RCM advances and relevance in the new age of Asset Management

2014

Reliability Centered Maintenance is the best approach to determining failure management strategies. Various brands exist, many claiming to be compliant with ISO standards – some are and some aren’t. RCM is also considered a “resource consuming monster” based on use analysis teams taking time to do thorough analyses after taking extensive training. Consequently there are a number of shortened versions, non-compliant to standards, claiming to be lower cost and less demanding on human resources. With new “Asset Management” standards maintenance is now being viewed within a life cycle context. How has RCM advanced since its beginnings in the late 1970’s? Does it need to be as thorough? When can you use shortened methods? When does it make sense to ignore it? Is RCM still relevant in the broader Asset Management context? Does RCM need to evolve further? How does RCM address the needs of today’s leaner organizations? How does it compensate for the loss of talent due demographics in western countries? These questions will all be addressed showing that RCM is even more relevant today than ever.

Keywords: Density variation, models, backfills, falling height, deposition intensity