Cost modelling in maintenance using time‐driven activity‐based costing

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the possibility to use time‐driven activity‐based costing (TDABC) in maintenance cost modelling. It deals with three questions: how maintenance activities could be described? How could TDABC system model the complex maintenance processes? How could TDABC improve maintenance decision‐making? This contribution is illustrated using the experience of a materials production company. The model is proposed using the process approach to describe maintenance process. The research illustrates that maintenance process cannot be modelled as a function but as a set of sub‐processes. This document is one from the few papers that experiment TDABC in industrial sector. The proposed model can be used to support managers initially to identify maintenance activities and organise maintenance department. The model provides the possibility to predict the benefit costs for improvement actions before their establishment. This paper complements current discussion on the use of TDABC in the industrial costing especially maintenance costing.