections to minimize the total cost.