Begin With Preventive Maintenance, Then Move to Root‑Cause Elimination

Begin With Preventive Maintenance, Then Move to Root‑Cause Elimination

In continuous improvement, the question often arises: should we tackle root‑cause problems first or strengthen preventive maintenance and scheduling?

Root‑cause problem elimination (RCPE) is vital, but it becomes a waste of time and resources if the underlying maintenance framework is weak. The term problem covers operational, quality, speed, cost, and other losses—not just equipment failures. Addressing problems is a shared responsibility among operations, maintenance, and engineering.

Why Both Are Needed

Preventive maintenance (PM) and effective planning and scheduling form the foundation of reliability. Without robust PM, many root‑cause analyses will merely point back to missing preventive work. A well‑structured PM program frees frontline leaders, operators, and maintainers to solve issues as part of their daily routine.

We recommend allocating up to 30 % of maintenance hours to RCPE, but only after basic processes—including PM and scheduling—are executed with high quality.

Gradual Shift to RCPE

Once PM is reliable, gradually move more effort toward RCPE. Communicate this shift as a strategy, emphasizing that you are evolving from a “doing” organization to a “thinking and doing” one. This mindset change can mitigate the perceived threat of reduced efficiency.

Triggering RCPE

To decide which problems merit RCPE, establish clear triggers. In a paper‑mill maintenance setting, common triggers include:

• High risk for personal injury or environmental damage
• Production loss exceeding three hours of prime‑ton output (in terms of time, quality, or speed)
• Cost surpassing $25,000

When a trigger is met, assign a problem owner and deliver the first RCPE report within 96 hours.

Realistic Trigger Levels

Our recent meetings with three paper mills revealed that some had to raise the production‑loss trigger from three to eight hours to see results. Start with a realistic level and lower it gradually as PM and scheduling improve.

About the Author

Torbjörn (Tor) Idhammar is partner and vice‑president of reliability and maintenance management consulting at IDCON Inc. He leads training and implementation for preventive maintenance, condition monitoring, scheduling, spare‑parts management, and root‑cause problem elimination. Author of “Condition Monitoring Standards” Volumes 1‑3, he holds a BS in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in mechanical engineering from Lund University (Sweden). Contact Tor at 800‑849‑2041 or info@idcon.com.

Management Consultants in Reliability and Maintenance – IDCON