New Concepts in the Restructuring of Maintenance Processes and a Tool for their Implementation

In order to be successful, today's companies have to endure increasing competition, tougher price wars and also withstand the pressure of turbulent markets in which large fluctuations in sales and demand occur in ever shorter cycles. In addition, stricter envrionmental regulations and more discriminating consumers have complicated matters even more and it has become necessary for manufacturers to examine and introduce new ways to face all these challenges. One of the most significant steps is the restructuring of the company organisation, especially in the area of maintenance. Through decentralised structuring a company can increase flexibility, develop and implement strategies to satisfy the needs of their customers around the world. Information technology and new concepts in logistics have enabled this trend towards globalisation. This has been the focus of research at the Fraunhofer IPA which has developed a software tool aimed at businesses planning of in the process of restructuri ng. This paper examines the processes involved during restructuring, the difficulties faced by companies and the possible ways of tackling these problems.